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What is a CAVE Good For?

Posted by Cliff on from the searching-for-the-killer-app dept.

ynakai asks: "Today, I had the fortune to be allowed to play with demo applications in a CAVE. This technology is stunning, but what is the killer app? A staffer said that despite the potential use as a teaching tool for medical students, the system is rarely used now except by digital artists (who admittedly create some stunning experiences - try the VRML versions of some). Surely Slashdot can think up better ways to make use of a multimillion dollar room of fully immersive 3D interaction, besides FPS games?"

7 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. Blantant Plug -- Got a CAVE -- Use Ensight! by bats · · Score: 2, Interesting

    My company, CEI, Inc., makes a product called EnSight that's used in CAVE environments. EnSight is a general purpose scientific visualization tool used in a broad variety of fields. Take a look at the pretty pictures on our website. Fields include astrophysics, professional motorsports, crash test simulations, industrial production simulation, biomedical, aerospace vehicle design, etc. Really high end visualization happens in a CAVE environment with 3-D goggles and head tracking equipment. This lets you move around through your simulation, look at things from different perspectives and even look from inside out. Most of these things are driven by big SGI boxes, but clustered (read linux) solutions are becoming more viable.

    EnSight -- See what you're missing! (Please mod accordingly for cheese content.)

  2. pr0n would be cool by QuantumG · · Score: 2, Funny

    Then when you finally disconnect (say, after a week) for food or something, people will ask you questions about the news and when you're dumb founded cause you havn't watched tv in a week they can say "have you been living in a cave or what?" and you can say "actually, yes I have!"

    --
    How we know is more important than what we know.
  3. for those of you who don't have an Indigo2... by niff · · Score: 2, Informative

    you can download a vrml plugin here:

    http://ca.com/cosmo/

  4. CAVE experience here by Robbat2 · · Score: 2, Informative

    From working with a CAVE enviroment in a research lab for 2 years, I came to the simple conclussion that other than for developing and utilizing some custom 3D (with immersive stereo glasses, head tracking etc.) applications, and showing off your work on a big screen (with 3D of course).

    There is a definate wow factor to it that helps in promoting the research, but for the most part it becomes stale fast.

    Another shameless plug here, a custom math visualization system I spent quite a while in the development with: http://mvs.sourceforge.net/

    --
    ICQ# : 30269588
    "I used to be an idealist, but I got mugged by reality."
    1. Re:CAVE experience here by davechen · · Score: 4, Informative

      Yeah, I'm with you. I worked in a lab with a CAVE for several years, and I've visited other places with CAVEs. They're mainly good for making gee-whiz demos to impress funding agencies. I have yet to see anyone actually doing real work in a CAVE.

  5. Two words by Rick+the+Red · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Stellar Cartography.

    --
    If all this should have a reason, we would be the last to know.
  6. do not dismiss porn by BortQ · · Score: 3, Funny
    Pornography was a driving force in the mass market acceptance of:

    Movie theaters

    VCRs

    Pay TV

    The Internet

    i.e. Basically all forms of rich media transmission. Do not dismiss porn as a venue to sell your new technology. It truly could be very helpful.

    --

    A Multiplayer Strategy Game for Mac OS X, Windows, and Linux