Re: 3d today instead of when MS wants to go...

[Alan Shutko <ats acm org>]

>>>>> "H" == Hibbard M Engler <hib@kcd.com> writes:

H> But perhaps the 3D video cards are not the best option.  Lets say
H> we figure out how to link with a Nintendo 64? That has a very
H> smooth video chip designed by SGI.  Well, it doesn't have to be
H> Nentendo, but the idea of using cheap video game hardware, that has
H> been proven to do 3d better than almost any X box does have some
H> appeal.

Well, my ATI 3d Rage pro is a whole lot cheaper, and you don't have to
do hardware hacking to use it.  Coming up with the cable, the OS to
run on the N64 to provide services for users, the cartridge burner to
put the OS in the N64, would be a problem.

H> Geoff - not X-windows.  I understand it is possible to provide X
H> extentions for 3D.  Hard, but possible.

Sure.  But his point was that the X model is a 2d model (with 3d
allowed in windows).  For a 3d UI, you'd really need to scrap it.

H> Ian - fluff + illusion.  Lets stray the hardware a little bit
H> beyound the college student's $200.00 486 for one second.  It
H> should be possible to use some I-gogs (the real 3d kind) semi
H> effectively- although thir resolution is limited.  Another
H> possibility is attach two CCD's to the I-gogs and run those into
H> the video cards as background.

Again, we're getting way beyond the means of pretty much everyone.
Last I checked, you could spend $3000 on a brand new machine and not
get stereo goggles.  For that matter, I work at a high-end CAD company
that _supports_ such goggles and haven't seen them around.

H> Alan Shutko - no good 3d interfaces yet Check out
H> http://www.sics.se/dive/ Its slow, but has some neat ideas.

But that's not a general interface.  It doesn't say how a word
processor should look in a 3d UI.  What about a web browser, which is
still primarily 2d?  How should gadgets look?

DIVE has some good ideas for things where 3d interfaces already make
sense (interpersonal interaction, robot control, etc) but it doesn't
give us a good idea on translating current applications to a 3d
environment.


-- 
Alan Shutko <ats@acm.org> - By consent of the corrupted
There's no time like the pleasant.