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????你如果認(rèn)為當(dāng)今電影和電視節(jié)目里的三維技術(shù)很酷，那就等你看到全息圖像沙盤再說這話吧。在美國國防部的研究機(jī)構(gòu)——國防部高級研究計劃局（DARPA）的資助下，城市激光沙盤顯示設(shè)備公司（Urban Photonic Sandtable Display）制作出了一種用于作戰(zhàn)計劃的360度三維圖像（無需用鏡子折射）。正在開發(fā)這項技術(shù)的斑馬圖像制作公司（Zebra Imaging）稱，還需要至少三年的時間才能將這種沙盤應(yīng)用于外科手術(shù)方案，甚至用于賭牌等商業(yè)目的，但這并不能阻止我們現(xiàn)在就想象一下其潛在的用途。以下是它的工作原理。

虛擬模型

????先使用普通設(shè)計軟件或者激光掃描測距（LIDAR）設(shè)備，用各種肉眼看不見的激光掃描實體建筑物和物品，以形成詳盡的三維圖像。

制作全息圖像

????再使用普通電腦上裝載的一種專利軟件插件，將三維圖像轉(zhuǎn)換成適合制作全息圖像的格式。在這個階段，用戶可拉近、推遠(yuǎn)、旋轉(zhuǎn)或者改變光線。

成像顯示

????沙盤顯示器內(nèi)置的處理器和圖形處理單元對這些數(shù)據(jù)進(jìn)行處理后，通過一臺光調(diào)制器和一組透鏡把信息傳輸過去，便可做出一個由數(shù)以百萬計的“全息素”——相當(dāng)于三維像素——構(gòu)成的圖像。

????譯者：王恩冕

????If you think today's 3-D technology in movies and TV shows is cool, wait until you see your first hologram table. Funded by DARPA, the Defense Department's research arm, for battle planning, the Urban Photonic Sandtable Display produces a 360°, 3-D image (no glasses needed). Zebra Imaging, the company that is developing the technology, says it'll take at least another three years before this table is set for business applications like surgical planning or even gaming, but that won't stop us from thinking about the possibilities now. Here's how it works.

????Virtual models: Detailed 3-D renderings are created from standard design software or Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) devices that sweep real-world buildings and objects with invisible lasers.

????Prepping the hologram: A proprietary software plug-in loaded onto a standard computer converts the 3-D image into a hologram-friendly format. During this stage, users can zoom in or out, rotate, or change the lighting.

????The display: Processors and graphics-processing units inside the display crunch the data and send it through a light modulator and a set of lenses to create an image made up of millions of "hogels," the 3-D equivalent of pixels.