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Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

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21–30 of 110 posts

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#21
post #2

Hi HN, I'm Sten, one of the creators. We built this because we wanted 3D experiences without needing a VR headset. The approach: use your webcam to track where you're looking, and adjust the 3D perspective to match. Demo: https://portality.io/dragoncourtyard/ (Allow camera, move your head left/right) It creates motion parallax - the same depth cue your brain uses when you look around a real object. Feels like looking…

The obvious use case would be to replace the clunky head tracking systems which are often used in simulator games.

Systems like trackir, which require dedicated hardware.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#23
post #22

Does this really fool you if you have two eyes? I haven't been able to try it or watch the videos (they're behind a cookie warning I can't get past).

If the latency is low enough to fool you, it makes the screen look like a window. It's much more limited than a headset, but especially with a natural scene, it does get the illusion across.

But you're still behind the window.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#24

BTW, the OG demo from Johnny Lee is from 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

Wow, thanks for sharing, that really takes me back. I was so hyped when I saw this as a kid, my dad and I made a mount for my glasses with two IR LEDs and a battery. I remember that I was super impressed with the effect.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#25
I remember this being done for a DSIware game released ~2010 - I couldn't find much footage apart from this quick clip from a trailer.

https://youtu.be/4zZfsyHEcZA?si=BE2I991zEVxPEt9F&t=57

Seemed to have some different names depending on region (Looksley's Line Up, Tales in a Box: Hidden Shapes in Perspective). I recall it working very well at the time.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#26
post #2

Hi HN, I'm Sten, one of the creators. We built this because we wanted 3D experiences without needing a VR headset. The approach: use your webcam to track where you're looking, and adjust the 3D perspective to match. Demo: https://portality.io/dragoncourtyard/ (Allow camera, move your head left/right) It creates motion parallax - the same depth cue your brain uses when you look around a real object. Feels like looking…

I can confirm that is works decently well with a sunny roof window in the background, which is normally enough for people to complain that my face is too dark.

8yo me, who instinctively tried to look behind the display's field of view during intense gaming sessions, would appreciate this feature very much. My belief is that if it shifted the pov to a lesser degree than in the demo, people generally wouldn't notice, but still subconsciously register this as a more immersive experience.

I'm also glad that the web version doesn't try to cook my laptop - good work.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#27

> This content is hosted by a third party provider that does not allow video views without acceptance of Targeting Cookies. Please set your cookie preferences for Targeting Cookies to yes if you wish to view videos from these providers. OK, that's a no then.

It's YouTube. This is super common, just worded in a weird way.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#28
post #6
post #4

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It works for me, just needs a time to load.

how long on what internet connection? i m on 1min and counting on 50mbit. but maybe it doesnt work on ubuntu 24 + firefox? should be webgl capable though. ok took around 2min for me to load, then works.

Devtools say 40.23 MB / 13 MB transferred. Even on 1000Mbps it needed a moment. Works for me on Ubuntu 24 and Firefox.

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#29

BTW, the OG demo from Johnny Lee is from 2007: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jd3-eiid-Uw

Wow, thanks for sharing, that really takes me back. I was so hyped when I saw this as a kid, my dad and I made a mount for my glasses with two IR LEDs and a battery. I remember that I was super impressed with the effect.

I also went to Maplins (UK Radioshack) and bought some infra red LEDs to hack together something to achieve this same effect. In the end I just taped the Wii Sensor Bar to my glasses!

Re: Glasses-free 3D using webcam head tracking

#30
here's a webgl poc that was tested with mobile & desktop browsers: https://www.webgma.co.il/Articles/window-3d-tracking/en/

source code at https://github.com/guyromm/Window

imho this should be useful for driving/flight sims, giving the player the ability to lean inside the vehicle, changing their viewpoint on the surroundings.

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