Re: 3D?

> > Some video games have a semi-silvered mirror in order to superimpose
> > some background on the display. I was wondering... if I had two
> > monitors (or more likely flat panels, because of size constraints)
> > separated by a 45 degree semi-silvered mirror, so that they appeared
> > superimposed, and if I put a sheet of polarizing film in front of
> > each, at 90 degrees to each other, would the polarized light stay
> > polarized through the semi-silvered mirror? Because if that worked,
> > I could make a real neat true 3D game using x-y polarized glasses
> > (which anyone who's ever been to a 3D Imax will know is a *much*
> > more eye-friendly solution than anything that has a separate views
> > for each eye, such as a Holmes scope or electronic piezo-electric
> > glasses that switch at 50Hz.
>
> You don't even need to be that complex! You just need 2 images driven at 2
> different focal points (depths). Do a web search on "Dark Planet" (a 3D
> Sega game that used 2 monitors and mirror tricks to do just what you are
> describing)...

That would just get you 2 depth levels. Another neat trick I read about
a long time ago:

Use a round flexible mirror. Place a large bass driver behind it (perhaps
glue the mirror to the speaker?). Drive the speaker at 30 Hz and reflect
a vector display in it. The mirror flexes with the sound causing changes
in curvature that cause the vector monitor to sweep through a range of
depths. Now you need to sync your vectors properly because time determines
depth. Ya, it's hokey and makes a stupid hummm.

As for the polarized setup, I can't say for sure, but I don't think you
lose polarization when reflecting off a mirror. I don't see much use in
having a flat display either, the shutter glasses seem to do the job on
a curved surface. Then again, the distortion may cause some people
headaches. The thing I hate most is these companies that modify the
D3D driver to generate 2 images and ignore the fact that polygon
visibility is NOT the same for both views. Oh, another way to compensate
for the curvature of the 2 monitors: ray trace the images - you just
build the distortion into the "cameras" then.

BTW, there are no LCD vector displays, so you must be talking about a
generic 3D display and are therefore off-topic :-)

-- 
<pre>
 ___   __   _   _  _
|   \ /  \ | | | || |       phkahler@oakland.edu     Engineer/Programmer
|  _/| || || |_| || |__     " What makes someone care so much?
|_|  |_||_| \___/ |____)      for things another man can just ignore. " -S.H.
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