ITAP Envision Center UITS Adv. Vis. Lab Purdue University

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Introduction to Virtual Environments

(IU Info590, Purdue Tech519V)

Eric Wernert, Ph.D.UITS Adv. Vis. LabIndiana University

(ewernert at indiana . edu)

Laura Arns, Ph.D.ITAP Envision Center

Purdue University(arns at purdue . edu)

Introduction to Virtual Enviroments • Spring 2004 • E. Wernert, Indiana University, L. Arns, Purdue University 2

Outline

I. Local IntroductionsII. Inter-campus IntroductionsIII. Overview

1. Terminology (Arns)2. VR as a field of study (Wernert)3. History (Arns)4. Resources at Purdue and IU5. Applications of VR (Wernert)6. Readings and Resources

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Introductions – Laura Arns

Professional BackgroundØWartburg College 1996

• Math and CS MajorsØ Iowa State University

• Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technologies (ICEMT)

• MS in CS 1998• Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC)• Ph.D. in CS 2002


Introductions – Laura Arns (II)

Research Interests • (realtime) Computer Graphics & Virtual

Reality (VR)• VR Scientific Applications• Evidence to support VR’s effectiveness• Improving VR - Human Factors/Human-

Computer Interaction in VR• VR for arts and humanities

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Introductions – Laura Arns (III)

Personal Background• Younger brother and

sister, married to Shane. Most family in Iowa.

• Music (flute, piano), motorcycles, crafts

• Go Big Red!


Introductions – Eric Wernert

Professional Background• Education

– BS in Math, CS, Secondary Ed (’85)– MS (’91) and PhD (2000) in CS from IU

• Teaching– 15+ years (IU, St. Xavier H.S.)

• Experience– 10+ years in Visualization, VR, & Graphics– ’96 – CICA, VR/VE lab– ’99 – manager of AVL

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Introductions – Eric Wernert (II)Research Interests• Constrained navigation methods and other constraint-

based interfaces• Image-based rendering methods• Distributed and scalable rendering infrastructures• Computer graphics pedagogy; visualization of graphics

algorithms• High-level tools for graphics and visualization• Scientific and information visualization methods for the

life sciences


Introductions – Eric Wernert (III)

Personal• Married to Julie; two sons:

Matthew (8) and Nicholas (6)• Born and raised in Louisville,

Kentucky; middle of 7 kids• Bleed various shades of

Cardinal Red, Wildcat Blue, and Hoosier Crimson (depending on the season)

(Truth in advertising)

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Teleconferencing Do’s & Don’ts

Do…• identify yourself (name and site) when asking a

question• keep the microphone muted when not talking for

extended periods of time. Don’t…• do anything that you don’t want broadcast

and/or recorded. (scratch, pick, etc.)• generate any extra noise (whispers, shuffling,

etc.); mics are omnidirectional and very sensitive


Introduction – Envision Center

Envision Center for Data Perceptualization• Serves the computational visualization needs of

the greater Purdue University community.• The mission of the Envision Center for Data

Perceptualization is to serve, support, and collaborate with faculty, students, and industry to be a leader in scientific visualization through learning, discovery, and engagement.

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Introduction – Envision Center


Introduction – AVL @ IU

• Unit of University Information Technology Services at Indiana University– Part of Research & Academic Computing division

• Labs in Bloomington and Indianapolis– 3 staff members at IUB– 4.5 staff members at IUPUI– Operate as single cross-campus unit

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Introduction – AVL @ IUAVL Mission

… provide…

consulting • development • hardware & software resources…in the areas of…

visualization • virtual reality • high-end graphics • visual collaboration… to support the…

research • education • creative activities …missions of IU across…

all departments • all campuses


Terminology (I)

Virtual Reality is a combination of technologiesused to create computer-generated immersiveenvironments:

Ø Viewer-centered perspectiveØ Wide field of viewØ High-resolution stereoscopic displaysØ Interactive experiencesØ Real-time (time-critical)Ø Multisensory environments

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Terminology (II)

• Virtual environments (or virtual worlds) are individual applications of VR technology

• Synthetic environments or artificial reality: more general, encompasses other things like video games

• Augmentedreality: usingcomputergenerated imagesin combinationwith real images


Terminology (III)

• Telepresence (or remote sensing): applications give user the sense he is located at a remote/distant location. May use computer generated images or real images, or both

• Collaborative environment: environment shared by multiple users who can perform tasks together in the environment

• Avatar: graphical representation of a user. May or may not be humanoid in appearance. Often used in collaborative environments so that one user can “see” other users located remotely.

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Terminology (IV)

• Presence: the sense or feeling of being located in a given location. Not specific to VR (movies, books, games…). Subjective.

• Immersion: quantifiable term related to the devices used to present the virtual world to the user. Includes factors such display device field of view, audio capabilities, etc

• Presence is often related immersion, but differs with individual users. Whether either is required for “effective” VR is a topic of debate. Presence is a controversial term, some such as Mel Slater feel that it may not even exist.


