To present stereographic images, the two dominant computer based methods are ACTIVE and PASSIVE STEREO.
1.PASSIVE STEREO
Two independent views of the scene are projected using data projectors through cross-polarized filters on a special non-polarizing screen. Looking at the screen through passive polarizing glasses provides stereo effect. This method is used also in 3D cinemas. The 2 views on the scene must be aligned and created in such a way that their combination provides the stereo impression.
In Simulink 3D Animation this has to be done in the VRML scene itself by setting up two viewpoints in the scene, their distance and field of view should correspond to the proportions between the scene and screen sizes.
The graphics card used should be able to render 2 independent windows (2- monitor setup).
2.ACTIVE STEREO
This stereo effect is achieved by presenting left and right images to the eyes of the observer using time or spatial separation of the images.
Example of time separation is when the left and right images are projected in rapid succession on a CRT (or other display capable of high refresh rate, typically at least 120 Hz). User observes the display through synchronized shutter glasses that alternatively black-out the view of one eye when the display shows the image for the other eye.
Example of spatial separation can be Head-Mounted Displays with pair of miniature monitors designed for each eye.
The stereo image separation is made on the graphics card driver level; no special modeling technique is required on the side of Simulink 3D Animation.
To achieve this effect you will need:
- Graphics card capable of supporting stereo mode with corresponding stereo-enabled device driver
- Compatible hardware accessories like stereoscopic glasses (for example NuVision 60GX), 3D monitor or stereo headset.
While working with Simulink 3D Animation for ACTIVE STEREO:
- When using Simulink 3D Animation Internal Viewer, switch to the FullScreen mode
- Make sure that switching to a FullScreen mode triggers the stereo mode in the device driver (activate this option)
- Tune stereo driver properties so that there is a correct stereo impression. Our virtual scenes can be small like Magnetic Levitation (vrmaglev.mdl) and large like Vehicle Dynamics Visualization (vr_octavia.mdl), it is necessary to make the "parallax" and other image separation properties tuned to get the right perception.
The manual for NVIDIA 3D driver is attached to give an idea of what needs to be done to set up ACTIVE STEREO visualization.
Tested hardware:
- NVIDIA Graphics Card - GeForce 8 Series card
- NuVision 60GX Wireless Stereoscopic Glasses
Note:
We have tested that our viewer keystrokes do not clash with nVIDIA stereo driver default keystrokes (typically CTRL+F5 and CTRL+F6 to decrease/increase separation, etc.)
References:
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Using blaxxun Contact
Another option to achieve stereoscopic vision effect in Simulink 3D Animation is through the blaxxun Contact viewer.
If the graphic card and system driver enable full screen stereo mode, and if you have corresponding stereo vision hardware (such as stereoscopic shutter glasses), you can access this support. In full screen mode, menus and other user interfaces are not available to the user.
- To switch blaxxun Contact to the full screen mode, press F5.
- To switch back to normal mode, press Esc.
If you have installed the appropriate stereo driver, blaxxun Contact supports full screen stereo mode under Microsoft Windows with most NVIDIA graphic cards. For details, refer to the card manufacturer documentation.
If you want to tune the full screen mode resolution or color depth, follow the steps below:
1. In the blaxxun Contact window, place your mouse pointer over a virtual world, then right-click. A menu appears
2. On the menu, point to Settings. A submenu appears.
3. Choose Preferences. Tune the full screen mode resolution or color depth settings.
4. Click OK when done.
Note that your system configuration can switch to stereoscopic full screen mode only when using the Direct3D rendering engine. If you are unable to switch to full screen stereo mode, install blaxxun Contact using Direct3D. Typically, graphic card stereo drivers provide testing applications to confirm the functionality of stereoscopic modes.
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