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Tobias Claren (Tobias_claren)
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Username: Tobias_claren

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Registered: 8-2009

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Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 10:33 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post

Hello.

Many years ago, someone here asked how to build an immersive 3D VR HMD.
I will repeat it now.

What DIY setups would be feasible today?


My thoughts:
* Single LCD display or led (micro/pico) beamer with more than 70Hz
Hard to find, under 15 inches.
* Shutter glasses (e-d)
(Works with the drivers of the shutter glasses manufacturer)


A simple set-up before the eyes.
Enough distance to see sharply.

High field of view coverage (preferably 100%).
Alternatively eyeglass lenses to compensate a short distance to the eyes.

Moves close to a monitor or a written sheet. Under x cm, it is blurred.
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Tony Asch (Tone)
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Registered: 8-2006

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Posted on Saturday, August 29, 2009 - 1:52 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post

Not exactly a Head Mounted Display with a 15" monitor.

Nonetheless, it can be an excellent wide FOV stereoscopic display system.

For wide field of view, you will need larger shutters than the E-Ds. Similarly, you will need larger lenses than normally available with reading glasses.

I have built a number of these setups, but using CRTs (old school.) Typically you will look through shutters and lenses which are about 50mm in diameter. The display will be about 8" to 12" away. I've run at 120hz.

Next problem: because the display is so close to the lenses, your eyes are forced to turn inward at a sharp angle. This is too uncomfortable to sustain for any period of time.

Two solutions:

1.) Offset the left and right images on the display by approximately one interpupilary distance (~65mm.) Tends to show some ghosting.

2.) Install prisms on your lenses to compensate for the sharp angle of convergence. Problematic for commercial use inasmuch as Stereographics holds a patent on the technique, but you'd be pretty much under the radar for personal use.

Simple reading glasses will likely produce some spherical and chromatic aberration. To remedy, you'd need a properly designed achromatic lens.

With some patience and effort you can produce an excellent stereoscopic display.
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Tobias Claren (Tobias_claren)
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Registered: 8-2009

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Posted on Wednesday, September 09, 2009 - 12:43 am:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post

With 15"? I mean under 15" ;) .

Has ED shutter goggles not a bigger fov than a Emagin Z800?
The feeling is the most important. Possible, no visible frame boundary.

I have nothing against CRTs. Better a CRT, as a visible image area.
The important thing is the immersive feel and vection.

One big screen, plus shutter technique seems to me the easiest and cheapest way.

It should also be large. E.g. a helmet. Front closure. No penetration of reality at the Edges.
Although picture elements (text, etc.) at the edge so no longer visible.
In an IMAX I do not see the whole picture. So what?
I want the eyes move to see more of the picture. Just as in real life. In addition to a head tracker.

Are there any (good) DIY plans?

(Message edited by Tobias_Claren on September 09, 2009)
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Fronzel Neekburm (Fronzel)
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Registered: 7-2009

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Posted on Sunday, September 13, 2009 - 1:46 pm:   Edit PostDelete PostView Post/Check IPPrint Post

Although i am personally more into augmented reality which somehow is rather against immersive experience as you always include a part of reality. But in my collection i have loads of HMDs for fun. My favorite is the VFX3D - the screens are so close to the eye and it is perfectly darkened and the ears are totally covered with the speakers so it is very immersive. I think for the immersive experience it is important to "shut down" and mute the real world as the VFX3D/VFX1 do it with the helmet enclosure. if you are into real immersive experiences you should make sure you think of that. The old 1995 iglasses with their see-through setup are a good example. The effect is much more immersive if you just throw a black towel over your head so you cant see the rest of the world any more.

To be able to move the eyes and have a larger field of view you are depandant from the optics. The VFX1/VFX3D setup has the lenses places directly before the eyes, but that means if you move the eyes you always look away from them, just seeing the edge of the picture. Helmets with a larger field of view have different larger optics, keep in mind that you can't directly look onto the screens if they are like 1 inch away from your eyes, you need some optics. Maybe very large lenses could help? I'm not a specialist in optics, but some helmet have a whooping 80 degree field of view, which lets you actually move your exes a lot - the downside is that you can not see all of the screen at once, for example if some value is displayed on the upper left corner you need to move your eyes to upper left position to be able to read it. But if you have a HUD-less application that gives an immersive fullscreen world it might be the ideal setup.

Anyways, only few people i have met have really finished their selfmade HMDs and eded up with something usefull. You have to be much of a tech guy in order to be able to make one. Plus costs of 2 high-res mini screens, optics, helmet and headtracker may sometimes be more than what new 800x600 res i-glasses go for on ebay.

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