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From: bgribble@jarthur.Claremont.EDU (Bill Gribble)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.mac.misc
Subject: Re: Murph's VAPORWARE Column for October 1990
Message-ID: <8792@jarthur.Claremont.EDU>
Date: 2 Oct 90 16:20:41 GMT
References: <9009280355.AA23389@lilac.berkeley.edu> <3808.2708cdc4@cc.curtin.edu.au>
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga
Organization: Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA 91711
Lines: 50

In article <3808.2708cdc4@cc.curtin.edu.au> North_TJ@cc.curtin.edu.au (Tim North) writes:
>In article <9009280355.AA23389@lilac.berkeley.edu>, Sewall@UConnVM.BITNET 
>(Murph Sewall) writes:
>> 
>>                          VAPORWARE
>>                        Murphy Sewall
>>               From the October 1990 APPLE PULP
>> 
>> A Real 3-D Display.
>> Texas Instruments has shown a "bubble" display two feet in
>> diameter which "floats" three dimensional images within a
>> volume.  Multiple viewers can see the display from any side
>> without special goggles or eyeshades.  Dubbed "Omniview,"
>> TI's patent application describes the technology as a
>> "real-time, auto-stereoscopic, multiplanar 3-D display
>> system."  Initial commercial applications may appear as
>> early as next year.  - InfoWorld 20 August
>> 
>
>You've GOT to be kidding! ACKK! Is this for real? Whoa man, what centuru is 
>this?! I mean this isn't for reeee-al is it? Quick, what day is it -- nope not
>April first...
>
>Somebody tell me it isn't possible yet -- please!

No, it's not possible, at least not the way you want it to be.  I read a
  description of a free-standing 3d system under development last year
  (I didn't remember that TI was involved, but I'm assuming that this is
  what the TI system is.) 

What's going on here is some pretty good trickery:  the system consists of 
  a round disk, tilted at 45 degrees or so, that spins around rather rapidly.
  The result is that some point of the disk passes through every point of
  space enclosed by the disk's rotation in the period of 1 revolution.  A
  laser then 'paints' the scene on the disk as it rotates.  The result:
  A three-dimensional line image.  If the disk rotates fast enough (say,
  30 revs/sec or more) the viewer sees a complete scene reflected off 
  the disk before his eye registes the movement of the beam; just like
  the laser shows on plane surfaces.

Pretty neat, huh?  They say it'll be great for air-traffic controllers, 
  artists, and innumerable other types.  Just keep little kiddies' fingers
  away from that disk!

>Tim North

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**   Bill Gribble                     Harvey Mudd College, Claremont, CA   **
**   bgribble@jarthur.claremont.edu   Never heard of it?  You're stupid.   **
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