<p>Would it be possible to make text significantly more legible in VR? I know there are hardware limitations, but are there hanging fruit techniques that aren't being employed in 3D that are in 2D (vector based rendering, signed distance field rendering, and so forth)?</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-15T15:29:24.370Z
Can you give an example of what you think isn't legible in regular 3D text rendering? There are certainly other techniques, but it's not clear what you're asking about.
user1118321
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-15T16:17:24.090Z
For example, the program [Virtual Desktop](https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/911715622255585/) shows all of your screens in VR space using the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, etc. The text is barely legible in these environments (i.e., not good enough to use VR as a replacement for physical monitors).
George
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-15T16:22:11.580Z
So you mean the 2D text rendered in a 3D space? The video on the page you linked to didn't strike me as looking terrible. When they were browsing the web, it was quite legible. (Of course I'm looking at it on my laptop, not on Vive, so maybe it's worse in real life?)
user1118321
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-15T18:24:55.240Z
Yes -- much worse in real life. You can read text for a few minutes if you squint your eyes, but it's not good enough to fully replace a PC screen by any stretch.
George
CC BY-SA 3.0
2017-04-17T06:01:46.727Z
Super sampling could help. Applies to everything, not just text.
SurvivalMachine
CC BY-SA 3.0
2018-01-09T20:00:07.540Z
The first thing I think of is that you immediately lose the benefits of ClearType, which renders text with sub-pixel spatial resolution (sacrificing color fidelity) thanks to knowing the micro-geometry of the individual RGB elements of a typical LCD display.  Sampling the ClearType-rendered text and re-rendering it in 3D will exaggerate the poor color and furthermore lose the benefits of the sub-pixel micro-geometry.  Provided you know the geometry of the RGB elements within the VR display, maybe you could employ the same technique?
Wyck
<virtual-reality>
Rendering Crystal Clear 3D Text in VR
George
# Rendering Crystal Clear 3D Text in VR

(Asked by: username_0 on 2017-04-15)

Would it be possible to make text significantly more legible in VR? I know there are hardware limitations, but are there hanging fruit techniques that aren't being employed in 3D that are in 2D (vector based rendering, signed distance field rendering, and so forth)?

**Tags:** virtual-reality

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Can you give an example of what you think isn't legible in regular 3D text rendering? There are certainly other techniques, but it's not clear what you're asking about.  
> **username_0**: For example, the program [Virtual Desktop](https://www.oculus.com/experiences/rift/911715622255585/) shows all of your screens in VR space using the HTC Vive, Oculus Rift, etc. The text is barely legible in these environments (i.e., not good enough to use VR as a replacement for physical monitors).  
> **username_1**: So you mean the 2D text rendered in a 3D space? The video on the page you linked to didn't strike me as looking terrible. When they were browsing the web, it was quite legible. (Of course I'm looking at it on my laptop, not on Vive, so maybe it's worse in real life?)  
> **username_0**: Yes -- much worse in real life. You can read text for a few minutes if you squint your eyes, but it's not good enough to fully replace a PC screen by any stretch.  
> **username_2**: Super sampling could help. Applies to everything, not just text.  
> **username_3**: The first thing I think of is that you immediately lose the benefits of ClearType, which renders text with sub-pixel spatial resolution (sacrificing color fidelity) thanks to knowing the micro-geometry of the individual RGB elements of a typical LCD display.  Sampling the ClearType-rendered text and re-rendering it in 3D will exaggerate the poor color and furthermore lose the benefits of the sub-pixel micro-geometry.  Provided you know the geometry of the RGB elements within the VR display, maybe you could employ the same technique?  

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## 0 answers

