For starters, I would like to bring attention to castAR augmented reality glasses. So far someone here has made some progress for occulus rift. I am looking to see what options for getting support for castAR. This is not about occulus rift vs. castAR. I’m looking at using JME engine for software to support castAR. I am not expecting anything to happen overnight as the makers of castAR has yet to provide SDK/API and related imformation but it has so far Unity support.
Looks kind of cool… though I personally wouldn’t have called it AR since it’s not actually augmenting any reality other than it’s own surface. On the one hand, it limits it’s usage for actual AR. On the other, they sidestep the problem of non-opaque glasses and maintaining calibration. What it is is a neat way to do 3D in real space (locked over their surface). Good for board games or games that can be implemented on a static field like a board game (RTS anyone?).
Personally, I’m still waiting for a good AR system at a similar price point. Though the Occulus Rift plus some mounted cameras would be pretty cool.
Well what output format does this need? You could just use two viewports of the same scene with a small offset in the camera position.
Then depending on how it is needed by that thing, you can for example compose those two side by side into a final output framebuffer, and tell it that it should simply spit this when rendering on the googles.
There is projected AR, “true AR” (via the AR/VR clip on) which in the way it does that would be the similar to other AR, and then there is VR (also with the AR/VR) clip on. Check out all the videos.
There is more to look at so check it out. If you have questions, I can probably answer some of them but also there is a forum as well.
When I get back to my desktop, I’ll provide more links to information where I can. Right now, typing on an iPad so its not the same as a real keyboard. The clip ons would apply the more conventional mode of AR where the digital computer information overlays the background reality.
In the “projected AR” mode, you can not only do the board games via RFID tracking grid under the RR sheets but you can also use the RR sheets “surface” (RR = retroreflective… Same material as those strips on safety jackets) in a manner useful for racing and flight simulation.
Empire, I’ll have to get that info when it becomes available but like anything, castAR is a work in development as well. The SDK and API would become available and then it is just a matter of interfacing the JME and the API. I’m looking at this topic as two parts… Bringing awareness of castAR here and also having an open subject thread over the next several months on the topic and kind of see where we can go.
I hope to get more info as it comes and further discuss as they come. I am also looking forward to gauging a feel from the JME community as well. So far, good.
Can you clarify by what you mean by output? On hardware side, it would support HDMI and DVI video output. I suspect, you’ll need or should at least use a video card with HDMI 1.4 or later HDMI. The stereoscopic 3d stuff. I believe jeri mentioned that it would support side by side and interleaving…
On the computer end at the very least should have HDMI or DVI for video source and a USB port for headtrack data. That I believe would be the part that I can’t say much about because the details of that is not available yet. What it is at the glasses end is hard to say yet… As that is yet to be finalized in final design (consumer product version) vs. as it is in the current prototypes.
Well side by side should be possible from jme, and if the glasses are compatible to a virtual joystick (wich might be a good idea at least additionally) , input should work also I think. Else it’s writing a few jni methods, but nothing unsovable.
Additional: Actually after reading about it on the kickstarter page I had to find out , that kickstarter still does not support anything else than credid cards.
You can use debit cards not just credit cards. However, Kickstarter is kickstarter but okay. I understand the concern.
I don’t know about the “magic wand” and how it communicates to the computer but almost any standard controller can be used as well. You aren’t limited to the magic wand.
Thanks for the input so far. As soon as I get more info on the castAR SDK/API set and hopefully having the SDK/API set to tinker with to get it to do what I would hope it to do.
Anyway, I think it would be an interesting system to display and visualize video games and even non-game applications using JMonkeyEngine as the core underlying system. I do see JME is more than capable of providing useful features in non-gaming applications.
I like Java for cross-platform portability sake… TOO!
