155 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
155 lines
9.5 KiB
Plaintext
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An Introduction to Virtual Reality
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As computing moves into the '90s, more and more attention is being
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given to the subject of user interfaces. The interest in the idea of graphic
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user interfaces clearly indicates that people are looking for ways to work
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with their machines that are more direct and intuitive. The past year has
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seen a rise in the number of computer hardware and software producers getting
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into the fray with was has become known as "multimedia", the integration of
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sound and visuals with large-scale memory in the form of optical CD-ROM
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drives. But what lies just around the corner is a quantum leap in thinking
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about how humans and computers interact, and the fact is, it isn't just
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around the corner. In a way, it's here already.
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Virtual Reality is a term that has been coined to describe the
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concept of immersing the user IN data, rather than just looking at a screen
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and typing, or using a pointer device such as a mouse or trackball. The idea
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of "creating worlds" on a personal computer is not entirely new. Most of you
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reading this file probably have a game or two on your hard disk that
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simulates a world of some sort, a flight simulator perhaps, maybe a driving/
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auto racing simulator, a space exploration and combat game, even something as
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simple as a chess game that gives you a 3d perspective on a "virtual"
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chessboard.
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Those of you reading this as a result of being in Compuserves
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graphics forums already obviously have an interest in creating images that
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create a visual environment electronically, whether that interest is geared
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toward realistic landscapes in raytracing, or very abstract imagery such as
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can be created using fractals, raytracing, paint programs and image
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processors. The topic here is, how can one take that sort of exploration and
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move it to a new level, where you are so thoroughly immersed in the image
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that it, for the moment, IS reality! The final step is to take that notion
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and add dynamics, animation which moves us into four dimensions; height,
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width, depth, and time.
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Much work is being done right now in this new computer discipline,
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much work has already been done. Soon, no doubt, work that has been strictly
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the domain of military research, university study, and private enterprise R&D
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programs will begin to see the light of day. Already, virtual reality systems
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are being used for things like modeling molecular structures in chemical
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research, architectural modeling, aerodynamics, and (no suprise here) flight
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training.
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The earliest commercial applications of virtual reality technology
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will almost certainly emerge first in two widely differing fields: games, and
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computer aided design. Work is going on at the University of North Carolina,
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NASA, Autodesk, MIT's Media Lab, and many other places, including many
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companies started for the sole purpose of developing this new field.
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What will go on in this section? Since we are, after all, in the
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computer art forum, it may already be apparent. As personal computers evolve
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in leaps and bounds, things that seemed like pure science fiction 15 years
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ago, as the concept of personal computers was first taking shape, are now
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real. In the form of Fractint, we have available a program allowing the
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exploration of the world of mathematics turned into art. Also we have the DKB
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raytracer developed by David Buck, which is developing into a new version
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being done as a collaboration among CIS users, much as Fractint is continually
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being developed. The possibility exists that work of a similar type is
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possible when this sort of talent and interest is brought to bear on this new
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field. For example, there is C source code available for interfacing a Mattel
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Power Glove to IBM-compatible PCs through an RS-232 port. More is needed in
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the area of hardware to make the world of virtual reality accessible to PC
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users. For example, what about a head-mounted display, using miniature
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displays such as those used in pocket-size television sets, in a binocular
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configuration?
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Once hardware is available, software is needed. Anybody out there
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with game design experience would be helpful in creating a dynamic environment
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for virtual reality. Those interested in animation may have much to offer.
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The principles involved in fractals and raytracing can be applied to this new
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field to some extent, and the sort of creative spirit and collaborative
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efforts present elsewhere in the graphics forums can certainly make progress
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in this! Anything at all that makes progress into this area is welcome!
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If you don't have the ability to make technical contributions, you
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may be able to offer a great deal anyway. In such new territory, there is
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always a need for those who have imagination, vision, a sense of direction
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and purpose for new technology. If you have a suggestion, fire off a message!
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Somebody out there may have the ability and means to make what may seem
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outlandish on the surface into reality.
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If you have ideas that are too extensive to fit into a short message,
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by all means, crank up the word processor and write it up, and upload it.
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This is all fairly new stuff, and things are wide open. Virtual Reality truly
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is the new frontier of computing, all hype aside. It WILL change the face of
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computing profoundly. The key word is not IF, but WHEN. It may seem, in the
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era of VLSI chip technology and multinational electronics corporations, to be
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impossible for basement experimenters and hobbyists to make advances in
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computers. In some sense that may be true. However, it is worth noting that
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personal computers grew out of the efforts of just those sorts of people,
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roughly 15 years ago. It also is very significant that many of you reading
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this are not just amateurs and hobbyists, but computer professionals.
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This may be one of the best places possible to begin the movement of
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Virtual Reality systems into the domain of truly personal computing, something
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available to those without massive financial and technical resources at their
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disposal. Certainly, the results possible with a 12Mhz 286 DOS-based machine
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will not equal the potential of a Cray. That doesn't mean work shouldn't begin
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at that level, however.
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It is worth reflecting on the Altair minicomputer which was made
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available in kit form in the mid '70's. Unimaginably crude and weak by todays
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standards, it fired the imaginations of thousands. You may well be one of
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those people. One of the people who, inspired by what would be regarded today
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as an ugly paperweight, went on to considerably more advanced realms. The
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computer industry as it is today was largely built on the efforts of people
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who realized the full ramifications of that Model T of computers. Today,
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Virtual Reality stands on the beach at Kitty Hawk. It doesn't take much to
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extrapolate the possible future given the advancement of technology and future
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economics of computer hardware. The shop project of a pair of bicycle
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mechanics eventually became the 747, F16, the Learjet. The Altair eventually
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led to things like 386 and 486 based machines with 1024x768 displays capable
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of 256 colors, and more with video boards like the Targa; the Macintosh IIci,
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the Next and Sun workstations.
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Work done now, at this level, can have a major effect on the course
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of development of VR. Not to mention the fact that it could be great fun!
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In electronics today, much thought needs to be given to the ideas of
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how standards evolve. What determines what form a medium takes can be
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influenced heavily by the thoughts and actions of the people most interested
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in using the technology. Things aren't simply handed down from ivory towers
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in corporations. Work done here, in a public forum, may well have an effect
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on the future shape of virtual reality at a home-user level. The fact is, a
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lot of "major players" are getting involved, or are already involved, in VR
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work; but there are different levels to technology, and while a lot of the
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focus of VR work is devoted to things like new ways to access huge amounts of
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data for businesses and governments, there is also a whole new world to be
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explored in terms of applications for individuals with PCs.
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There is a lot to think about entering the world of "cyberspace", not
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only hardware and software problems, but philisophical questions as well. What
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will we use it for? What IS it exactly? How much of reality is the human
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perception of it?
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The questions ahead are big ones, without a doubt. Too broad to
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address here. It's like asking "what can computers be used for". Major stuff.
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The questions are large, but the main purpose here will be to develop
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hardware and software that can be used by the average DOS-based machine. In
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the course of such work, there no doubt will be much discussion of the
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purpose of it all. This is important. We'll try to keep it all in balance,
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and keep projects going, I hope. Hopefully, at some point interest and
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activity will justify moving into a new forum devoted entirely to VR, with
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different sections devoted to hardware and software projects and files, as
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well as social and philisophical issues. It all depends on how active this
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section is, and how much interest it draws.
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Jump right in. If you know of people who frequent other forums who
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may be interested and informative, encourage them to stop by. To start things
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out we need dialog. I hope we can get things going here soon, and start
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working to bring Virtual Reality to the average computer.
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John Eagan 76130,2225
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91-11-02
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