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From: dll@teda.UUCP (Dan Liddell)
Newsgroups: comp.graphics.visualization
Subject: Re: StereoViewing Amorphous Phenomena
Keywords: Stereo
Message-ID: <17323@teda.UUCP>
Date: 25 Nov 90 23:38:55 GMT
References: <1916@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au>
Organization: Teradyne EDA, Inc.
Lines: 34

In article <1916@sirius.ucs.adelaide.edu.au> george@ucs.adelaide.edu.au (George Travan) writes:
>Andy Rose wrote recently on stereoviewing amorphous phenomena. I'm interested
>in this to.
>
>> When visualizing "regular" shapes in 3D, the spatial interpretation is
>> helped greatly by the brain's ability to recognize straight lines and
>> angles.  As we begin to see more data which is amorphous, the lack of
>> straight lines makes stereo viewing essential.
>
>A problem with this may be that stereoviewing could cause confusion,
>as your eyes cannot focus any part of the scene. This doesnt happen in
>reality. Anyone comment on experiences stereoviewing amorphous phenomena?
>

At a demonstration in a science museum, I saw two stereographs of
"random dots", with a three dimensional image superimposed on each of
them.

Without the viewer, the stereographs looked very much like small
specks of paint spattered onto the paper. With the stereo view it
still looked like this, for about a minute. Then the form superimposed
on the blots suddenly swam into view. One form was a spiral, very much
loke looking down the center of a spiral staircase. The other was a
torus, floating above a flat, spattered background.

The surface of each image was covered with the splattered looking
dots, so there were no perspective cues.

I viewed the spiral first. The recognition time for the torus was much
less than that of the spiral. When I went back a week later, I
recognized both images in seconds.
-- 
Dan Liddell    UUCP decwrl!teda!dll       TELEPHONE 4089805200 USA
curb your dogma.       The opinions and views expressed are Dan's.