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From: ins_atge@jhunix.HCF.JHU.EDU (Thomas G Edwards)
Newsgroups: sci.virtual-worlds
Subject: Re: Cyberspace, VR, a summary of what I've seen so far...
Message-ID: <7608@milton.u.washington.edu>
Date: 15 Sep 90 00:33:57 GMT
References: <7511@milton.u.washington.edu>
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In article <7511@milton.u.washington.edu> zap@lage.lysator.liu.se (H}kan Anderss
on) writes:
>** Another factor is the 'level-of-detail' dimension. In computer gfx, a
>constant problem is at what level of detail you should represent an object.

One of the best ways to fight the bandwidth/resolution issue is to
examine what human senses do.  We have the same problem that VR
representations do...there is just too much bandwidth of senses.
There is no way we could process all that information without
attentional subsystems.  Basically, if something doesn't have our
"attention" we won't respond to it.  Anyone who has slept through rain
knows that it is often easier to sleep through continual white noise
than someone making noise in the kitchen (even at smaller volumes).
White noise tires out the attentional system, since the noise is more or
less continuous.  Someone in the kitchen might open a refrigerator,
bang a plate, do some mixing, etc.  Everytime the noise changes its
character, you notice it.

Eye has a built-in attentional system.  It only has significant
resolution for areas it is directly pointing in.  The resolution falls
off greatly in peripheral vision.  If something catches your eye
in peripheral vision, you must move your eyeball to point at it
to bring the image to the fovea before you can really see it well.

Theoretically, we can get away with only presenting sensory information
which brain will be attentive to.  Eyes are a little bit difficult,
but I could imagine a laser eye position sensor seeing where it is
looking, and only rendering in high-resolution areas of a screen
which show up in the foveal region.

-Thomas