PUBLICATION
TITLE: StereoSynthesis: A Process for Adapting
Traditional Media for Stereographic Displays
and Virtual Reality Environments
PUBLICATION: Proceedings of The Second Annual
Conference on Virtual Reality, Artificial Reality,
and Cyberspace (Meckler)
DATE: 1991 (San Francisco)
ABSTRACT
The two main barriers to the effective and widespread application of Virtual Reality to a variety of disciplines are: the expense and complexity of using hardware; and the difficulty of developing application software. This article reports on the development of techniques that overcome these obstacles in the short term, yet which will still be applicable to full-immersion VR systems as they become widely available.
There is a great deal of `hype' surrounding the field of Virtual Reality. It has been heralded as a paradigm shifter that will revolutionize everything from education to entertainment, medicine to sex. At that same time, we have heard that Virtual Reality is also (second only to nuclear energy, perhaps) the technology most likely open to misuse of dystopic proportions.
But, with all the excitement, something basic is overlooked. The first `alternate' reality that we have any record of are cave paintings in France and Spain, about 40,000 years old. The concept, that reality could be represented " or even influenced " by image, probably had a more profound impact on the culture at that time than VR will have today. From this start, imaging technology has advanced periodically, but the fundamental concept has remained the same.
Now Virtual Reality combines stereoscopy and interactivity; but, rather than an entirely new technology, VR is an incremental advance " just the latest in a progression of visual communication techniques. As such, VR can benefit from a time tested practice, that of adaption from other media.
Film history is rife with adaptions from earlier works. However, the adaption of works to the VR environment will be different than earlier adaption processes. For example, with earlier adaptions, it was usually the story (or the equivalent organizational structure of non-fiction works) that was preserved, while the particular visual embodiment was discarded, to be re-made. With VR, we suggest the opposite will hold true.
Particularly because of the interactive nature of the VR medium, the story or other structure may have to be modified or extended, to take into account alternative possibilities derived from viewer choices. The element that may be more useful to adapt literally, is the imagery. Therefore, by modifying existing visual material, for incorporation into the VR environment, adaption can provide another advantage " texture and detail.
At Latent Image (a member of the Digital Media Group), we have a patented process StereoSynthesis to convert 2-D material to 3-D. Our technology provides the basis for adapting existing media (film, video photographs, paintings and illustrations) to a form usable with stereoscopic displays and Virtual Reality systems. LCD-shuttered glasses (with optional head position tracking capability) provide an effective, low-cost, high-resolution, robust and comfortable alternative to helmet mounted displays.
As helmet-mounted displays become more affordable and practical, extensions to the basic StereoSynthesis process will permit the creation of full-immersion environments from films and video programs. Existing content structures may need to be extended to accommodate interactivity. However, the main advantage of adapting prior works to VR is that, incorporation of existing images makes the creation of virtual worlds easier, and the resulting environment richer and more detailed.
Our 3-D paint system provides a new interface, for painters and illustrators, which allows a new approach to creating objects and environments for Virtual Reality applications. It also permits a new class of artists to access the VR creation process. We believe that broadening the creative community involved in VR will enhance the artistry of the entire field. This will facilitate not only the creation of more realistic virtual environments, but also, will enable the realization of fantastic personal visions.
HOW A FRAME IS PROCESSED
Image 1 (top, left) shows a frame from an original 2-D black & white film; it is first digitally processed to adjust contrast and correct for flickering, jitter, dirt and scratches. Image 2 (top, middle) shows the frame colorized with a color overlay consisting of a hand painted background (used for each frame in the scene) and a computer created Kong element (unique to each frame); the black & white and color data are composited by a proprietary seven-pass digital filter. Images 3 (top, right) and 4 (bottom, left) show left- and right- eye views created from 2 by the StereoSynthesis process; individual image elements are separated and shifted (either left or right) acording to the rules of parallax. Image 5 (bottom, middle) shows 3 and 4 composited for `over/under' 120Hz display. Image 6 (bottom, right) shows 3 and 4 composited for field-interleaved 60Hz display.
Original B&W Copyright Turner Entertainment Other Images Copyright DMG/Latent Image.
To request a reprint of the full article, click here.
Revision: August 1995 - All text, graphic and design elements TM & (c) 1995 David M. Geshwind
StereoSynthesis TM David M. Geshwind
David M. Geshwind - DIGITAL MEDIA GROUP, LTD.
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