The Tricorder

[MajorD]

I don't see why the sound effects should change, unless better ones can be made. I mean, better like Matt.Oracle's tricorder, where everyone agrees it's awesome.

[matt.oracle]

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for such positive feedback. Didn't expect such a flood of positive responses at all.

I was having a really bad day (post surgery pain) and you guys really cheered me up, and MajorD's comments:

I want to have little baby tricorders with it.

really gave me a good laugh

I only threw it together very quickly (only about 2 hours) and rushed the LCARs interface taking screenshots from some tricorder movies i made for my iphone for the top screen, and the bottom screen main menu structure (GEO,MET,BIO grid) was designed at the very old and now defunct LCARS development group that used to be on Yahoo. I also ways liked the way the GEO,MET,BIO was balanced with scan options listed in the middle.

Also, for those interested more in canon Tricorder operations I would recommend having a look at the 'Star Trek-The Starfleet Survival Guide by David Mack'. It's an official Simon Schuster/Pocket Books publication. Things highlighted in the book relevant to the tricorder are for example- instructions for doing tasks, running scans and accessing equipment. Perhaps the author's suggested method of using a tricorder will be of use to see how an 'official' interpretation of functions is presented. One thing I really found interesting in the book is that the ALPHA, BETA, GAMMA, DELTA sequence lights are actual buttons with varying functions (by the way I realized this morning at like 2am that I placed DELTA before GAMMA in my concept sketch- out of order for the Greek alphabet-matching the same muck up on the original TNG tricorders. My intent was to follow the proper alphabet order, oops

Also, just a bit of feedback on one picture I thought I would clarify a bit as it seems that I might have confused some of you, thanks to '11001001' for pointing this out.

Thats brilliant, but you know when your holding the tricorder, can you scan with the sensor at the front, or place an object infront of it and scan that way?

The tricorder can scan objects in a 360 degree x 360 degree arch, with higher resolution sensors at the front of the unit, so as '11001001' has said it isn't necessary to hold the tricorder above the object (in this case unrefined dilithium ore) as in my photo sample. I just did this quickly and holding a rock was the best quick idea I came up with at the time for the augmented reality example. My bad. I think MajorD's example on a grassy field is a better image example of what the concept illustrates.

I was thinking of doing a proper interface sample, 2d perspective from the front so that we could get a better feel of what the proposed interface I had in mind could look like. Might do that momentarily. Mind you, I do like the simplified interface example Luke did (the iPhone tricorder) on the very first post a lot, so perhaps I will do some further experimentation of the GUI and see what I come up with. Keep you posted. Expect some more pics for you in a couple of hours.

Cheers, Matt

[matt.oracle]

Impressive. Imagine the possibilities. The Sony youtube link was great.

Its possible to have an extensible overlay with a paper thin translucent screen..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U--l6jQWFck
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k6bkmPjVF-k&feature=PlayList&p=AB8CC557FB51FCB9&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=4
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbTO5VM6s-4

Thinking about tricorder sound effects... the problem is I guess that the proper sound effects (ultra clear ones from games like elite force 2 or star trek hidden evil) are screen perfect copies but the copyright issue then comes into effect. Perhaps a new sound anyway, similar but updated or plays homage to TNG/Voy/Nemesis eras are in order. If i remember correctly the Endgame tricorder from voyager sound tricorder like but futuristic, so no-one says ours has to sound 100% identical to Voyager/DS9/TNG Movie era. New technology, perhaps new sounds. Perhaps I will include a little something on this later too... you can tell I haven't much of a life at the moment huh. lol

Cheers, Matt

[MajorD]

