From: Michael Almquist <squish@hitl.washington.edu>
Subject: Re: CONF: GE VR '92' Clarification
Date: Thu, 2 Jul 92 11:30:48 PDT
Organization: Human Interface Technology Lab


>From: demodb@manchester.dab.ge.com
>Subject: CONF: GE VR '92' Clarification
>
>  Ships Controls Division (SCSD) in Daytona Beach, Florida, is the result of
>  35 years of development of "visionics" simulation products and 
>  training programs.

Thanks for the clarification - as stated previously, this system was
AMAZING!!  I wonder what kind of price range were talking though.  Mr.
Economy showed a near-photorealistic scene that someone turned from a summer
scene to a winter scene INTERACTIVELY and in REALTIME!

I don't want to knock anyones efforts in writing a software-based graphical 
renderer (ie. 386REND or whatever its called plus others) because I know this
is a VERY large and complex project BUT, I think the future (if you look at 
price/performance) is a hardware box between your OS and visual inclusive
I/O device (or maybe just an "O" device - no "I").

GE, SGI, E&S, plus others have shown that this is realistic and can be 
affordable.  Each year these hardware boxes get smaller, faster, and cheaper.
What would happen if we could convice SGI to make a box that talked RS-232 in 
and RS-232 out for under $5k. (OK, I can see all of you retching - perhaps
it should be SCSI in and NTSC out - but definately something *standardish*).
I'm sure it could be done - how much does the SGI upgrade cost from an Indigo 
to the top-line Indigo (is that the Elan? or Crimson?).

I'm sorry to be knocking anyones livelihood or profession but VR to me isn't
a graphical rendering software system that has been tweaked to death to allow
people to do "Fly Throughs".

Give me an intermediate hardware graphics rendering box so that I can get on 
with more important things - like now what?  how can a human utilize 3 space
and become more productive?  how can I string together CPUs (locally and
remotely) to make an effective world?  how do environments share data and 
negotiate manipulation?  etc etc etc.  The technology does exist to make a 
box/deck/whatever for VR now.  The point that I was trying to make with my 
*history* posting is that the un-obtainable is usually obtainable 2 years from 
now.

SO, 2 years from now I guess I'll buy a cheap old slow (by two years from now
standards) Sun Viking multiprocessor system and a cheap old slow GE, SGI,
E&S surplus graphics box and build myself a deck.   Hopefully new gloves and 
HMDs won't put to much of a strain on my checkbook.

Its understandable that the big guys (SUN, SGI, GE, E&S, etc) are sitting back
and waiting to see what happens - they're the big guys cause they only put
their money down on a sure thing (or semi-sure thing).  The VR market just
hasn't hit yet.  But, "If you build it - they will come".

- mike