1 Introduction to Virtual Environments User Interfaces and Usability Fall 09 John Quarles

2 Virtual Reality Definition What is virtual reality? Virtual – Virtual – being in essence or effect, but not in fact Example VRAM Reality – Reality – the state or quality of being real. Something that exists independently of ideas concerning it. Something that constitutes a real or actual thing as distinguished from something that is merely apparent.” What was the first VR? What was the first VR?

3 What was the first VR?

4 Progression Story telling What did this rely on? What did this rely on? User’s imagination! Multi-sensory Images Images Sounds SoundsControl Events Events View View What do these things have in common? Immersion Immersion

5 Define VR Burdea: Virtual reality is a high-end user-computer interface that involves real-time simulation and interactions through multiple sensorial channels. These sensorial modalities are visual, auditory, tactile, smell, and taste.

6 Burdea’s 3 I’s of VR Interactivity – user impacts world Define Define Channels Channels Immersion – believing you are there Define Define What contributes to it? What contributes to it? Imagination – user ‘buying’ into the experience Examples Examples Why is this necessary? Why is this necessary?

7 Ivan Sutherland’s The Ultimate Display “Don’t think of that thing as a screen, think of it as a window, a window through which one looks into a virtual world. The challenge to computer graphics is to make that virtual world look real, sound real, move and respond to interaction in real time, and even feel real.”

8 Our definition (from Brooks’ What’s Real About Virtual Reality) Virtual Reality Experience – the user is effectively immersed in a responsive virtual world. Implies -> user dynamic control of viewpoint Control becomes an important element of VR systems. Differentiates VR from books and movies (or watching movies in HMD) Differentiates VR from books and movies (or watching movies in HMD) Why is control more important? Why is control more important?

9 Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience Virtual World - content of a given medium screen play, script, etc. screen play, script, etc. actors performing the play allows us to experience the virtual world actors performing the play allows us to experience the virtual world Immersion – sensation of being in an environment mental immersion – suspension of disbelief mental immersion – suspension of disbelief physical immersion – bodily entering the medium physical immersion – bodily entering the medium Related to presence – (mentally immersed) the participant’s sensation of being in the virtual environment (Slater) Related to presence – (mentally immersed) the participant’s sensation of being in the virtual environment (Slater) I7g I7g I7g I7g Walking Experiment at UNC – Chapel Hill

10 Key Elements of Virtual Reality Experience Sensory Feedback – information about the virtual world is presented to the participant’s senses Visual (most common) Visual (most common) Audio Audio Touch Touch Interactivity – the virtual world responds to the user’s actions. Computer makes this possible Computer makes this possible Real-time Real-time Walking Experiment at UNC – Chapel Hill

11 Given these points… are these VR experiences? Virtual World Immersion Sensory Feedback Interactivity Create a table and decide how these items stack up as VR or not: ZORK ZORK Choose Your Own Adventure Choose Your Own Adventure Fallout 3 Fallout 3 Transformers (the 2007 movie) Transformers (the 2007 movie) 747 Flight Simulator 747 Flight Simulator Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (on a PC) Microsoft Flight Simulator 2004 (on a PC) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the book) Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (the book)

12 Other Definitions (from book) Artificial Reality – synthetic environments in which a user may interactively participate Virtual – not real. representations of physical objects. Virtual World, Virtual Reality, Virtual Environments – used interchangeably. Brooks – we aren’t even close to creating realities yet. Brooks – we aren’t even close to creating realities yet. Cyberspace – location that exists only in the mind of the participants. DO NOT OVERUSE or lower letter grades will result! (kidding)

13 Virtual Environments Augmented Reality (Mixed Reality) Telepresence Artificial Reality Classical Simulation Environments Virtual Reality All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

14 Augmented (Mixed) Reality A combination of a real scene viewed by a user and a virtual scene generated by a computer that augments the scene with additional information. Ultrasound Visualization Research at UNC – Chapel Hill All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

15 Telepresence The use of various technologies to produce the effect of placing the user in another location. The use of various technologies to produce the effect of placing the user in another location. All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

16 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 watch?v=dqZyZrN3Pl0 watch?v=dqZyZrN3Pl0 All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

17 Classical Simulation Classical simulation is a mix of real objects and computer generated stimuli. atch?v=ZyLgrKUBfJo atch?v=ZyLgrKUBfJo atch?v=4fKf-JBCFqE atch?v=4fKf-JBCFqE All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

18 Virtual Reality Ideal for VR is that everything you experience is computer-generated. All Virtual ObjectsAll Real Objects

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

20 Immersive Technology Head-mounted Display Optical System Optical System Image Source (CRT or LCD) Image Source (CRT or LCD) Mounting Apparatus Mounting Apparatus Earphones Earphones Position Tracker Position Tracker

21 Immersive Technology Multi-screen Projection of stereoscopic images (CAVE)

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

23 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.

24 What are the primary intellectual components that create a virtual environment? Hardware / Technology User’s Perspective (the environment that is experienced) System Software Design Interaction Techniques

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

26 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?

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

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

29 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 XUSuXvJJjqqwLHqqnKCg&q=flight+simulator&hl=en&client=firefox-a# XUSuXvJJjqqwLHqqnKCg&q=flight+simulator&hl=en&client=firefox-a#

30 Entertainment

31 Design Visualization &ei=bC3XSsC6KYLkrAKO4P mgCg&q=virtual+manufacturing&hl=en&client=firefox- a#docid=

32 Training (NASA) 793/

33 Clinical Virtual Reality The direct use of VR as a tool in the treatment or assessment of psychological and physical disorders. Hunter Hoffman HITLab – University of Washington

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35 Why VR? In groups – develop a set of guidelines for when to apply VR to a problem Give three examples of applications that fit your definition, and three examples of common misconceptions.