A neat tool from the MIT Media Lab could be useful in tools like ZBrush where 3D Sculpting can be somewhat difficult to imagine when working with fundamentally 2D tools like a Flat Panel. Using a ‘Collapsible Pen’ and special display hardware, they create an augmented tool that can be ‘pushed’ into virtual reality.
Beyond was created by the MIT Media Lab and is a pretty genius, glasses-less way to create 3D on a 2D surface. The 3D on 2D surface magic uses the collapsible pen, a tabletop display, an infrared position tracking system to track the pen, and a camera to track the user's face so it can tweak the angle of the 3D effect. The collapsible pen is actually rather simple, with only basic electronics and 2 infrared markers behind the magic.
via Collapsible Input Pen Lets You Draw 3D Images On a 2D Surface.
Beyond – Collapsible Input Device for Direct 3D Manipulation beyond the Screen from Jinha Lee on Vimeo.
