From: jcs@crash.cts.com (John Schultz)
Subject: Re: VR on Small Machines?
Date: 8 Jan 91 20:01:38 GMT
Message-ID: <6794@crash.cts.com>
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA



In <13862@milton.u.washington.edu> madsax@milton.u.washington.edu (Mark A. DeLou
ra) writes:

>> Is it feasible to run a small VR setup off of a computer such as the 
>>Amiga? I wouldn't see why not, but maybe I'm not well informed on the 

>I guess that would depend on your definition of VR.  Certainly it is
>feasible to get a pair of Haitex X-SPECS, and attempt to create a
>pseudo-VR which has only the stereoscopic view; and it might even be
>possible, with the left-over cycles, to get some sort of stereo sound
>going, but the refresh rate is going to be something awful.  And you
>won't have the best part, which is the human-computer interaction of
>being able to physically move around, and the computer updating your views
>based on the new position/orientation information obtained from the
>gloves and/or suit.  It just takes too much processing power to do the
>rendering of the images you will see. 

>I suppose, given a fully blown out Amiga system, you might be able to
>get something to work, with refresh rates of ~10fps and limited

  15-30 frames/sec is possible.

>polygons.  But writing the software to interact with will be an
>incredible pain. Especially considering the Amiga's programming
>environment. (IMHO.)  

  I've written software with an analog joystick for input, as well
as head tracking (using Fake Space Lab's BOOM viewer). A glove
is simply more data.

  I'll probably be showing my system at SPSE in San Jose, Feb 24-Mar 1,
for those interested in seeing a real, low-cost VR system.


  John