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https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky

Exploring peripheral vision in games (using Quake)
https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky

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Exploring peripheral vision in games (using Quake)

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README 

        
__Update:__ we are porting to Minecraft (see [MC Render 360](http://www.minecraftforum.net/forums/mapping-and-modding/minecraft-mods/2738385-render-360-unlimited-fov) and experiments at: https://github.com/shaunlebron/flex-fov) 



# Blinky






Proof of concept to __put peripheral vision into games__ (without VR goggles).

Explore this interesting space by playing the _Quake demo_ with fisheyes,

panoramas, and cartographic projections.



__Latest Release - 1.4:__



 [Download for Windows](https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky/releases/download/1.4/blinky-1.4-windows.zip)  

 [Download for Mac](https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky/releases/download/1.4/blinky-1.4-mac.zip)  

 [Building on Linux](https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky/blob/master/BUILDING.md#linux)



(See also: [Using with full version of Quake](https://github.com/shaunlebron/blinky/wiki/Using-with-full-version-of-Quake))



__Videos__



- __[Quick walkthrough](http://youtu.be/f9v_XN7Wxh8)__ (from 1.3)

- [Speedrun montage](http://youtu.be/jQOJ3yCK8pI) (pre 1.0)



__Why?__ The standard projection used in all games was never intended for

wide-angle views, whereas the [Panini] projection was invented to be the best

representation of your natural ~170º wide vision.



[![old-and-new](readme-img/old-and-new.jpg)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shaunlebron/blinky/master/readme-img/old-and-new.jpg)



__How?__ To use non-standard projections like Panini, Blinky first snaps

multiple pictures around you to form a _Globe_ of pixels.  Then it projects

all those pixels to the screen using a _Lens_.  You can enable a _Rubix_

grid if you wish to visualize the mapping.  ([Quincuncial] projection shown below)



[![map](readme-img/map.gif)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shaunlebron/blinky/master/readme-img/map.gif)



__Try it:__ Blinky has shortcut keys for quickly trying several Globes and

Lenses.  If you want more control, use the [console

commands](#console-commands) or even [edit/create](#lua-scripts) your own

globes and lenses with Lua scripts.



[![keys](readme-img/keys.png)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shaunlebron/blinky/master/readme-img/keys.png)



__360º vision:__ Blinky has many fisheye and panoramic lenses from photography,

but it also has many map projections from cartography that will give you a full

360º view.



[![worlds](readme-img/worlds.jpg)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shaunlebron/blinky/master/readme-img/worlds.jpg)



__Performance vs Quality:__ Blinky has to render 6 views per frame when using a

_Cube_ globe.  So we provide lower poly globes as a way to balance quality and

performance.  Fewer renders means each view has to cover more area with less

resolution.



[![globes](readme-img/globes.jpg)](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shaunlebron/blinky/master/readme-img/globes.jpg)



## Technical Details



Blinky is a modification of the famous __[Fisheye Quake]__.



- adds a Lua scripting environment for defining:

  - _Globes_ (for capturing the environment)

  - _Lenses_ (for projecting a wide-angle image)

- uses the cross-platform [TyrQuake] engine for Windows, Mac, and Linux



### Building from source



After some [manual setup](BUILDING.md) for your OS, you can build/play with:



```

$ ./build.sh

$ ./play.sh

```



### Console Commands



Press `~` to access the command console.  Use the `Tab` key for help completing

a partial command.



```sh

fisheye <0|1>     # enable/disable fisheye mode

f_help            # show quick start options

f_globe     # choose a globe (affects picture quality and render speed)

f_lens      # choose a lens (affects the shape of your view)



f_fov    # zoom to a horizontal FOV

f_vfov   # zoom to a vertical FOV

f_cover           # zoom in until screen is covered (some parts may be hidden)

f_contain         # zoom out until screen contains the entire image (if possible)



f_rubix           # display colored grid for each rendered view in the globe

f_saveglobe       # take screenshots of each globe face (environment map)

```



### Lua Scripts



To create/edit globes and lenses, check out the following guides:



- [Create a Globe](game/lua-scripts/globes)

- [Create a Lens](game/lua-scripts/lenses)



### Engine Code



- [engine/NQ/fisheye.c](engine/NQ/fisheye.c) - new engine code

- [engine patch](engine/fisheye.patch) - engine modifications



## Theory of Projections



[>> Interactive visualization for how projections work](http://shaunlebron.github.io/visualizing-projections)



[![theory](readme-img/theory.png)](http://shaunlebron.github.io/visualizing-projections)



## Future



I hope to apply this to modern graphics using frame buffers for

environment-capturing and pixel shaders for projection.  It would be

interesting to see its impact on performance.



If this modern method is performant enough, I think Panini/Stereographic could

easily become a standard for gamers demanding wide-angle video.  But if it is

not performant enough for live applications, I think it could still prove

useful in post-processed videos using something like [WolfCam].  For example,

spectators could benefit from wide-angle viewings of previously recorded

competitive matches or even [artistic montages][f33l].



## Thanks



This project would not exist without these people!



- __Wouter van Oortmerssen__ for creating & open-sourcing [Fisheye Quake]

- __Peter Weiden__ for creating [fisheye diagrams] on Wikipedia

- __Kevin Shanahan__ for creating/maintaining a cross-platform Quake engine, [TyrQuake]



## Contact



- email: 

- twitter: [@shaunlebron](http://twitter.com/shaunlebron)



## License



- The [Lua scripts](game/lua-scripts) and [fisheye.c](engine/NQ/fisheye.c) are released under the MIT license.

- TyrQuake is released under GPL-2.



[Fisheye Quake]:http://strlen.com/gfxengine/fisheyequake/

[TyrQuake]:http://disenchant.net/tyrquake/

[Panini]: http://tksharpless.net/vedutismo/Pannini/

[Quincuncial]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peirce_quincuncial_projection

[f33l]:https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x5483f2

[WolfCam]:https://github.com/brugal/wolfcamql

[fisheye diagrams]:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisheye_lens#Mapping_function