VISUALIZATION

Fakespace Systems announced that they have completed the installation of the world’s first available 1024 x 768 native resolution active stereoscopic projection technology at the University of California’s Davis Campus (UC Davis). The visualization system is located in the Virtual Reality Lab of the Computer Science Department and the Institute for Data Analysis and Visualization (IDAV). It is being used for a wide range of applications, including interactive data visualization and collaborative networked environments. Six Fakespace Beacon XG projectors, arranged in a three projector wide by two projector high array, have been used to create a cost effective, high resolution tiled PowerWall visualization system. The projectors have been optically edge matched to maintain full resolution while minimizing the borders to smooth the visual transition between projected images. The full screen resolution of 3072 x 1536 displays fine details. This resolution was deemed essential for UC Davis’s work on visualizing massive scientific data. The high resolution PowerWall is also being used with Fakespace’s ImmersaDesk C1 and pinch gloves, already owned by UC Davis for research in collaborative virtual environments. “We considered using polarized passive stereo technology,” said Oliver Staadt, Assistant Professor from the Computer Science Department and Director of the Virtual Reality Lab, “but the screen gain required to make passive stereo acceptable is too high for tiled wall environments. This is especially true in motion tracked applications when the user is close to the screen.” The UC Davis installation is just one example of the increasing demand for Beacon-based visualization systems. Fakespace has also recently installed a Beacon-based PowerWall at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Buffalo for use in driving simulation and it installed a Beacon-based immersive desk display at Robarts Research in London, Ontario, Canada for minimally invasive surgical technique simulations. “One of the biggest benefits of Beacon technology is that we can produce high quality stereoscopic images at any resolution,” said Chris Clover, CEO of Fakespace Systems Inc. “As a result, the Beacon XG is the world’s only native XGA resolution active stereo projector. It is a very affordable technology for entry level users or to use as building blocks for ultra-high resolution collaborative displays.” Before Fakespace introduced Beacon technology, the options for generating 3D virtual reality-type images were either 3-chip DLP projection or polarized projection technologies. Stereoscopic displays require separate left eye and right eye perspectives of a 3D model for the user to discern depth of the object. Historically, active projection has used a single, specialized projector to produce sequential left eye and right eye images that are separated by electronically shuttered LCD glasses. Polarized systems use two projectors and filters that alter the projected light to horizontal and vertical orientations that are then appropriately blocked by matching filters in special glasses worn by the user. Available exclusively from Fakespace, Beacon technology is a hybrid, utilizing two commodity projectors for left eye and right eye shuttered by electronic filters. The significant cost reduction of Beacon XG over specialized projectors allows more users access to the technology. Compared to polarized systems, Beacon™ technology provides greater fidelity and is more versatile since it does not require the use of special projection screen material. It is also better suited for folded-optics (mirror-based) systems that reduce projection distances in rear projection applications.