Investigation of the Scope of Support Provided by Holographic Displays in Conceptual Design

Abstract

Visual imagery is understood to be one of the effective ways to communicate both abstract and concrete ideas, especially in the early stages of the design process. In Computer Aided Design (CAD), the intermediate and eventual outcomes of designer's work are traditionally depicted in the form of images that represent the intended product. Flat two-dimensional (2D) cathode ray tube (CRT) displays and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) have been the common imaging means for CAD systems for many years, used to display both 2D and three-dimensional (3D) images. These displays serve primarily as passive visual output devices. Viewers typically cannot directly access and interact with the displayed images. Interaction with the displayed images on these devices is only possible through archaic 2D peripheral input devices such as keyboards and mice; via the traditional Windows, Icons, Menus and Pointing device (WIMP) style graphical user interfaces. It is widely acknowledged that these visualization and interaction methods are not consistent with the way designers think and work. In principle, the existing flat screen imaging devices only replace the sheet of drawing paper on which the hand-prepared design is traditionally built. Also, in some instances, the 3D images displayed on these devices are often intended to substitute physical prototypes, the primary goal being to avoid the expenses involved in producing physical prototypes. The general understanding in the design community, however, is that these displays provide inadequate 3D visualization support, and are insufficient for 3D design, review and navigation activities that designers typically deals with during design. It can be said that although numerous software techniques and graphic utilities have been incorporated in standard 2D displays to make the displayed images appear 3D and to enable them present visual information with powerful rendering techniques (such as shading, shadowing, and texturing employed on them to increase realism of images), the reality is that they are still flat. The images do not occupy spatial volume and are not accessible. These factors make these displays somewhat inadequate for supporting conceptual design, the activity in which the designer typically thinks in 3D and works with volumetric or surface data, and also often needs to interact directly with objects.