Quickdraw3D – A front-end to a holographic three-dimensional display

Three-dimensional display devices attempt to present the user with a realistic scene. The realism involves the use of depth cues, so as to convince the user of three-dimensionality. Such display devices can be classified into those that require external aids such as glasses, and those that are viewable unaided. The latter are less cumbersome, and allow many viewers of the display. Holography falls into this class, and is the only display medium that includes all the visual depth cues we expect of a scene. Recently developed displays involve the computer rendering of three-dimensional models or scenes for use with optical hardware. A result of the computer generation is the display may be animated, either by rendering hologram frames on the fly, or by replaying precomputed holograms like a movie. Quickdraw3D is a useful technology for performing the former, and Quicktime is useful for the latter. Both these software technologies, combined with the emerging compute power of the PowerPC, make an obvious choice for integrating the holographic display with user interaction and modelling tools. We describe our work in this area in developing a three-dimensional display device, and our attempts to harness the Quickdraw3D framework.