Path: utzoo!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uflorida!haven!aplcen!osiris!consult
From: consult@osiris.UUCP (Unix Consultation Mailbox )
Newsgroups: comp.graphics
Subject: Re: 3-D perceptual abilities
Message-ID: <2860@osiris.UUCP>
Date: 3 Mar 89 19:33:32 GMT
References: <2492@masada.cs.swarthmore.edu> <3241@ficc.uu.net>
Reply-To: consult@osiris.UUCP (Unix Consultation Mailbox (Phil))
Organization: The Johns Hopkins Hospital, Information Systems
Lines: 21

In article <3241@ficc.uu.net> peter@ficc.uu.net (Peter da Silva) writes:
>In article <2492@masada.cs.swarthmore.edu>, annie@cs.swarthmore.edu (Annie Fetter) writes:
>> I have had this happen to me many times, but never with "solid" objects.  I
>> often get the 3D depth effect when looking at chain-link fences, nets,...
>
>I do this, too. Sometimes when I'm bored I'll play games with a regular
>pattern like that (fences, tiled floors, bricks) adjusting the perceived
>distance to the pattern and so on...

Yeah, pretty much any surface with a regular pattern that has a small size
(relative to your viewpoint) - the smaller the size of the pattern, the more
intense the effect seems to be (to me anyway).  You can do it with a keyboard
too, it makes the keycap legends look like they're in some alien alphabet.
I like to try realigning the pattern as I stare at it, to find out how close
or distant I can make it appear without making my eyes sore.

My favorites are tiled bathroom floors and the pierced sheetmetal panels they
make radiator covers with.  I must spend a lot of time looking at them.  :-)


phil