Heads up, 3D artists and VR mavens. Brooklyn holographic display specialist Looking Glass Factory is now selling the Looking Glass Pro, an all-in-one computer built around a stereoscopic display with a 15.6-inch touchscreen surface. It allows 3D images and environments to be viewed without wearing a VR headset or 3D glasses.
The company says the Looking Glass Pro renders 45 different views to accommodate different angles, and updates 3D scenes at up to 60fps.
Looking Glass Pro
Phoebe Cheong
The device is being pitched at anyone who works in 3D for a living, but has significant and practical applications in doctor’s offices, where 3D anatomical scans, for instance, could be displayed for viewing by doctor and patient. In a studio environment, the screen could be used to display 3D models for review by a team, or to navigate a 360-degree VR environment in 3D via touch-and-drag movements.
The Looking Glass Pro is driven by a built-in Intel NUC8i7HVK VR kit with an eighth-generation Intel Core i7-8809G processor and Radeon RX Vega M GH graphics. A separate seven-inch 2D touch interface flips out from one side of the device for control purposes, and Leap Motion controls are included for interaction in 3D space.
Looking Glass Pro with side interface open
The system includes commercial licenses for Looking Glass software that can be used to create third-party applications, including its HoloPlay Unity SDK, the HoloPlay Plugin for Unreal, and its Looking Glass three.js library.
The company also makes the Large Looking Glass, which is basically the same display as the Looking Glass Pro, but without the embedded PC. It works with 64-bit Windows 10 computers with Intel Core i5 or better processors, Nvidia GTX 1060 or better graphics, and at least 4 GB of RAM.
If you really need something bigger, Looking Glass said its displays can be tiled into arrays to create larger volumes, and promised “larger experimental systems” are under development.
Glasses-free 3D screens have long been hailed as the future of display technology but the technology has been relatively slow to come to market. At $6,000, the Looking Glass Pro is ready to test the demand for holographic screens. The company is now taking pre-orders with an estimated six week lead time; the first units are expected to ship worldwide in mid-July.
The Looking Glass Pro will be on display at this week’s AWE USA 2019 AR/VR conference, slated for May 29-31 at the Santa Clara Convention Center in Santa Clara, CA.