VR as a Field of Study

Virtual Reality - Hype vs. Reality• Hype - from films, television, and science fiction• Reality - There’s plenty of interesting and

compelling technology and applications without the need to “spin” it.– Hardware is mature; diversity of displays– Software and content development is maturing– Visual quality is rapidly improving; still labor intensive– Pervasive, commodity systems are not far off– Compelling applications exist

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VR as a Field of Study (II)

Multiple disciplines involved, including:• Computer Science • Computer Graphics Technology• Human-Computer Interaction (HCI)• Visual Arts• Communications• Psychology• Engineering (electrical, mechanical)• Sociology• Music – sonification, composition

“Renaissance Team” approach (Donna Cox, NCSA)


VR as a Field of Study (III)

Challenges of VR• diversity of hardware • diversity of input/output methods (vs. desktop

systems)• multi-modal presentation• diversity of users and applications• lack of universal standards (hardware, software,

interfaces)• severe nature of trade-offs (quality, speed,

accuracy, usability, cost, etc.)

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VR as a Field of Study (IV)

Why study VR as a student of…?• Computer Graphics Technology – challenges of real-

time: efficiency and effectiveness• Computer Science – parallel and distributed systems;

networking; end-to-end system performance• Human-Computer Interaction – spatial I/O, multi-

sensory interaction; evolving metaphors; need for rigorous evaluation

• Informatics – breadth of application areas; effective interface to data/information deluge

…plus, it’s interesting and fun!


Selective History of VR

• For a full history of VR, see

www.vrs.org.uk/VR/reference/history.html

(includes much of the history of computing as well)

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Selective History of VR (II)• Stereo photos have been around for over

160 years (1838)


Selective History of VR (III)

• Airplane “simulators” were in existence nearly since the beginning of flight. Although simulators can be a form of VR, these early systems were not really what we think of today as being VR.

• 1962,Morton Helig demonstrated his “Sensorama”• Sensorama was a “video game” of riding a

motorcycle through the streets of Brooklyn.• Included stereo visuals, stereo audio, and haptics

(vibrating seat and wind in the face). An olfactory display was provided with the wind. Interaction was limited to steering with handlebars.

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Selective History of VR (IV)

“Modern” VR• Ivan Sutherland is generally credited as the first

to conceive of what we today call virtual reality, with his “ultimate display”

• Sutherland, I. E. (1965). Theultimate display. Proceedingsof the International Federationof Information Processing(IFIPS) Congress. 2:506-508.

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Sutherland’s displays


Selective History of VR (V)

Commercial VR• Jaron Lanier is generally

credited with coining the term “Virtual Reality” (1989) and being the first to commercialize Virtual Reality.

• He developed and patented the “DataGlove” and founded VPL Research (1985)

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• 1992 the first CAVE was demonstrated atSiggraph. UIC/EVL: Cruz-Neira, deFanti, and others.

• 1996 – CAVE commercialized by Pyramid Systems (now part of Fakespace)

• 1997 – IU gets its first CAVE and ImmersaDesk

Selective History of VR (VI)


Selective History of VR (VII)

• 1998 Disney opens the first Disney Quest featuring interactive VR experiences with HMDs, projection displays, sound, and hapticfeedback.

• (1/12/04 – Disney closes Orlando animation studio in favor of computer-based animations. (e.g. Pixar))

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Selective History of VR (VIII)• 2000, first 6 sided CAVE in North America, Iowa

State University, Virtual Reality Applications Center


Available VR Resources

• Hardware and software at– Purdue (Envision Center)– IU (UITS/AVL and Informatics)

• Course lab sections will concentrate on site-specific systems and software. Lectures will try to remain conceptual and system-neutral (although specific examples may be used.)

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Purdue VR ResourcesCAVE/Flex


Purdue VR Resources (II)Tiled Wall• 4 by 3 projector array at 1024 by 768 resolution

resulting in a large image (7’ by 14’) of high resolution

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Purdue VR Resources (III)Portable Virtual Reality

• Portable rear-projected system with Intersense tracker for head and hand positioning and interaction

High-end PC

2-Video Output

2 - Projectors (and Polarized Filters)

Non-Depolarizing Screen


IU (and IUPUI) VR Resources (I)

• Immersive Displays– CAVE at IUB (Lindley Hall

135)– Flex/RAVE system

planned for IUPUI (CTC building, Fall ’04)

• Stereo Displays – 11 John-e-Boxes at IUB,

IUPUI, IUN– Several other fixed

passive stereo displays

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IU VR Resources (II)

• High-resolution displays– IBM T221 monitor (in LH 135)– Tiled LCD display

(AVL/IUPUI)– Tiled projection display

(summer ’04)

• Haptics– Phantom (Desktop model, LH

135)– Reachin collocation system


IU VR Resources (III)

