Abstract: Holochip is developing a lightfield processing unit (LfPU) and Field of Light display (FoLD) system for real-time synthetic lightfield rendering. All existing FoLD rendering methods face issues of significant processing and image data transmission requirements. Holochip has developed two novel rendering methods to address these issues. Both methods provide full 8-bit per channel color, real-time rendering (radiance image updated at 60Hz), and real-time interaction. The first method is best suited to smaller screens and single user workstations (limited to 8K-resolution radiance image), offers native support for commercially available rendering pipelines (such as Unity, Unreal Engine, CryEngine, etc.), works with post-production environments such as Maya, and is anticipated to run on a single high-end NVIDIA GPU. The second method is more suited to displays with high-resolution radiance images (billions of pixels). This method does not yet integrate with existing rendering pipelines and instead is custom built for each application. The rendering of this second approach is limited to a Lambertian shading model. Both methods are being actively developed and FoLD systems based on both methods are being built. This work is being supported by NAVY SBIR Phase II, Topic Number N171-076.
Speaker: Samuel Robinson, VP Engineering, Holochip Corporation
Bio: Sam leads the development of Light Field Technology. Since joining Holochip in 2011 he has developed technologies in the areas of adaptive optics, 3D display, AR/VR, and image capture. He has a background in electrical, mechanical, optical, and software engineering and earned his B.S in Aerospace Engineering and Physics from Iowa State University.