Texas Instruments' True Three Dimensional Display Device

[David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>]

Date: Thu, 4 Nov 93 06:09 GMT
From: "Frank J. Ricotta, Jr." <0005513435@mcimail.com>
To: David Farber <farber@central.cis.upenn.edu>
Subject: Fwd: Texas Instruments' True Three Dimensional Display Device


Dave,


Sounds interesting. Maybe folks on your distro list might have a need.


Frank


-----------------
Forwarded Message


Date:     Wed Nov 03, 1993  4:28 pm  EST
Source-Date: Wed, 3 Nov 93 13:01:34 PST
From:     T E Clifton
          EMS: INTERNET / MCI ID: 376-5414
          MBX: tclifton@charm.isi.edu


Subject:  Texas Instruments' True Three Dimensional Display Device






REF:  "Direct Volume Display Devices", T E Clifton III and F L Wefer,
IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications, Vol 13 # 4 (Jul 1993) pp
57-65


In the referenced article, Fred Wefer and I discussed the
state-of-the-art in true three dimensional "direct volume" displays
(including Texas Instruments' OmniVIEW display technology).  These
displays generate volumetric images in a volume, directly viewable
from all angles by multiple users without the need for special glasses
or other gear. The "DVDDs" are particularly well suited for
applications involving visualization of three (or more) dimensional
data where relative 3D position, 3D motion, and/or group collaboration
is important.  At the time of the article we concluded that, while
existing displays have proven themselves in laboratory conditions, a
commercially viable device would need to exhibit the following
capabilities:


- office environment operation,
- commercially recognizable API,
- many more voxels (on the order of 100,000 per world update),
- flicker-free display,
- image addressability on the order of 512x512x256, and
- world update rate exceeding 10 Hz - multiple colors (at least three).


Texas Instruments is on the brink of completing a precommercial
prototype which meets or exceeds these capabilities for a
small-quantities unit price in the range of an advanced graphics
workstation.  The challenge for TI is identifying if, in fact, there
is a market out there for such a device.  IF YOU ARE AT ALL INTERESTED
IN THIS TECHNOLOGY, OR THINK THAT THERE MIGHT BE A MARKET FOR SUCH A
DISPLAY, PLEASE send an e-mail note back to Chris Spiegl at TI
(spiegl@flopn2.dseg.ti.com), cc to Fred and I (fwefer@mitre.org and
tclifton@isi.edu).  We feel that TI is in the situation of IBM circa
1957's -> "The total worldwide demand for mainframes will never exceed
10 or 12 units" according to Tom Watson Sr then, and similarly the
market for Direct Volume Displays does not yet exist.


Appreciate your help in this matter.  Feel free to forward this note
to whom ever might be interested.


Tip Clifton


________________________________
T E Clifton III, Capt, USAF
Technology Initiatives
Joint National Intelligence Development Staff
tclifton@isi.edu   DSNET3 cliftte@nmic-mail.dodiis
(301)763-3474
________________________________