24 replies to this topic

[John Woods]

Here's two pics of recent changes to the rig.
Projector displays 65in horizontal focused on a white plaster wall. Note 60in is the front track dimension of the Lotus 49, so the display suffers a slight magnification of true size. (Front track is projected wider than it actually is...oh well).
Foamboard panels have been cut and added across the bottom of the display between the plane of the display [the wall] and the steering wheel. This allows projection of the car up to the steering wheel, along the top of its carriage.
The effect of being "in the car" seems very much enhanced, as the display begins only a few inches beyond the user's hands on the wheel and covers their legs as if they were in a real car.
Seems easier to imagine spatially where the car is in virtual space, and to feel more there with it.
Guessing more better shaped panels would offer better effect, so its all "in progress."

Attached Files

•  Multi-panel_single_screen_display.JPG   31.2K   194 downloads
•  Multi-panel_single_screen_display_overhead.JPG   107.77K   195 downloads

Edited by John Woods, Aug 09 2013 - 09:50 PM.

[Josef Paul]

I'd never leave the house!

[MECH]

And a bucket of water for that extra bit of immersion at wet nurburg/mosport...


Other than that it looks great

[John Woods]

Still messing around:

Just took this pic to show new upper control arms and wheels projected on dedicated foam core panels taped to tripods on either side and attached to the center section of foam.
Alignment to the driver's view is critical, btw, to keep shadows from blocking out display on wall...and every driver has a different view.
Its all still kind of sketchy but effect happens in periphery of driver focus and attention.

The second pic shows what the foam core panels look like when not displaying driver view.

Attached Files

•  Multi-panel_single_screen_display_P1.1.JPG   60.03K   171 downloads
•  Multi_panel_single_screen_display_P1.1_whackyview.JPG   56.58K   164 downloads

Edited by John Woods, Aug 20 2013 - 09:26 PM.

[Pedro]

Nice idee John.
Looks good.

[John Woods]

P1.02 now features tire sidewalls and treads displayed out in front of wall. Plus a new flat panel tub covered with soft fabric so there is no reflected light hitting wall. Also changed driver view to camera 12. All of the car, essentially, is now displayed on panels.

Attached Files

•  Multi-panel_single_screen_display_wtires.JPG   49.24K   102 downloads

Edited by John Woods, Aug 30 2013 - 01:13 PM.

[MECH]

Maybe you should connect the wheel movement to the foam so the 3d wheels turns?

[JMF]

MECH, on Aug 11 2013 - 08:43 AM, said:

And a bucket of water for that extra bit of immersion at wet nurburg/mosport...

Another cool one I'd like to do. A fan blowing in your face that varys it's speed in relation to the car's speed. I get too hot driving sometimes. :-)

[John Woods]

Just another pic to show 3D effect a bit more dramatically.
Worked on the wheels mainly since last post.
Wheels are a cylinder cut like a sausage, so the top view is a trapezoid. Maybe a large ball would work as well.

The display projected on a white solid shape visually overwhelms the shape of the shape.

A 200mph fan sounds about right.

Attached Files

•  Grand Prix Legends_3D_Display.JPG   61.23K   122 downloads

Edited by John Woods, Sep 11 2013 - 12:25 PM.

[Frank_Mueller]

What resolution do you use? 12 Years ago i used a video beamer with 640x480 resolution (over s-video) on a wall of about 150cm/50".
First i was some seconds slower. There were two reasons. I used normaly a 17" monitor so it was too "realisic", i braked to early, hehe. The other was the poor resolution, i always thought, my glasses were wrong!
Now i am happy with my 32" Thoshiba TV/Monitor with 1920/1080, 25" ahead of me.
Maybe when beamer with HD resolution are cheap enough for me, i will do that again with a translucent glass projektion from behind.
I saw that here in the University Stuttgart in 3D in a size of 120/60". WOW, fantasic, but much too expensive!!

[John Woods]

1280 X 1024. Projector native resolution is 1280 X 800. Driver eyes are about 60in to wall. Display FOV is 80deg atm.
It all changes every day or so.

[John Woods]

Thank you everyone for your comments.


Reflecting back a few days ago reminded me this idea of projecting the display onto foamboard panels started after reading Remco's comments about aligning his hands with the "driver hands" on the display. Want to mention this as in particular if not for his efforts and the Tyrell thread there is likely no way the idea of extending/expanding the display over actual size panels would have ever occurred.
While trying to work this digital/real alignment out, sort of successfully, it was necessary by coincidence of convenience to use a small piece of foamboard which could be held up inbetween the various mouse control icons, (the gold triangles and red and green squares), because otherwise they were lost somewhere out of view.
That led to placing the board so the digital display was in view above the steering wheel...then another piece of board and another until the current state of affairs, which is presented in the sketch attached below. The display is now faced with very white large heavy paper sheets from an artist's drawing tablet, held together with masking tape. It looks pretty ugly when the display is off, but the structure really almost disappears when the bright light display image is projected.

In theory there is a way to present driver's mirrors in real space relative to the user. If possible, it would require editing the car 3do to display the mirrors in alignment with the panels positioned where an actual mirror would be...this would also require re-sizing them and re-shaping. It is less likely, but maybe possible, to create a "closed-cockpit" version, but guess this would require a substantially distorted very tricky to edit display.

ATM the pace of innovation has tapered except for the desire to built an entirely new floor-up race console starting with a new tower and seat...so basically, this is all now in the strong fear and procrastination phase.

Adioci aloha bye
Ciao4now amigos

Attached Files

•  DrawingByJohnWoods.JPG   41.74K   41 downloads

[Robert Fleurke]

Very nice John, respect!