Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Questions:
1. What is VR now?
2. What might it become?
3. What technology problems
need to be solved?
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-1-
Key Elements
-2-
Applications
Real-time graphics
framerate: 30 frames/sec
polygons: 50K/frame (more would be nice)
resolution: as much as you can get
Low latency
time lag between sensing a change and updating the picture
1 ms latency => 1 mm error (at common head/hand speed)
Interactive
manipulation possible?
response times
Multi-sensory
vision
sound
force feedback
Real-time graphics:
- You do it really fast
- You do it slightly slower
- You do it ok
- You do it badly
Real-time programming:
- You do it = you succeed
- You dont do it
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-3-
architectural walkthroughs
rapid prototyping
data visualization
medical modeling
weather simulations
sound simulations
traffic simulations
true 3D user interfaces
high risk job training
entertainment
flight simulation
teleoperation of robots
communication (virtual meetings)
VR Systems were not developed to meet a
specific need; they were developed because
they were possible - John Vince
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-4-
VR Systems
1957
Morton Heilig invented the Stereoscopic TV
Apparatus for Individual Use. (Patented 1960)
1960
The Boeing Corporation coined the term computer
graphics.
1963
Ivan Sutherland submitted his doctoral thesis
SKETCHPAD: A man-machine graphical
communication system.
1965
Ivan Sutherland published The Ultimate Display.
1968
Ivan Sutherland published A Head-mounted Three
Dimensional Display.
1989
Jaron Lainer coined the term virtual reality.
1993
SGI announced the Reality Engine.
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-5-
A Generic VR System
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-6-
VR Technology
Input devices
Inputs
The VE
Outputs
Physical simulation
and animation
Output devices
visual
hand position
Illumination model
Objects (geometry
& other properties)
force feedback
CAVEs
haptic
Collision detection
-7-
audio
head position
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
3D Trackers
3D Mice (or Joystick)
Data gloves
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-8-
A Simple VR System
Image-based rendering
Organization of scene data
Hidden surface removal
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
-9-
VR Research
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
- 10 -
The Future of VR
Virtual Reality is a growing industry
VR is a convergence of many
disciplines
Important subjects
Psychological factors
Interactive devices
Man-machine interaction
Distributed virtual environments
Real-time rendering algorithms
Simulation
Collision detection
Database design
Artificial life
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
- 11 -
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
- 12 -
References
Understanding Virtual Reality, Sherman
and Craig, Morgan Kaufmann, 2003.
Not VR?
What is VRML?
A 3D interchange format
A 3D analog to HTML
A technology to integrate 3D, 2D, text and
multimedia into one coherent model.
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
- 13 -
Introduction to
Virtual Reality
- 14 -