3d shutter glasses

I'm trying to program a real 3d engine. Unfortunately I can't find much info
about how real 3d works exactly. For example, how do you calculate the
different point of views? Is bump-mapping still effective in real 3d? How do
you calculate the coordinates for an object coming out of the screen? How do
you synchronize the engine with the 3d-shutter glasses? Etc.

Hopefully someone here can help me with this. I already posted the same
question on flipcode.com (game programming forum) but they couldn't help
me.....

"Astral" <jrilnn@cybercomm.nl> wrote in message news:3f48907c$0$76265$e4fe514c@dreader9.news.xs4al l.nl...
> I'm trying to program a real 3d engine. Unfortunately I can't find much info about how real 3d works exactly.

The solution is to STFW.

> > I'm trying to program a real 3d engine. Unfortunately I can't find much
info about how real 3d works exactly.
>
> The solution is to STFW.

What, search the ****ing web? I did that and there is almost no information
on the subject. Yes, you can find a lot of info on how real 3d works, but
not about how it WORKS. Nothing specific.... No tutorials on how to optimize
your engine for real 3d. How to implement fog, bump mapping, optimize portal
engines for real 3d. It would be a shame to determine what polygons are
visible twice per frame.

Anyways, what is your problem? I have answered the same freakin questions a
thousand times, never told a newbie to go **** himself and check the faq.
And besides that it seems like a relatively untouched subject to me.

>
> Hold your hand up to your face, vertically, edge-on, so that the edge of
> your hand runs between your eyes and down the curve of your nose. Move
your
> hand about a foot (30 cm or so) away from your face. Look at it.
> Alternately close one eye then the other, and notice how the image
changes.
> Parts of your hand in this demonstration are only visible to ONE eye.
Your
> brain has been stitching the stereo images together all your life, and so
> you don't notice it.
>
> Next, hold your thumb up, at arm's length, about six inches in front of
your
> monitor, with a page of text displayed. Alternately close one eye and
then
> the other, and notice which text is obscured by your thumb.

I understand that, but it would be a shame to trace all portals twice. There
must be a way to speed the second run up a little with
data from the first run. I already have some ideas but I don't know if
they're practical.

> > Next, hold your thumb up, at arm's length, about six inches in front of
> your
> > monitor, with a page of text displayed. Alternately close one eye and
> then
> > the other, and notice which text is obscured by your thumb.
>
> I understand that, but it would be a shame to trace all portals twice. There
> must be a way to speed the second run up a little with
> data from the first run. I already have some ideas but I don't know if
> they're practical.

I've never done anything with 3D glasses but I assume using a fat frustum that
enclosed both eyes frustums to find what parts of your world are visible for both
eyes could overall be a speedup (depending on what your bottleneck is),
It would generate some extra polys for each eye but hopefully not too many.


Paul

"Astral" <jrilnn@cybercomm.nl> wrote in message
news:3f48907c$0$76265$e4fe514c@dreader9.news.xs4al l.nl...
> I'm trying to program a real 3d engine. Unfortunately I can't find much
info
> about how real 3d works exactly. For example, how do you calculate the
> different point of views? Is bump-mapping still effective in real 3d? How
do
> you calculate the coordinates for an object coming out of the screen? How
do
> you synchronize the engine with the 3d-shutter glasses? Etc.
>
> Hopefully someone here can help me with this. I already posted the same
> question on flipcode.com (game programming forum) but they couldn't help
> me.....

Here's a related question. Where can I *GET* 3d shutter glasses, and a
video card that knows how to sync with them? And how much are they likely
to set me back?

>
> Here's a related question. Where can I *GET* 3d shutter glasses, and a
> video card that knows how to sync with them? And how much are they likely
> to set me back?

Order site:
http://www.edimensional.com


Review site:
http://www.pcgamereview.com/reviews/...RVFirst=6&RVNu
m=5


The video-card doesn't have to sync with the glasses if you use sync
doubling:

---------
3D Modes
There are several different methods of sending the separated views to your
monitor for use with your glasses. Though you don't need to know how to use
each one I will cover the basics of each mode as well as give my impression
of each.

Interlacing
Interlacing is a process where the image on the screen is drawn on the
alternating rows of pixels on your monitor. For instance the left image
would be displayed on the 1, 3, 5, 7, ... row of pixels while your right eye
is covered and then on the 2, 4, 6 , 8, ... rows while your left eye is
covered. Interlacing isn't hardware intensive so therefore its much easier
to implement however a lot of newer chipset video cards do not have the
ability to operate in Interlaced mode.

Page Flipping
Another technique for displaying the 3d image, Page Flipping, alternately
displays the left and right image on the screen in sync with the shutter
glasses. Page flipping has higher hardware requirements than the other modes
as in order to achieve a flicker free image you have to have at least 60
frames per second and with two images to display, that would mean your
monitor must do 120hz refresh rate at the desired resolution your game is
at. Page flipping produces a full resolution picture quality and the best
visual effect of all the 4 modes. This is the mode the ELSA Generic
REVELATOR driver uses and is why it's such a popular choice for gaming.

Sync Doubling
Another non-hardware intensive mode Sync Doubling which uses a sync doubler
device between your monitor and video card. The video card displays the left
and right images one above the other in half the vertical resolution, i.e.
if you are displaying a 640x480 scene then two 640x240 screens are displayed
one above the other. Then the Sync Doubler takes the two images and
interlaces them first displaying the left then the right image essentially
twice the speed of the output of the monitor hence the term sync doubling.
Sync Doubling is the most effective mode of 3D presentation. This is the
mode that the Wicked3D eyeSCREAM drivers use.

Line Blanking
Essentially the same as Sync Doubling, Line blanking instead of doubling the
vertical lines blanks every other one which gives you the appearance of the
old arcade games scan lines where there is an obvious black line interlaced
in the off scan lines. Just as in interlaced mode the vertical resolution is
cut in half. This is the least supported 3D mode of all the glasses we have
tested and is only supported on a few models.

Anaglyph
This is probably the mode of 3D presentation you are most familiar with.
These are those nerdy looking paper glasses with the red and blue lenses.
Several different TV programs have been broadcast in anaglyph format such as
Jaws 3D, The Drew Cary show, and I believe Third Rock also had a special 3D
episode as well. Wicked3D has just announced and released their own Anaglyph
creation eyeSCREAM Lite which uses the anaglyph format as an inexpensive
solution to introduce users to the world of Stereo3D. Anaglyph requires that
the image be displayed with Anaglyph also comes in red-green and blue-yellow
and possibly other combinations as well.