Exploring Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Engine • Hacker News Board

Re: Exploring Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Engine

#91

Post by Geee » Sun, Nov 27, 2011, 11:28 PM UTC

ldar15 wrote: post #79

Geee wrote: post #59

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You have missed the point. The claim is that Unlimited Detail offers real-time voxel rendering with unlimited detail now, not when there's more powerful computers. It doesn't need a GPU. They supposedly have a new algorithm, which would indeed be revolutionary if true.

If someone were to post an article on HN about a new technology that gets recursive compression (you can compress something 80%, and then do that again and again ) because "they have a new algorithm", they would be laughed off the front page.

I don't argue for or against that 'new algorithm', just the topic we are talking about. Nevertheless, I haven't seen a proof that voxels can't be rendered more efficiently (although I think it's very improbable), while infinite compressibility is easy to prove to be impossible.

Edit: You didn't clearly get what is claimed here. 'Infinite detail' is just a marketing speech, the claim is that the algorithm can render up to screen resolution any data set whose size is limited only by memory. I.e. rendering speed isn't bounded by the size of the data set. The method has nothing to do with compression, and indeed the data set will be huge if everything is 'infinitely' detailed.

Re: Exploring Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Engine

#92

Post by idspispopd » Mon, Nov 28, 2011, 3:30 AM UTC

ldar15 wrote: post #90

idspispopd wrote: post #83

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Minecraft demonstrates that (despite its possibly-inefficient coding) unique voxel based geometry is cpu heavy, and to pretend otherwise is fraud. From the outset it's obvious that recursion is affording the 'infinite' tag for this technology. Interestingly this technology or even this idea isn't anything new. A nice way of summarising it is 3d fractals, sure it's infinite and richly detailed. But it's the same thing…

No it doesn't. It demonstrates that Minecraft's solution is heavy. Minecraft is a cellular automaton. That's why its slow. It would be a mistake to believe that minecraft demonstrates the effectiveness of voxel technology.

Try to reply with examples(and when you do avoid choosing examples that follow confirmation bias) instead of broad-unbased refutations.

Minecraft clearly demonstrates the comparitive heaviness of using voxel arrays to represent a world in contrast to a polygon mesh. This point is trivial, and is not unique to Minecraft.

Additionally I'm finding a large number of comments that begin with "No it doesn't", then either stating an identical argument to the parent, or not attempting to refute the parent comment at all. If you're doing this for "points" then shame on you.

Re: Exploring Euclideon's Unlimited Detail Engine

#93

Post by Cyph0n » Mon, Nov 28, 2011, 4:53 PM UTC

nestlequ1k wrote: post #37

Cyph0n wrote: post #13

Interesting article. Judging by Dell's (the CEO) calm attitude towards "haters", I personally believe that he truly has something revolutionary to offer. Only time will tell though.

I think Dell makes money the same way other scammers make money, produce as much hype as possible with half truths, and by the time people figure out what is real, you'll have already cashed in. I guarantee he is optimizing his entire company for fancy demos. He'll sucker some idiot big company into buying his technology, then we'll never ever see it in a product. These things are predictable as clockwork.

Mmmm, and what if it's real? What if he earns even more that what he already has because people and companies alike think he's a fraud?

All I can say is good for Dell.