• 3D Scanner (Minolta Vivid 300 @ IUPUI)

Compute Systems• CAVE

– SGI Onyx2 (mammoth.avl.indiana.edu)– PC Cluster (Linux, beta)

• Other displays – Intel-based workstations – Windows & Linux– nVidia and 3DLabs (Wildcat) video cards

• Opteron-based Rendering Cluster (IUPUI,March ‘04)

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Applications of VR

(Categories from Wickens/Baker and Stuart)1. Online performance2. Offline training/rehearsal3. Online comprehension4. Offline learning and knowledge acquisition5. Online design6. Entertainment7. Communication8. Tool for research of human perception and

motor capabilities


Applications of VR (I)Online performance

– accomplish a task in the real world (tele-operation)

– Example – Xport remote crystallography project (IU Molecular Structure Center)

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Applications of VR (II)Offline Training/Rehearsal

– for later performance in the real world (e.g. flight simulation)

– Examples – shopping simulations (IU Kelley School of Business); Treatment planning (Proton Therapy Center); CNC milling simulation (IUPUI Mechanical Engineering)


Applications of VR (III)

Online comprehension – e.g. simulation visualization– examples – n-body simulation (IU Astronomy

Dept.); volume visualization (Dept. of Nephrology, IU School of Medicine)

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Applications of VR (IV)

Offline learning and knowledge acquisition– for later synthesis into abstract knowledge)– examples – Astronomy (Powers of Time,

IUB CS), Uxmal / Chichen Itza models (Informatics/New Media), Anatomy (3DIVE)


Applications of VR (V)Online design

– individual or collaborative– examples – space previews and analysis

(labs, conference exhibits, buildings); Virtual Space Lab (Interior Design Program)

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Applications of VR (VI)

Entertainment– examples – interactive marketing (Kelley

SofB), games (Telecomm, MIME), someinteractive art pieces (Fine Arts)


Applications of VR (VII)

Communication – local and tele- communication– examples – art pieces (M. Dolinsky, Fine Arts),

telecollaborative reviews and visualizations

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Applications of VR (VIII)

Tool for research of human perception and motor capabilities & novel interfaces– example – HMD visually-guided reaching

studies (IUB Psychology), constrained navigation interfaces (IUB CompSci)


Applications of VR (Purdue)

• Studying the interactions between mantle convection, fluid dynamics, and plate movements. Scott King, Dept. of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences

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Applications of VR (Purdue)• Visualization of cancer cells grown in collagen. Data

obtained using laser scanning confocal microscopy. Paul Robinson and Bartek Rajwa, Purdue UniversityCytometry Laboratories


Applications of VR (Purdue)

• Analysis of catalyst agents. DOE funded project with Jim Caruthers from Chemical Engineering. Preliminary images of electron density and orbitals

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Readings and ResourcesStuart Text• Focused on human & system capabilities, task analysis,

system design, and evaluation methods• Thorough and well organized; useful taxonomies and

comparison/summary tables; good conceptual foundation and reference

• Purposefully independent of specific hardware, software, and applications. (Such information is readily available online and is more current.)

• Appendices: glossary, bibliography (dated), and tech references

• Please read in advance of class; we will complement with specifics and examples


Readings and Resources (II)

Books• Understanding Virtual Reality: Interface, Application,

and Design; William Sherman• Virtual Reality Technology; Grigore C. Burdea and

Philippe Coiffet• Virtual Reality: Through the New Looking Glass; Kevin

Teixeira and Ken Pimentel• Essential Virtual Reality Fast: How to Understand the

Techniques and Potential of Virtual Reality, John Vince• Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design,

Implementation, and Applications (Human Factors and Ergonomics); Kay Stanney

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Readings and Resources (III)

Journals• Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual

Environments, MIT Press• IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications• Virtual Reality, Springer-Verlag• International Journal of Virtual Reality

(discontinued?)• Cyberpsychology and Behavior, Mary Ann

Liebert Inc


Readings and Resources (IV)

Conferences• IEEE VR (formerly IEEE VRAIS)• Workshop on Immersive Projection Technology (IPT)• ACM Siggraph• ACM SigCHI• Symposium on Interactive 3D Graphics • ACM Virtual Reality Software and Technology (VRST)• Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments• IEEE Visualization• ACM User Interface Software & Technology (UIST)

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Readings and Resources (V)

Online Resources• VR: www.vrefresh.org , www.vrsource.org• Commodity VR: www.geowall.org• Graphics: www.opengl.org• User groups:

– CAVERNUS: www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/CAVERN– IVISC: www.ivisc.org

• Web-based 3D: www.web3d.org• (lots of other API-, application-, or technology-

specific sites)


Course Web Site

• Interim and backup location:

http://www.avl.iu.edu/I590_VR

(a WebCT site hosted at Purdue is under development)

Documents

ITAP Envision Center UITS Adv. Vis. Lab Purdue University