From: jmelzer@aol.com
Subject: Re: HUMAN-FACTORS: Children, VR, and home entertainment
Date: 15 Nov 1996 05:00:31 GMT
Organization: AOL http://www.aol.com



> . . . . what about the fact that stereoscopic viewing can 
>cause "blurring" when viewing virtual objects at close 
>range?  I have done some
reading indicating that this 
>factor detracted from the "realness" of virtual
>environments.  Any comments?

One of the primary problems with viewing objects close up in a virtual
environment is the accommodation/vergence mismatch. Oculars are
typically focused at infinity and the individual objects are set up
for a vergence distance close up. Since our focus and vergence
mechanisms are linked, this can cause problems. It depends on what the
viewing distance is and how good the rendering of the virtual
environment is. Another issue can be the resolution of the
imagery. Very few meet the truly incredible performance of the human
visual system. Other issues can be related to how quickly the image is
updated-image lag.

Which leads to a more interesting question of what you were refering
to as "realness." I have seen many virtual environments and none have
come close to being "real." Some have been very good renderings, but
none what I would call "real." What you observe is a simulation-a
cartoon if you will-of the "real" thing.

Interesting. . . . .

Regards,

Jim Melzer
jmelzer@aol.com