    Going with the idea that the tricorder should automatically access ship's sensors, it should also access any other tricorders and miscellaneous sensing devices on the planet. But, instead of having spheres of sensing that can overlap and which suddenly cut off, it would be great to use the inverse square law. The system should have active devices have an emission strength value divided by r^2. At twice the base distance signal strength will be four times weaker, and at three times the signal will be nine times weaker, four times it will be 16 times weaker, and so on. I think it should be signal/(r^2) and not signal/(4*pi*r^2) because radar sweeps the beam, they don't emit omnidirectional, it's also a simpler formula. Actually signal/(2r^2), as I'll explain below.
    Using the inverse square law allows active sensors to have a signal range and sensing range. For the sensing range you double the radius, because it is going to the target then back, covering the radius twice. The signal range is used by other tricorders, they measure the distance from the other tricorder to a particular target, then the range of the target to itself, and that is the radius used when measuring incoming signal strength from the other tricorder. That strength, and all other active tricorders in range have their strength added to the tricorder's own strength to create a combined signal strength. Each tricorder will have a maximum receivable signal resolution, so within a certain radius tricorders won't need to do this, but outside that radius it will allow tricorders to combine their output to increase their maximum full detail scanning range.
    Signal strength can be directly related to sensor resolution. Point blank scanning detail may have sub-atomic detail measured in attometers (10^-18). DNA can be measured with a nanometer resolution (10^-9). That's a difference of 1 000 000 000 times, and for resolution to decrease by that much the scanner would have to be about 31,600 times further away. If the tricorder can read sub atomic particles at 1 cm away, then it could read DNA 316 meters away if signal strength is directly proportional to resolution. Wait, that's if the signal traveled one way, if it travels two ways, and it would, then the actual range would be 158 meters. It would have 1 meter resolution at 5 000 kilometers, so at 500 km it should have cm resolution, because the signal travels from A to B, then back to A. Please, please check my math, it's almost 1 AM and I don't do much math as it is.
    If we go with this kind of resolution signal sharing would be completely pointless, except for scanning DNA, and we might as well go back to the original idea of the ship sharing anything it detects with the tricorder automatically. The signal range/sensing range thing doesn't seem worth while now. Maybe we could have sensor shadows so sensor overlap makes more sense. Trees and normal rocks shouldn't cause sensor shadows, tricorders can penetrate quite some dirt over a few hundred meters at least. Large masses of material should cause sensor shadows, as should sensor blocking minerals, certain shields, and otherwise specially designed facilities.
    There's something good in here but it needs more thought.
    Now I realize at least with radar the resolution has to do with the wavelength used, not the signal strength. I don't care, I like the signal strength thing and there must be something to it. People need binoculars and stuff.

[ii123]

.. it would be great to use the inverse square law.
..
I think it should be signal/(r^2) and not signal/(4*pi*r^2) because radar sweeps the beam, they don't emit omnidirectional, it's also a simpler formula. Actually signal/(2r^2), as I'll explain below.
..
For the sensing range you double the radius, because it is going to the target then back, covering the radius twice.
..
That strength, and all other active tricorders in range have their strength added to the tricorder's own strength to create a combined signal strength.
..
Each tricorder will have a maximum receivable signal resolution, so within a certain radius tricorders won't need to do this, but outside that radius it will allow tricorders to combine their output to increase their maximum full detail scanning range.
..
Signal strength can be directly related to sensor resolution.
The signal range/sensing range thing doesn't seem worth while now. Maybe we could have sensor shadows so sensor overlap makes more sense. Trees and normal rocks shouldn't cause sensor shadows, tricorders can penetrate quite some dirt over a few hundred meters at least. Large masses of material should cause sensor shadows, as should sensor blocking minerals, certain shields, and otherwise specially designed facilities.
..
I don't care, I like the signal strength thing and there must be something to it. People need binoculars and stuff.

For r2 attenuation, the radar equation is signal recieved back at transmitter= (signal transmitted /(r squared))/(r squared)=signal transmitted/r to the fourth = signal strength at point of reflection/rsquared.

Slightly tricky..
---------------------------

As I follow the idea appears to be:

1. Signal strength uses inverse square law
2. Resolution is proportional to signal
3. Resolution follows inverse square law
4. All tricorder readings are cumulative


------------------------

The issue is how this affects gameplay..

Level designers would probably want to have a set radius for sucessful readings and another for detection. These would be determined by level design?

-------------------

Hi everyone, firstly thanks for such positive feedback. Didn't expect such a flood of positive responses at all.
I was having a really bad day (post surgery pain) and you guys really cheered me up, and

Hope things get better quickly.

[matt.oracle]

Hi, me again.

Just wanted to let you all know I have finished my concept tricorder GUI. I actually made a full sequence animation... went a bit overboard but like I said, nothing much else to do (ps- thanks for the get well wishes ii123, much appreciated)

I cannot upload it at the moment as my mother is on my primary computer where I did the animation, so will probably do it tomorrow morning local time.

