From: n8220315@henson.cc.wwu.edu (Richard M Donnelly) Subject: EDUC: VR course by satellite Date: Fri, 4 Jun 1993 17:02:04 GMT Organization: Western Washington University THE IMPLEMENTATION OF VIRTUAL REALITY Produced by SPIE--The International Society for Optical Engineering and broadcast over the National Technological University's satellite network. For information on how to register to view this broadcast contact NTU at 303/495-6422. Thursday September 16, 1993 * 11:00 am to 5:00 pm Eastern Time COURSE DESCRIPTION: Virtual reality has captured the imagination through allowing a user to "step inside" of an interactive three- dimensional computer-generated environment. While the possibilities embodied in this vision are exciting, the actual implementation of useful applications has proven difficult. This course will provide an introduction to the issues encountered when implementing a virtual reality application. We will start with a description od display, interaction and computation concepts and hardware. Then the issues of performance and their implications for design and implementation will be examined. Finally, a systematic framework for the design of useful virtual environments will be presented. Avoiding pitfalls and finding effective compromises between conflicting requirements will be stressed. BENEFITS: After completing this course you will: - Be in a position to intelligently choose the interface hardware appropriate to your application. - Have a conceptual structure which you can use to guide you through the major steps of designing, implementing and running a virtual reality application. - Be aware of the common pitfalls so you can avoid them early in the design process. - Be able to evaluate your application to determine if a virtual reality interface is appropriate. - Be aware of the human factors issues which must be considered when designing a virtual reality application. SPEAKER: Steve Bryson ...is an employee of Computer Sciences Corporation working under contract for the Applied Research Office of the Numerical Aerodynamics Simulation Systems Division at NASA Ames Research Center. In this position he is researching the use of virtual environment technology in various fields of scientific visualization, primarily the visualization of fluid flow. He also serves on the National Academy of Sciences Committee on Virtual Reality Research and Development, and has taught many courses in virtual reality at various events. Prior to his current position, he worked the NASA Ames VIEW lab developing the first fully integrated virtual environment facility. Prior to that he was one of the original employees at VPL Research, Inc., a small company devoted to the development of virtual environment technology. Steve Bryson's formal training is in mathematical physics, and he is most interested in virtual reality as a way to express abstract concepts and understand the real physical world. He currently teaches popular adult and children's classes in theoretical physics at the California Academy of Sciences. He is an active amateur musician, and has written sound tracks for sky shows at Chicago's Adler Planetarium. COURSE OUTLINE AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES: Thursday, September 16, 1993 11:00 - 12:00 Introduction Define virtual reality with examples Review history and state of the art Provide overall conceptual structure 12:00 - 12:30 Lunch Break 12:30 - 1:25 Human Factors Considerations Review human factors of three-dimensional perception Describe impact of delays and distortions on user performance Derive performance constraints for virtual reality systems 1:25 - 1:35 Break 1:35 - 2:30 Interface Hardware Issues: Strengths and Weaknesses Survey visual display technologies including display quality, optics, resolution issues Survey body tracking technologies, including signal distortion Survey other technologies 2:30 - 3:00 Lunch Break 3:00 - 3:55 The Computer Platform Survey graphical rendering issues and optimization Survey computational and data management issues and optimization Describe operating system issues Describe how to design an effective software architecture 3:55 - 4:05 Break 4:05 - 5:00 Application Design Explain how to evaluate if your application benefits from a virtual reality interface Explain how to evaluate if you application can run within the virtual reality performance constraints Describe selection of virtual objects and tools appropriate to your application Describe how to choose appropriate environment and interface metaphors for your application Show critical examination of some examples INTENDED AUDIENCE: This course is intended for experienced application programmers and developers who are considering applying virtual reality concepts to their application fields. PREREQUISITES: The student should have experience in application programming, including three-dimensional graphics. No experience with virtual reality will be assumed.