A “voxel” is the three-dimensional, cubic analog of a pixel. “Peta” is the SI prefix meaning one Quadrillion.
Roughly speaking, a quadrillion voxels could represent a midsize office building (and all its contents) at a linear resolution of 100 voxels per inch.
Currently, few forms of 3-D imagery use voxels; but with increases in storage and processing power, someday voxel representations may become standard.
If you got here via a blog link to the “Great Megapixel Swindle,” be sure to check out the other posts in the Megapixel Madness category.
And thanks for stopping by.
—Ross
July 6, 2010 at 6:02 am
Very good site.
September 29, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Just for fun:
The world of Minecraft (http://notch.tumblr.com/post/443693773/the-world-is-bigger-now) has a maximum volume of (64000000 meters)^2 * 128 meters, and since the game uses one voxel per cubic meter, it would take 524.288 petavoxels to store the whole world.
December 6, 2010 at 9:51 pm
The site doesn’t let me comment on the “Full Frame” Unfulfilled entry (up since August 10). I’ve tried several times on different dates.
I’ve enjoyed your blog and would love to see it continue with a look at the latest developments including the Pentax K-5 and Nikon D7000.
December 7, 2010 at 11:23 pm
Thanks for enjoying the blog, but it doesn’t look like I’ll be returning with new posts in the foreseeable future.
The Pentax K-5 and K-r are right in line with the expectations I had back in May. Its clear that Sony’s current sensors are setting a high standard—perhaps nearing the ultimate limits of the APS-C format.
The next revolution in cameras will probably be when electronic viewfinders reach parity with optical reflex ones. This day might arrive sooner than we think.