I looked at the comments some of you have mentioned would be good and and have further incorporated your suggestions into my design, especially Major D's tactile interface idea for raised button surfaces and I have fleshed out a colour changing sequence for each sensor mode - for peppermint green for geological, reddy orange for meteorological,  bright blue for medical, and brilliant white for computer interfacing/misc tasks. Also figured that the fact that the sensor head deploys outwards and that there is a decent crevice where the sensors are it could be possible to mount/physically interface an additional device al'la the original TNG medical tricorder scanning head (though I would imagine in the fictional 'real' world this would rarely happen unless something really specialised was needed).

It was my intent to show you guys this animation inside a 3d mockup, so I am going to do that now, might as well seeing you have gotten my inspired.

Cheers, Matthew

[11001001]

This is my take on your see through tricorder MajorD I've had to add it as and attachment becuase I couldnt copy and paste. Basically it's a screen with two holders at each side. Embedded in these are 5 lights which produce the igame on the surface. The bottom section is for information regarding the scan whereas the upper left section is for diagrams.The two oblong shapes to the right is when the tricorder is shut down, you just push the tricorder together and it easily fits in your pocket. if you pull it out and pull it apart, the tricorder switches itself back on. I'll draw the back later but for now, I want to know what you think, I know it's not canon but I anted to drw it anyway.

[matt.oracle]

Hey everyone. The final render of my concept will be up during the next 12 hours. I have just finished the 3d model and will apply the textures and animation tomorrow.

11001001, just saw your LCARS interface for your augmented reality tricorder, cool pull out screeny thingy. I wonder how far away something like that really is from hitting the market, reminds me of Minority Report. I wonder if this is sort of like what Henry Starling had for his stolen 29th century Starfleet tricorder? We only see a glimpse of it on the Voyager but it is cylindrical and I always wondered where the cylinder tricorder would have a screen. I guess it's plausible it's like 11001001's design. Cool 

Night all.

Matthew

[Brex]

Yeah, one of those 'E-Ink' screens would be good, they're able to be pulled and rotated and what not, plus the latest ones are able to display colour AND video. (or at least will be able).
I really like Matt's design but I think something a bit more bulky at the bottom might be better, as with something that thin it might just break off

[MajorD]

11001001, I think your tricorder would be great as either a PADD or some sort of specialist tricorder. It would be great for seeing through walls. Maybe stick it to walls to display images like a window.

I'm still looking forward to the next iteration of your tricorder Matt.

[newhalo123]

Still waiting, But it will be awesome when it shows up.   





  

[Luke]

Wow, some great ideas, well done.

Matt, that tricorder is nice, looks very clean & star trek XI, i like it.

The tricorder being able to project to surfaces and scan through the screen is a good idea, perhaps having something more like what Toxa posted earlier would suit that better, but with a flip-down bit?

I haven't had much time to work as its exam season, but ive done the isochips.

[Chris]

This is my take on your see through tricorder MajorD I've had to add it as and attachment becuase I couldnt copy and paste.

I like your design...however, the first thing that pops to my mind (which is not a criticism, but will hopefully get people thinking) is because it is see-though, the UI takes up some valuable real-estate. This is obvious, but what can be done to reduce the amount of space that the UI takes up...after all, you want to see as much through the Tricorder whilst retaining as much (if not all) functionality. How do you reduce clutter on the screen, as you don't want to be looking through the screen and to be obscured by all of the options that are available. Have you considered how to minimise the UI, i.e. remove things from the screen that are not in use. What about slide out menus etc? Could the UI have a mechanism for overriding visibility options if the Tricorder detects something out of the ordinary? Is it a case that the appropriate menus and options appear/disappear when it detects what it is scanning?

Just some food for thought

I'd love to see some more UI mock-ups.

[MR_7]

but ive done the isochips.

Wow they look cool.

Anyway i think the only thing missing from the current tricoder designs is hand grips. heres a quick one i through together, I didn't finish smoothing, and Gmax Can't render so its just 2 straight forward screenshots.

I'm might finish and texture it.

