1. Virtual Reality Applications Pablo Figueroa Computing Science Department University of Alberta

2. Objectives Overview of related research in VR Discuss research problems I am interested

3. 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

4. Main Issues Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

5. Hardware Platforms Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

6. Hardware Platforms Desktop Fish tank Immersive –HMD based –CAVE based Big projection spaces...

7. New Devices Cubic Mouse Virtual Retinal Display Virtual Notepad

8. Software Platforms Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

9. Development Environments VRML Java3D OpenGL Performer MRToolkit/MRObjects Diverse, Maverik, MASSIVE, SVE, Dive, VRJuggler,... WorldToolKit, Vega,... Plus Hardware Specific APIs

10. Applications Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

11. Successful Applications Simulators Industrial design Treatment of fears

12. Successful Applications (2) Military Applications

13. Successful Applications (3) Entertainment Information Visualization

14. Realism Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

15. Realism Representation Areas of Interest

16. Realism (2) Level-of-Detail Image-Based Rendering Layered-Depth Images

17. Interaction Techniques Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

18. Interaction Techniques Examples –Isolated –Families Image plane Proprioception Classifications

19. ITs: Examples Go-go Aperture Selection Daisy menu

20. ITs: Examples (2) Image-plane

21. ITs: Examples (3) Proprioception

22. ITs: Control Menus Widgets

23. Classifications

24. What I am interested in… Hardware Platforms Software Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Realism

25. 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?

26. 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?

27. Retargeting Application Description

28. Interaction Techniques Hardware Configuration Retargeting (2) World Creators IT Developers Configurators

29. Development Descriptive Language Scripting Language Compiled Language World Creators IT Developers Configurators

30. Application Description Hardware Platforms Application Domain Interaction Techniques Limited by –User model –Ergonomic considerations

31. Application Domain Objects –composed –rigid transformations –change color –bounding box –collision detection –loaded from files NO –creation –non-rigid t. –particles –sound –...

32. Hardware Platform Input Types –Locator, Valuator,Pick, Button… –Example: Joystick pos: Pos2D buttons: Button[5] Output Languages –Describe available elements to render

33. Based on the concept of a filter A dataflow of filters Interaction Techniques Filters + objects Filters + objects ParametersSignals

34. Interaction Techniques (2) Allow composition Allow encapsulation Allow different execution models Allow replacements

35. ITs: Go-Go Technique

36. ITs: Go-Go Encapsulated

37. ITs: Campus demo

38. Open Problems Representation –objects, ITs, devices Heterogeneity –retargeting Learning curve Development environment

39. Bibliography Tutorials 18 and 36; SIGGRAPH 2000 Brooks paper in CG&A, Nov 1999 van Dam paper in CG&A, Nov 2000 Selected papers from Green, Forsberg, Poupyrev, Bowman, Mine,...

40. Questions?