3D Cliffs Of Dover Pictures

[Les]

Originally Posted by irR4tiOn4L

...These are certainly not the height of 3d, but if you compare to yours, almost all of yours have something that appears to be closer than the bezel of my monitor. This is too close for things that, in most cases, are about 5-50m away. The 3d effect is of course stronger as a result, but its probably stronger than it would be in reality...

I think I see what you mean. The depth on your pictures is set from the point of view of the camera, as if the monitor screen itself is where our eyes are placed. This results in a more realistic sense of depth from an in-game point of view. Whereas the depth on my pictures is set as if looking from my own actual eyes at objects on a monitor, making them look more like little models seen from 'outside' the game world.

Of course, which of these depths, or some level inbetween, people prefer to actually use or see, is up to them. To show off the 3D effect in the most obvious way I'd probably push it as far as I did in the pictures I posted. But if I were to actually game in 3D, I'd probably use a setting closer to the ones you've shown, as I generally do prefer to see things depicted in a more immersive life-like way.

I think it'll be a while before that happens though.

I think Aliantd summed it up well - "...for a realistic effect two things are needed: First, the shift between the two virtual cameras should be the same in game that in real between the two eyes. With only this you have a "realistic" representation of depth in game, BUT an unrealistic feeling of it, because... the fov and monitor size. For a realistic and natural feeling you also need to fit the fov to a realistic value AND use a surface where that realistic fov actually fits your real field of view. If you do both you will have a complete being there feeling with a nice and beliable depth effect..."

Until we can screen things life-size, with a life-like resolution or amount of detail, and using a life-like FOV, there's always going to be a compromise required when trying to recreate a realistic in-game world, especially in 3D.

We can't forget either that it's actually other (probably currently impossible) in-game details we require in order to determine three-dimensionality, especially when it comes to perceiving depth at distances beyond our capability to resolve it stereoscopically. Shadowing, relative size (of known objects), colour or tone (how it changes over distance) are what we use in real life to determine where objects are in relation to each other, and if that information is lacking in-game the 3D illusion won't be complete regardless of the level or accuracy of the (comparitively limited) stereoscopic effects.

There are even physiological cues we get from our eyes that help us determine three dimensionality in our surroundings, muscles that expand and contract in our eyes and which we can actually feel. If the 3D illusion doesn't trigger those responses it will always seem a little bit off somehow, or even worse, cause discomfort or strain.

All in all there's a long way to go yet.