[11001001]

@Luke: I was think the screen could be made out of some tranlusent material, so you wont be looking at the res tof the world when your trying to see the readout. All of the computational equipment is housed inside the two oblong shapes you see to the right. You were talking about the UI being messing, cluttering up the screen and so on. I took a lot of inspiration from and Itouch and MajorD's Nokia design. Any information that you dont need, can easily be stored just by flicking you finger to the left or right f the screen, this would get rid of the irrelevant data, which would be stored in the hardrive ( I call it that because thats where things are stored on a computer) and the bank easily asseccible later. I know the design isnt canon, I've took alot of my inspiration as I said from Ipods and MajorD's nokia design, It's just something I've thrown in and made a backstory to.

[MajorD]

I haven't had much time to work as its exam season, but ive done the isochips.

They look really good.

Would it be possible to make the labels a moving texture so it looks like the letters are made by the chip and variable through programing instead of having to be printed? A moving bump map could be used too and it would create that surface morphing effect I mentioned. It turns out it's a canon effect that consoles have, Tuvok used it when he was blind in Voyager.

Will you also be doing other sizes of isolinear ship?

[Luke]

@Luke: I was think the screen could be made out of some tranlusent material, so you wont be looking at the res tof the world when your trying to see the readout. All of the computational equipment is housed inside the two oblong shapes you see to the right.

Ah, i see, I really like the idea of having it collapsible, and when you want to use it you just extend it out.
I think your design above is better suited to the PADD design, with the tricorder being smaller and portrait.

When you say flicking your finger to hide show information, do you mean like the XBOX home screen with the tabs that slide across?, or do you mean like Widgets or windows you can slide around the screen, like a customisable interface? Or both

@MR_7
Thats a nice & clean tricorder design, looks a bit TMP though (not necessarily a bad thing tbh, i like it), try making the screen size a bit bigger, and i like the smaller screen below the main one, is that for the BIO, GEO, and MET functions?
We could deffo add that in as a map object or a hidden easter egg vintage tricorder for the players to find

Would it be possible to make the labels a moving texture so it looks like the letters are made by the chip and variable through programing instead of having to be printed?

Could do, certainly an interesting effect, im not sure what it would add to the game though, a future mod possibility?

Will you also be doing other sizes of isolinear ship?

Yep, ill be doing a smaller ones (like a memory stick) for the tricorders/ padds etc, and ill be doing gel packs
probably wont do iso-rods tho, really dont need em.

[11001001]

I think it would be like the HP Touchsmart, when you press your finger to the screen, you'll be able to move things about. What I mean when you can collapse the readouts you dont want is that all the readouts are headed at the top of the screen, like "Current Scan" or "Last Scan". For the last scan, it would be easily accesible by just pressing something like a history button at the side and have a readout of all the scans you have recorded. I would have it like how the internet is, with history in a pop out from the side, automatically recording and storing all scans while the tricorder is active. Everyone says it would look better as a PADD and I cant argue with you on that, because to me it really would.

[MR_7]

@MR_7
Thats a nice & clean tricorder design, looks a bit TMP though (not necessarily a bad thing tbh, i like it), try making the screen size a bit bigger, and i like the smaller screen below the main one, is that for the BIO, GEO, and MET functions?
We could deffo add that in as a map object or a hidden easter egg vintage tricorder for the players to find

Well thats promising   Yeah the smaller screen would be used for any thing that doesn't need to take up the whole of the upper screen. I was thinking like Heart rate, shield frequencies, something that can be measured in graphs.

I was looking at a old Casio Calculator when i designed it.

I gave it a Revamp. This time looking at a Nokia 3220 and it came out like this.

The bottom image is purely for fun

[Luke]

I think it would be like the HP Touchsmart, when you press your finger to the screen, you'll be able to move things about. What I mean when you can collapse the readouts you dont want is that all the readouts are headed at the top of the screen, like "Current Scan" or "Last Scan".

Ah i see, that would be great for the PADD, have the tabs at the top reading Personal message, Comm Logs (for viewing dialogue if you diddnt catch what was said) and ship corridor map, or something else. I think the padd design is figured out lol

@MR_7
Thats much better, can see the nokia design in it.
see the attached picture btw, your design and TMP were destined to be together We need that as a collectable item.