ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) (04/07/88)
In article <9560@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> mills@baloo.eng.ohio-state.edu (Chris Mills) writes: >My frend and I successfully "modified" a pair of Sega glasses to work on the >Amiga and viewed a few ray tracings in 3D the other day. Anyone want me to >post the connections and/or a program to toggle the right bit at 30Hz? > Please *DON'T* post this information. Allow me to justify this position: I've helped develop some 3D glasses and 3D software technology for the Amiga. We like to think we got it right. We managed to hack an Atari StereoTek driver to work on the Amiga, with a dinky vblank interrupt driver to flip the glasses back and forth. Mark Riley and I have written software to correctly draw 3D images, and I have cooked up reliable methods of digitizing 3D scenes. We're also working on a glasses driver box that will hang off the serial port, enabling us to make the driver box cheaper. I'll also be helping to write a manual that will enable the user to recognize and create 3D that is correct. Surprisingly, a lot of people get this wrong. We'll also document all of our routines, provide source code, and guidelines and pointers for you to write your own 3D code. We'll also be showing you how to utilize our stuff to view 3D videotapes (such things exist in Japan, you know). You'll be able to GenLock your 3D computer images onto 3D video, and have it look correct. This will be a commercial package. When it will be released, I don't know. Probably about the same time that ASDG's 2000-n-1 comes out :-). This may appear to be an attempt to secure some royalty income for myself, but it isn't. I'm attempting to prevent multiple standards from emerging, and all sorts of pathological problems from cropping up. For exmaple: Did you know that the StereoTek glasses are electrically backwards from the Sega glasses? They flicker exactly backwards from each other, meaning that images that look correct through one set of glasses may look very strage through the other set. It is important to consider this since I suspect we'll be getting a lot of business from former Atari owners who would like to use their old set of StereoTek glasses. Our vblank glasses driver can compensate for this simply by clicking on its WorkBench icon. Other problems exists, among them being that no one seems to know how to create 3D properly, including LucasFilms. I'd like to see our package out there before anyone starts writing 3D stuff so that people will at least have a solid base upon which to build. I'm pleased that there are people enthusiastic enough about 3D to be willing to hack up their own stuff. But if you post your information, I fear that it will lead to uncoordinated hacking. One only needs to look at the IPC discussion to see where uncoordinated hacking is getting us. _-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_-_ Leo L. Schwab -- The Guy in The Cape ihnp4!pacbell -\ \_ -_ Recumbent Bikes: dual ---> !{well,unicom}!ewhac O----^o The Only Way To Fly. hplabs / (pronounced "AE-wack") "Work FOR? I don't work FOR anybody! I'm just having fun." -- The Doctor
haitex@pnet01.cts.com (Wade Bickel) (04/12/88)
mills-c@pike.cis.ohio-state.edu (Christopher Mills) writes: >In article <5614@well.UUCP> ewhac@well.UUCP (Leo 'Bols Ewhac' Schwab) writes: >>In article <9560@tut.cis.ohio-state.edu> mills@baloo.eng.ohio-state.edu (Chris >>Mills) writes: >>>My frend and I successfully "modified" a pair of Sega glasses to work on the >>>Amiga and viewed a few ray tracings in 3D the other day. Anyone want me to >>>post the connections and/or a program to toggle the right bit at 30Hz? >>> >> Please *DON'T* post this information... > > Hmmm. Sorry about that. That was why I asked before posting, but I >didn't get your reply quick enough. I was expecting Wade to get annoyed but >he seemed to endorse it. Perhaps you all could forget what I wrote... :-) > Hmmm, seems to me that if Leo wants to stop people from doing this in an uncomprehensive manner perhaps he should post an example of the "proper" way to do it. Since I am not quite ready to do this, I can not see asking others not to do so. I'm not annoyed because, A) The conversion is relatively easy, it's going to become pulic. Why stress over the inevitable? B) I don't see the Sega glasses as a threat. Our glasses system is better! Why? Bigger lenses for one (a big plus). Another reason is that our interface supports two glasses outputs. Since our glasses are a visor arrangement, so they don't interfere with normal glasses (which most of us computer users wear :^)). Probably more importantly, the look neater which will appeal to younger markets. > Are your glasses compatable with the Hatex thingees? The answer to this is maybe. Not having looked at the Sega interface, I cannot answer this but I will say that our interface is not entirely compatible with software written for other interfaces. Leo's (rather dated) drivers do not work with them, but I have not explored the reason, which could be anything from uncompatible codeing to usage of some other port??? Also, pin 9 is probably not a good way to go. Among other things, the analog lines on the port are probably more desireble than the fire button. (The idea was to use the alternative pin for output so that a normal joystick could still utilize the JS port tied up by the glasses). Finally, to those developers who have not recieved a letter from us, please forgive our slowness. If you have not recieved a letter by Monday, please let me know so I can confirm you are on the list. As some of you know, we've had a bit of a delay due to lack of avail- ablility of the proper cables. We've had to have them made, and all should be ready in a week. Have Fun, Wade. UUCP: {cbosgd, hplabs!hp-sdd, sdcsvax, nosc}!crash!pnet01!haitex ARPA: crash!pnet01!haitex@nosc.mil INET: haitex@pnet01.CTS.COM