1. Art 311 V Lecture 16 i r t u a Virtual Spaces R Dr. J Parker e a l i t Fall 2010 y

2. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? Means ‘nearly’; a simulation or approximation. Virtual reality is nearly real, or looks/ seems real. A computer creates a visual and auditory simulation of some 3D space. Interacting with an object causes it to change, and makes a sound. Maybe other things …

3. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? In some cases the virtual environment is seen by the user ‘directly’, through goggles and speakers/headphones. In other cases the environment is seem from the perspective of a simulated person within the space. That person can move around in the space, and the view changes as it does. It is called an AVATAR.

4. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? This is an example of direct VR. The helmet being worn is an example of a head mounted display, and has binocular displays to show stereo images. When the user turns their head, the display detects the motion and changes the view seen in the display.

5. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? These helmets are often cumbersome.

6. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? Another form is the CAVE.

7. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? CAVE was developed by the University of Illinois. It has four screens (three walls and one floor) on which stereo-color images are projected.

8. What Does ‘Virtual’ Mean? CAVE was developed by the University of Illinois. It has four screens (three walls and one floor) on which stereo-color images are projected.

9. Art in VR "Crayoland", one of the first and most successful CAVE- visualizations. Created by Dave OPape in 1995, 2d-crayon drawings serve as textures for the objects in this 3d- environment.

10. Art in VR A project by Austrian artist Peter Kogler in collaboration with the Ars Electronica Futurelab, was realized in 1999. As a visitor, you could navigate through Kogler's abstract shapes..

11. Art in VR "World Skin" is an award-winning CAVE-project created by French artists Maurice Benayoun and Jean-Baptiste Barrière. What was special about it was the novel approach to the user's interaction with the environment. The wand served as a photocamera. When you took a photo of the scenes around you, the object was washed out, leaving a blank space.

12. CAVE - Calgary Calgary has at least two CAVEs – one in Medicine, one in Engineering.

13. CAVE - Calgary Virtual reality at his level is expensive, and requires a vast technical expertise to use effectively. Needs at least 4 theatre grade projectors, a good audio system, computers, stereo display, goggles for the audience, interaction devices …

14. Virtual Worlds Virtual spaces need less compute power and little in the way of special devices. Example: There, Second Life.

15. Second Life Here is Second Life in action. During the 2009 Skills Expo, someone created a Second life implementation of the Stampede Grounds.

16. What is Second Life?

17. It is a computer simulation of a world. Rather like a video In that ‘objects’ are constructed that can be seen (and heard) and can be manipulated within that space. Except that you can walk around objects and interact with them. It’s really a program that shows objects from a specified user defined point of view. What is an object then? It is something that someone has constructed out of geometric shapes that the computer can draw.

18. Practical I – Sign up You are given a link from which you can download the Second Life ‘client’. This is the program that displays things on your screen (like a browser). http://secondlife.com/support/downloads.php Download and install the client. Our class page has a link to the client Download as well.

19. Practical I – Register To participate, you need to register with the Second Life server. This is like a login name and password, and really is since the world is transmitted to your screen by their server. You select a name (remember it) and a password. Second Life sends you an Email confirming your registration. You click on a link in your Email to start your travels in SL.

20. Return Mail Welcome to Second Life, James D---------! Please keep this email in case you need to retrieve your account name later. Account Name: James D--------- CLICK HERE TO ACTIVATE YOUR ACCOUNT: https://join.secondlife.com/activate.php?id= fe7b7da7-27c6-4f97-91e9-3154b19bff99&lang=en-US (If you are unable to click the above link, copy and paste it into your browser.) Did you know in Second Life you can: 1. Fly, surf, snowboard, take off in a jet fighter or on a flying carpet. 2. Attend a concert, job fair, and college lecture...all before breakfast. 3. Craft a new identity - go from office worker to international fashion designer in sixty seconds. 4. Buy a Mansion or rent an apartment. The choice is yours. 5. Explore a virtual Italy, Japan, Germany, France, New York, Las Vegas, or Brazil. Meanwhile, here …

21. Select initial avatar

22. Identification

23. Login Stuff

24. The User Residents assume an identity which is represented in the space as a cartoon-looking character called an “avatar”. People control their avatar via keyboard and mouse. What the user sees is from the geometric perspective of their avatar. Can see other people’s avatars, and talk to their user through them, for instance.

25. Login Screen

26. Orientation Now run the client and log-in. You will be on ‘orientation island’. Take some time to figure out How to move, look at things, touch, things, fly, etc etc. You cannot leave the island until you have learned a few things.

27. Orientation How can I leave this island? Can I come back? Go to the end of the path, there is a white pavilion. Inside the pavilion are 2 signs. One takes you to the Mainland, the other to Help Island. Click a sign and use the teleport option. If you want to come back to Orientation Island Public: (Inventory> Library> Landmark Folder> Orientation Island Public > double click on it to open > choose teleport)

28. Tidal pool

29. Chemistry

30. Astronomy

31. Langauges (Chinese)

32. Arts (Opera)

33. Arts (Theatre)

34. Theatre is one of my special areas. In my second year Drama class we put on a short play In the New Media Arts theatre. The play was ‘Guppies’ by Clem Martini (current chair of Drama); students did set design and construction, Sound and sound effects, and acted the three parts. Preparation took 13 weeks.

35. Arts (Theatre)

37. Places – Oasis Nightclub

38. Places – Stargate Command

39. Places - Little Mos Eisley

40. Places – Ancient Rome

41. Places – New Media Campus The largest educational presence in Second Life. The U of C is a member (for now) and needs to continue. You’ve seen the theatre – here’s more. The Amphitheatre:

42. Places – Grace Murray Hopper Exposition centre

43. Places – Green Theatre

44. So How Do We Build Things?

45. Build a Flagpole

46. (This is on my own property)

48. Textures - Uploads Sounds upload in the same way!

49. Live Voice Avatar is ‘speaking’ Push to talk.