Introduction to Virtual Environments & Virtual Reality

1. Introduction to Virtual Environments & Virtual Reality Reading: Bowman, et al., Chapter 1

2. Virtual Environments • Augmented Reality • Mixed Reality • Telepresence • Artificial Reality • Classical Simulation Environments • Virtual Reality (VEs)

3. Augmented Reality • A real-world environment that is enhanced (augmented) with synthetic objects or information

4. Mixed Reality • Mixed Reality is the merging of real world and virtual worlds to produce a new environment where physical and digital objects can co-exist and interact. • A continuum including both VR and AR (text)

5. Mixed Reality (MR) • Anywhere between the extrema of the virtuality continuum. The virtuality continuum extends from completely real through to the completely virtual environment with augment reality and augment virtuality (predominantly virtual space where physical objects/people are dynamically intergrated) ranging between.

6. Telepresence • The use of various technologies to produce the effect of placing the user in another location.

7. Artificial Reality (Myron Kruger) Responsive Environment • Is an environment where human behavior is perceived by a computer which interprets what it observes and responds through intelligent visual and auditory displays

8. Videos • Mixed Reality – Augmented Reality • Virtual Humans in Mixed Reality Systems

9. Classical Simulation • Classical simulation is a mix of real objects and computer generated stimuli.

10. Virtual Reality • Ideal for VR is that everything you experience is computer-generated. • Star Trek Holodeck

11. VR usually implies • Immersive Technology • Real-time first person view • Environment responds to you (at least at the level of head-motion)

12. Immersive Technology • Head-mounted Display • Optical System • Image Source (CRT or LCD) • Mounting Apparatus • Earphones • 3 – 6 DoF Tracker

13. Immersive Technology • Multi-screen Projection of stereoscopic images (CAVE)

14. Immersive Technology • Single large stereoscopic display • Projection-based • Head-tracked • Possible tracking of hands and arms. • Brings virtual objects into the physical world

15. Other Characteristics • Head and body tracking implies that visual content is always computed and rendered in “real time” (10-60 frames/second). • In virtual reality you have a sense of, and interact with, three-dimensional things as opposed to pictures or movies of things.

16. Primary intellectual components that create a virtual environment • Hardware / Technology • User’s Perspective (the environment that is experienced) • System Software Design • Interaction Techniques

17. Hardware / Technology • What is my computation environment? • How many active users do I wish to accommodate? • What display modalities and technologies will I use? • What sensor modalities and technologies will I use?

18. User’s perspective • Setting • Objects in world • Other participants • Active/Passive • Factory Simulation • Architectural Walkthrough

19. System Software Design • Software structures that run the virtual environment • Rendering group • Graphics, audio, haptic • Sensor polling group • Separately poll each sensor hardware subsystem • Computation group • Manage the state of the environment

20. Interaction Techniques • Do I interact with the environment? • How do I interact with the environment? • Not the same as what devices I use

21. Applications? Most current applications: • Special Purpose • Interaction simple and/or infrequent • Sidestep limitations of graphics and haptics • A few expensive systems are sold to a few rich people

22. Entertainment

23. Design Visualization

24. Training (NASA)

25. Clinical Virtual Reality The direct use of VR as a tool in the treatment or assessment of psychological and physical disorders. PTSD Demo Video

27. Questions?