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OPENVIEW 
A FREE SYSTEM FOR STEREOSCOPIC REPRESENTATION OF 3D MODELS OR SCENES 
L. A. Sechidis', D. Gemenetzis', S. Sylaiou', P. Patias', V. Tsioukas " 
' The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Department of Cadastre Photogrammetry and Cartography 
Univ. Box 473, GR-54006, Thessaloniki, Greece 
[lazikas, dgemen, sylaiou @photo.topo.auth.gr], patias@topo.auth.gr 
"?Demokritos University of Thrace, Dept. of Architecture, 
New Building of Central Library, GR- 67100, Xanthi, Greece 
vtsiouka@arch.duth.gr 
SS 4: CIPA 
KEYWORDS: 3D representation; visualization; stereoscopic vision; virtual reality; programming; databases 
ABSTRACT: 
Augmented reality is one of the new applications to archaeology that gives to user the sense of “being there” and allows to observe virtually 
reconstructed archaeological landscapes with historical buildings. 
/ 
This paper presents a system that aims on representation of a virtual environment in stereo, using 3 virtual cameras. It allows user to put in 
scene one or more models that are ready to use and to navigate in them. In addition to this, it gives the opportunity to interact with the virtual 
environment in real time, to rotate the archaeological findings presented in scene and observe their detail. lt establishes links between the 
objects of the scene and any database and allows user to take additional information about the place or objects. 
Since the system is free — anyone can have it with the source code, it can be used from researchers as a tool that will help them on develop 
and test new techniques on 3d representation (e.g. multiple LOD me 
shes etc) of any 3d data. 
The case study examined in this paper discusses the potentials provided by this system and its advantages and disadvantages. 
1. INTRODUCTION 
Virtual Reality (VR) and Digital Stereoscopic Systems (DSS) are 
not a new concept. VR hybrid systems and functional DSS (eg. 
Photogrammetric Stations) existed even from early 90's; 
unfortunately, both had low capabilities and very high cost, due to 
specialized hardware they needed. At that time, several 
companies involved to the new VR software industry, with most 
of their software to considered as a VR world developing tool, 
while cost varied from some hundreds dollars to as much as lots 
of thousands of dollars. Additionally, the majority of this software 
composed of libraries of specific programming routines that were 
combined to form the substance and dynamic content of the 
virtual world. 
Nowadays, although the same hardware is needed, due to rapid 
technology progress and the dramatic fall of prices, even 
individuals can have a fast, powerful and most of all. cheap 
stereoscopic hardware system. But, the same does not stand for 
the software. The cost of the software is still the same, if not more 
expensive, since its capabilities have dramatically increased. For 
example, the cost a game engine can vary from some thousand 
dollars to hundreds of thousands of dollars depended on the 
capabilities and the purpose of its usage. 
OpenView comes to fill the gap. Although not a VR developing 
tool, nor a game engine, is a free of cost VR presentation tool. Its 
purpose is to present any kind of 3d data, from simple points and 
lines to huge VR scenes with thousands triangles and textures. 
Additionally, OpenView can be used from researchers as tool that 
will help on develop and test new techniques on 3d representation 
(e.g. multiple LOD meshes etc) of any 3d data, since the source 
code is available, upon request. 
2. OPENVIEW IN BRIEF 
OpenView can import and handle a virtual world or any kind of 
3d data, interact with viewer, render stereo pairs and produce 
images for both left and right eyes in order to have stereoscopic 
vision. Also, it can display information or metadata about the 
objects that participate in the world using any database that is 
published in ODBC. 
OpenView consists of three major windows. Two of them are 
OPENGL windows that are projected to viewer, called “left 
display” and “right display”. The third one, called the “Control 
Room”, is the heart of the system. Even OpenView can work on a 
dual-display system, it is recommended to be used with a tri- 
display capabilities system for better performance and 
interactivity. 
2.1.1 Required hardware 
OpenView needs a typical stereoscopic presentation setup: two 
polarized projectors that will project the stereo pair on a silver- 
dyed screen. Viewers must wear polarized eye-glasses in order to 
view the projected stereo pair. For the moment it does not support 
single-display setups (like DPS do).