CAVE-style visuals?

[Neil Hewitt]

I've been doing a bit of searching and can't see anyone doing this, but I thought I'd ask - has anyone tried to get a 180 degree FOV using a similar method to the CAVE virtual environment simulators?

Specifically, I mean three screens set at 90 degrees to each other - one front, one each side.

You'd need to use something like NThusim / Sol7 to warp the display to correct for the angle and the straight lines (kind of like correcting for a curved screen in reverse), but I believe it could be made to work.

The reason for asking is that in my project, I intend to use a rear-projected front screen, but because of space limitations I can only use LCD screens at the sides; and only at 90 degrees to the front screen at that. No amount of cleverness with mirrors will let me use a projector in this particular position. With a sufficiently large LCD screen (around 50", probably) it ought to be possible to create a CAVE-like environment with the projected screen at the front and the monitors at the side.

Matching up the DPI, magification, screen res etc will be *really* hard, but again, I believe it can be done.

Anyone done anything / know of anyone who has done anything similar to this?

If not, I guess I'll be the first to try... unless it really is impossible. Any thoughts on that topic would be most welcome too :-)

NH

[Mike.Powell]

Ivar Hestnes, Brad Hawthorne, and AndyB are a few of the wide screen experts here.


http://www.ivarhestnes.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=109:225visual&catid=60:visuals&Itemid=53
http://simhq.com/forum/ubbthreads.php/topics/3074010/Projector_stands_finished_and_.html#Post3074010
http://nthusim.com/setups

[Neil Hewitt]

Thanks, Mike. I'd already seen Ivar's fantastic setup, but his is a curved screen. Most of the NTHUSIM users seem to be either doing a curved wraparound screen or the traditional 3-flat screens with left and right side at 45 degrees.

I might try simulating the set-up I have planned using 3 smaller LCD screens and an eval of NTHUSIM and see if it can be done. If so, I'll report back here.

NH

[jskibo]

Not sure nthusim is going to be much help for you with LCD screens. Thought it was for warping and edge blending on PJ's. Even running the 3 PJ's with 45 degree views you shouldn't need nthusim.

[Neil Hewitt]

What I want to do is the reverse of what most people usually want to do. They use NTHUSIM to correct for circular distortion and keystoning caused by having a curved screen. What I want to do is take an array of flat screens (well, actually, 1 projector and 2 large flat screens) and warp parts of the image (specifically the edges of the screens) across the three such that it appears from the viewing point like a wraparound screen. This would smooth out the transition from front to side screens, as if there were a curved surface. As far as I can see you can apply NTHUSIM's correction to any DirectX surface, so whether it's a screen or a projector doesn't really matter in principle (although I appreciate the software was developed for use with projector setups).

Of course the compression of the warped parts of the image may well make it unusable from a quality POV, but with a sufficiently high pixel count (both the projector and screens would have 1920 x 1080 res) I'm hoping it can be done and still look OK.

Guess the best way to find out is to download NTHUSIM and have a go with three smaller screens and a camera, see if I can prove the principle or if I'm barking up the wrong tree.

NH