No, this isn't an example of the use of the Tomato Tracker ;-) It's an actual product! Looks amazing, although I'm not sure I could keep my arms up in the air for a couple of hours while modeling something ;-)
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About the Author
Bart Veldhuizen
I have a LONG history with Blender - I wrote some of the earliest Blender tutorials, worked for Not a Number and helped run the crowdfunding campaign that open sourced Blender (the first one on the internet!). I founded BlenderNation in 2006 and have been editing it every single day since then ;-) I also run the Blender Artists forum and I'm Head of Community at Sketchfab.
21 Comments
When I got the Nvidia 3D vision glasses I was hoping something like this would come along. though I would need an arm rest, this is still REALLY amazing!!!
One for Blender 3.0
This is pretty cool! I would love to test drive something like this to see if it was a real viable option for sculpting.I think a chair w/ arm rests and being situated just right would be the only way to use this for hrs. (or being younger :-) One thought came to me while viewing this though. Does blender support voice command? I see how this product could benefit from that, but wonder if Blender is capable or is it something that would be built into the OS which just interfaces w/ Blender?
hmm, and perhaps Kinect could be interfaced to do the same thing with some programming. :-)
it reminds me the modelling device used by Xilam company when made Kaena movie. They used a force feedback arm with a sculpting pencil tool. The display was 2D on classical scren, but the sculpting pencil gave the feling of actual sculpting.
Wow. It wont come a lot closer to directly shaping clay in RL than that.
With a proper desk height, the arms up might not be that a big deal: Just lean. :)
My arms hurting right now when I think holding this unatural position for a few hours. but nice technology anyway.
Yeah, but I am not buying the video as anything but a clever composite (A "simulation" a-la tomato tracker with a composited render) The 3D image appearing outside the screen (from the camera's perspective) is just not possible with current 3D screen technology. The 3D image (using shutter or polarized glasses) can only appear within the bounds of the screen (WRT Both eyes point of view)
I think it kind of disingenuous for them to portray it as they have (with no "simulated display for maximum marketing impact" disclaimer) Well... unless they have created some kind of magic holographic projection system or discovered a way to defy the laws of physics ;-)
The video is a composite because the camera cannot see through the 3D glasses that the operator is wearing. So you would see a 3D view yourself. It is just done this way to demonstrate how it works.
The screen is not the display here. The glasses are. The HMD the dude is wearing has cameras that track the pen and the computer monitor, which only acts as a marker to position the hologram in 3d space. Geddit? The video is recorded by another dude using another set of HMD. This was my final year project in college, and I failed at 95%, something went wrong with the algos, but yea, I think this is real though.
It HAS to be a composite, or how else would you convey the feeling of 3D this way? I'm not too worried about it really - at least they did a really good job integrating the 3D object into the footage as it was drawn.
I get what all of you (all) are saying BUT... in the video they are orbiting way around to the side the object (way off the screen) giving the impression you could in fact do that as you operate the system, and you can't.
It is (or appears to be) just a standard R/L shuttered 3D image with a tracked stylus, sort of cool yes, state of the art, no. Does it quickly invoke "gorilla arm", likely.
I simply think they either should have shot behind the operator (and done a similar comp) to more accurately show what the operator sees, and/or clearly labeled the video as a "Simulated 3D Image" Looking at the video it appears they have invented some kind of amazing holographic projector, which is not the case. What they are showing is fairly ordinary (and a couple years old I think)
Ah so no head tracking? Boo!
I've tested this product like a year ago... It is NOT a magical 3D holographic projector, but it is indeed a very cool 3D stylus (the call it "bird"). It is very useful for sculpting because you don't need to keep changing the "stroke strength", you can actually push and pull as much as you want. There IS head tracking, but just as a "fine" adjustment, I mean, it updates the view port as you go forward and backward or left and right, but you can't orbit around the object...
The video is a illustration. The actual product does not look like that, but it's very good anyway...
Yes, it looks like it but actually it is pretty close to that!
It looks interesting, but I have to agree with WmH on this. It looks .. fishy. Something about elements outside the screen area makes it seems more composited than anything, and not real time. Look at the front of the PC while he's drawing. Of around the outside of the area. Something doesn't seem right.
if it IS legit, then that's pretty awesome. Personally I'd rather get a Cinteq 21 but ... I can't afford that ... anyone want to "donate" one? hehe .. hehe ...
It is real, I met the creator of the project in the Campus Party (tech event in Brazil) I used and i kinda liked it...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d77Mf3DKj2I
(it is not me on the video)
At 0:49 you see blobbing of tracking points (blue) at the PC's front. Then the PC's side has a masked tracking point, but the mask is moving slightly, so you can distinguish it very easily. Maybe it's anyway a test of tomato branch? ;-)
Holy! I want one of these
Give us a call. We'll set you up. 3Dcontact.us
Yeah kinda cool, but what's all the fuss? This stuff was done 15 years ago already, modelling in 3D with stereoscopic glasses.
It's just a matter of time before someone hacks a Kinect to do this stuff with so you can just use your hands. And then we just have to wait for holographic projectors to become a little cheaper. Oh if only polymer clay would have an undo button...
But you mean, like one kinect for each axis? Sounds like a messy set up. Maybe with some glove that uses ultrasonic positioning or gyroscopes on the fingertips? That would be great... I need to start studying electronics...