1. Design and Creationof Virtual EnvironmentsCAP 6930/4930Section 5694/3947Course IntroductionAugust 24th, 2005

2. Welcome! • My name is Benjamin Lok. • Pronounced like “lock” as in lock the door. • Not Loke as in Tone Lōc. • Feel free to call me Ben. • A bit about myself • Background • Interests

3. Course Run-icity • Ask questions!!! • Cheating will not be tolerated. You cheat == no longer in class. • No attendance, no nagging • In return: You are completely responsible for your actions in this class. • Very APPLIED (lots of projects). You will work hard.

4. Discussion Topic • Let’s design the ultimate display. (Let’s break up into groups of 4 – 1 scribe) • What are the issues to consider? • Which senses do we want to provide sensory input to? • How would you engineer this? • How much would it cost? • What is possible today, what needs to be invented? • What is the best virtual reality experience available today?

5. Course Notes Acknowledgement • A significant portion of the lecture notes were drawn from Dr. Larry Hodges at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte (previously at Georgia Tech). • Known for using VR in clinical therapy. • Clip of Fear of Flying

6. What’s this course about? • What is a Virtual Environment? • Computer generated environments • Virtual Reality • Augmented Reality • Immersive Environments • Mixed Reality • Learn what goes into VEs • Learn to make VEs • Building your own VE • What are the research areas in VEs?

7. What will we get to do? • Explore a new area of computer science research • Q: How old is VR and who is the ‘father’ of VR? • A: 1965, Ivan Sutherland (The Ultimate Display, first reading) • What is unique about the picture? • What does having the head device get you? • Build your own environments • Develop a significant group final project • Do things that have never been done before! • Explore your creative side

8. Course Outline • Background and history of VR • Software • Hardware • Design • Interaction • Research Issues • Build Basic VE • Build Complex VE • Group Project building a compelling VE

9. Pre-Requisites • Proficient in programming (preferrable C/C++) • Programming must not be an obstacle • Java3D is an option, but more complex • General technical background • Familiar with computer graphics • You can take this course while taking CAP 4730, but it will be a challenge

10. Pre-Requisites • Please drop on by if you have any questions/concerns • No Slackers allowed… • those in search of an easy ‘A’ drop now! • those in search of a rewarding challenge stick around!

11. Why should I take this course? • An excuse to build that program/game/project you always wanted • A Computer Science course that involves a variety of skills (other than coding!) • Art • Psychology • Sound • Creativity • To play with fun toys • To show off your projects! • End of the semester final projects (potential advisors!)

12. Syllabus • Project course (most of your grade) • Create your own virtual environments • Create a group (probably made up of 3 people) project • Investigate the course topics you find most interesting • Do something that’s never been done before. • Go over syllabus

13. Readings • Chapter 1 – Introduction • "The Ultimate Display," Sutherland, I.E., Proceedings of IFIPS Congress 1965, New York, New York, May 1965, Vol. 2, pp. 506-508. • "A Head-Mounted Three-Dimensional Display," Sutherland, I.E., AFIPS Conference Proceedings, Vol. 33, Part I, 1968, pp. 757-764. • http://www.artmuseum.net/w2vr/timeline/Sutherland.html#SutherlandText