Virtual Positioning Systems

[Rodney]

I mentioned this briefly in the plugins topic but want to separate it because I think it is one of those 'features' anyone with time and patience can create.

There also could be potential benefits in the realm of plausible/physical based rendering/lighting, etc.

 

Furthering the initial questions I find myself wondering if a variant of the spinning light trick, used for global illumination might be shoehorned in such a way as as to create environmental data used for positioning, lighting and... more esoterically... heat. (This even harkens back to a very old posit on albedos... not taken seriously... which interestingly is now at the fore in physically based rendering. Who would have guessed.)

 

But the first stage of this foray would logically be that of positioning.

I won't go into detail here on what my initial thoughts are on setup because frankly I'd like to see A:M be the first program to have this feature set but as it can be set up in any program it might not be best to talk of specific implementations yet.

 

For R&D purposes:

The key to understanding VPS would likely follow that of the US GPS system in that measurements of time and spacing are critical to establishing reliable data on any position (in relative time and space).

The trick (for me) would be to accomplish this more visually than mathematically and I believe my approach would cover that angle.

That isn't to say that everything would all be drag/drop. Math certainly would be needed to optimize the system.

 

I'd be interested in what others have seen or experienced related to positioning in virtual (read: imaginary) spaces.

Any links to prior explorations would also be appreciated.

 

For the brave and bold:

An initial foray into this arena might be to set up a virtual replica of GPS satellites in A:M's virtual space, assuming A:M doesn't intrinsically have the equivalent of that under the hood already.

[DZ4]

I saw the movie Predator if that helps. Combining a heat sensor with OpenGL would sum it up. But then why stop at heat when you can click your smart watch and switch to infrared? Kthdthdthdth! And let me test it out so I can get that pesky soldier boy. Shwoowm! Friggin' booby trap he got me with. Finding a path to tinker with all OpenGL can do is the hard part. They even have code for detecting if your finger is hovering over the screen and not yet touching it. Just don't do the brainwave sensor cause then you have to listen to everyone complain. Otherwise, your imagination seems to be reaching out a bit too far. Have you seen the laser measuring tools? I mean, how does that work? "It bounces a laser beam and measures the time it takes to return" "Yeah! at the speed of light, and within a fraction of a millimeter?!" But it's just a little box. Can you take it apart and figure it out? I doubt it. Why does a laser need to be a beam? They have those cameras that take a virtual 3D image and realtors really picked up on it.

 

I think it would take a lot of duct tape, etc. to build the prototype...somehow utilize a mini orbitron...At least there's wifi so it's not a mess of tangled cables. But the best scenario is getting "bought out" by the gov't, never to be heard from again. After an episode of The Running Man. Glad I'm just trying to figure out how to make music right now.

[DZ4]

I would pattern the orbitron after the atomic model with six (6) sensors of any sort attached to the "electrons". A magnetic charge at the nucleus of course. Also at the nucleus would be a transmitter. Locate the specific nucleus from a "land" station, download the data from the sensors. Now, electrons "supposedly" spin as well as revolve around the nucleus. Now that's some fun math and likely very naturally dictated. My guess is a Helium atom's electron doesn't spin, why, well because the moon doesn't. So starting with a Hydrogen model... you have 12 sensors attached to 2 "electrons" taking pictures or sensing data. Then you have the central station interpolating the position of the "atom" and thus the actual direction of each sensor. While the electrons spin and take "photos", it could be interpolated the actual bearing and point of each image (shot, picture, snap, whatever). The math is head-spinning but at it's root just basic sine wave/rotations/vectors. But it would give a 3D "blow-up" of a remote location. Now if that could be used to sense a sudden change in temperature and release a suppression, it could be useful in certain situations. Anyway, I am thankful for the imaginary virtual exercise to visualize something. Do you see it? It's not in metric is it?

[Rodney]

Darrin,

I should have added a disclaimer stating that the heat I'm talking about would be completely simulated.

This is almost accomplished already via light and shade in any given scene but types of light and surfaces/material conductivity aren't currently considered/

Most dynamic systems in A:M such as Newton Physics and SimCloth do have settings for friction and that setting might be a likely candidate for establishing baselines or multipliers for heat.