Brite Computers Gives State-of-the-Art 3-D Display Systems to MCC and RIT
The 3-D autostereoscopic display systems include servers, software and display screens. MCC and RIT will use the systems for enhanced visual learning and curriculum development. Each system is valued at $37,500.
“This is the only technology of its kind in the world,” says John Smith, chairman and chief executive officer of Brite Computers, located on Linden Avenue, and an alumnus of both MCC and RIT. “It is our hope that through collaborative efforts we can create mutually beneficial opportunities by enhancing the learning experience for MCC and RIT students.”
The technology, developed by Opticality Corp., provides “eye popping” 3-D displays, says Harvey Palmer, dean of RIT’s Kate Gleason College of Engineering, which will use its display system in computer-aided design projects and to showcase multidisciplinary engineering senior-design projects—for example, showing 3-D animation of new product designs. The system will be shared between RIT’s engineering college and the university’s College of Imaging Arts and Sciences.
MCC will incorporate its system into the college’s Faculty Innovation Center, a centralized resource for curricula and program development, to enhance 3-D programming in classroom instruction and demonstrations.
“The technology opens up new concepts for knowledge presentation and academic content delivery,” says Jeffrey Bartkovich, vice president of MCC’s Educational Technology Services division. “MCC is excited to be a part of the research efforts to explore 3-D technology’s potential for learning.”
The system is ideally suited for educational purposes, product modeling, retail point-of-purchase and trade-show displays, and “virtual tours,” says Smith, who earned an associate’s degree in business administration from MCC in 1971 and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from RIT in 1973. He also serves as chair of the MCC Foundation’s Alumni Council.
“The gift is the catalyst for some exciting inter-college collaborations between faculty and students in engineering and imaging arts and sciences, particularly in the areas of animation and industrial design,” says RIT’s Palmer. “The creation of innovative products requires a true partnership across this spectrum of disciplines. First-hand exposure to this cross-disciplinary environment is of great value to our students.”
Note: Founded in 1829, RIT is internationally recognized as a leader in computing, engineering, imaging technology, fine and applied arts, and education for the deaf. RIT enrolls more than 15,300 full- and part-time students in more than 340 career-oriented and professional undergraduate and graduate programs, and its cooperative education program is one of the oldest and largest in the nation.