Virtual Reality Applications Pablo Figueroa Computing Science Department University of Alberta

Virtual Reality ApplicationsVirtual Reality Applications

Pablo Figueroa

Computing Science Department

University of Alberta

ObjectivesObjectives

Overview of related research in VR

Discuss research problems I am interested

What is a VR World?What is a VR World?

Virtual objects that – can be sensed by the user– can interact with the user• Seen, heard, touched, smelled, tasted

Minimal Requirements– 3D geometry

Main IssuesMain Issues

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

Hardware PlatformsHardware Platforms

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

Hardware PlatformsHardware Platforms

DesktopFish tankImmersive– HMD based– CAVE based

Big projection spaces

...

New DevicesNew Devices

Cubic MouseVirtual Retinal

DisplayVirtual Notepad

Software PlatformsSoftware Platforms

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

Development EnvironmentsDevelopment Environments

VRMLJava3DOpenGLPerformerMRToolkit/MRObjectsDiverse, Maverik, MASSIVE, SVE, Dive,

VRJuggler, ...WorldToolKit, Vega, ...

PlusHardware Specific APIs

ApplicationsApplications

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

Successful ApplicationsSuccessful Applications

SimulatorsIndustrial

designTreatment of

fears

Successful Applications (2)Successful Applications (2)

Military Applications

Successful Applications (3)Successful Applications (3)

EntertainmentInformation Visualization

RealismRealism

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

RealismRealism

RepresentationAreas of Interest

Realism (2)Realism (2)

Level-of-DetailImage-Based RenderingLayered-Depth Images

Interaction TechniquesInteraction Techniques

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

Interaction TechniquesInteraction Techniques

Examples– Isolated– Families• Image plane• Proprioception

Classifications

ITs: ExamplesITs: Examples

Go-goAperture SelectionDaisy menu

ITs: Examples (2)ITs: Examples (2)

Image-plane

ITs: Examples (3)ITs: Examples (3)

Proprioception

ITs: ControlITs: Control

MenusWidgets

ClassificationsClassifications

What I am interested in…What I am interested in…

HardwarePlatforms

SoftwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomain

InteractionTechniques

Realism

What I am interested in… (2)What I am interested in… (2)

Given that– VR applications should run in different

platforms– A VR application should use the interaction

techniques that best fit a specific platform

How VR applications can be adapted to different platforms?

What I am interested in… (3)What I am interested in… (3)

Given that– VR applications are difficult to build,

because of the many details involved

How the development of VR applications can be facilitated to novice users?

RetargetingRetargeting

Application Description

Application Description

Interaction Techniques

Hardware Configuration

Retargeting (2)Retargeting (2)

World Creators

IT Developers

Configurators

DevelopmentDevelopment

Descriptive Language

Scripting Language

Compiled Language

World Creators

IT Developers

Configurators

Application DescriptionApplication Description

HardwarePlatforms

ApplicationDomainInteraction

Techniques

Limited by– User model– Ergonomic considerations

Application DomainApplication Domain

Objects– composed– rigid transformations– change color– bounding box– collision detection– loaded from files

NO– creation– non-rigid t.– particles– sound– ...

Hardware PlatformHardware Platform

Input Types– Locator, Valuator,Pick , Button…– Example: Joystick• pos: Pos2D• buttons: Button[5]

Output Languages– Describe available elements to render

Based on the concept of a filter

A dataflow of filters

Interaction TechniquesInteraction Techniques

Filters +objects

Filters +objects

Parameters Signals

Interaction Techniques (2)Interaction Techniques (2)

Allow compositionAllow encapsulationAllow different execution modelsAllow replacements

ITs: Go-Go TechniqueITs: Go-Go Technique

ITs: Go-Go EncapsulatedITs: Go-Go Encapsulated

ITs: Campus demoITs: Campus demo

Open ProblemsOpen Problems

Representation– objects, ITs, devices

Heterogeneity– retargeting

Learning curveDevelopment environment

BibliographyBibliography

Tutorials 18 and 36; SIGGRAPH 2000Brooks paper in CG&A, Nov 1999van Dam paper in CG&A, Nov 2000Selected papers from Green,

Forsberg, Poupyrev, Bowman, Mine, ...

Questions?Questions?