Virtual Reality

From lectures:

"3D Input and Output" from The Computer in The Visual Arts by Anne Spalter, Addison Wesley Longman Inc. 1999,pp 297-316

" Virtual reality and digital modeling go on trial for a federal courtroom design" by Alan Joch

http://archrecord.construction.com/features/digital/archives/0501dignews-1.asp

These two lectures are very related in terms on content. The first lecture, “3D input and Output “explain in a detailed manner the inputs and outputs challenges within three- dimensional computer graphics. During the second lecture I could learn how some of the design tools previously explained in the first lecture can be applied in real life to accurately simulate interior spaces.  

Some of the information in “3D input and Output” lecture was totally new for me; I have seen this kind of tools on books or TV but not in real life.

Theses devices require great technical expertise and patience to use and are currently too expensive for most artists and to the general public.

 

The first lecture provides an overview about 3D Input devices and 3D Output devices. Input devices are those that give users control over motion in three dimensions by allowing the users to move the device in a three dimensional way, hence, translating gestures into correct motions on the screen.

Some of these devices are:

3D Mice and Trackballs: The first one uses sonar cordless mechanism to track the mouse and it moves in 3D space. One of the reasons for these mice not to be very accurate is that they can be altered by noise interference. Trackballs are able to respond to pressure, pushing, pulling and twisting but the ball does not actually move.

Joysticks: This device is mostly used for games. The majority of the joysticks are capable to control 2D motions but more games have required 3D navigation. For this reason, these devices have been adapted to control 3D navigation with the incorporation of a twisting option.

Gloves: Which is a tool that uses fiber optics to register finger bending. These are used to perform predefined gestural motions or hand positions called Postures.

Dials: These devices can be programmed to manage 3D properties such as: xyz location, rotation scaling and surface quality and color.

Force-Feedback Devices: These are expensive and experimental devices. They provide the user a sense of interaction with tangible forms, feeling the texture of virtual 3D object bringing a sense of reality.

Head and body tracking: Trackers are used to record the position and angle of a user’s head; at the same time trackers can be used with gloves and other devices. Body trackers are able to capture gestures and motions by placing multiple sensors on or in the moving object to gather location data.

Another important topic within this chapter was the Virtual Reality Section. Virtual Reality can be present when the viewer can effectively step in to the virtual world of the computer image. Some of Virtual viewing devices are the “Virtual Research Flight Helmet “ and “ Fake Space BOOM”

It is very interesting to see this kind of information embedded in a real life project; during the second lecture, The federal court has been part of a pilot project led by the General Services Administration (GSA) to use virtual reality in the design process of this building.

They used red and green 3D glasses (previously explored in the first lecture) to view stereographic representation of the building space before its construction. They also used a CAVE (Computer Automatic Virtual Environment) (also explored in the first lecture) that stereoscopically reproduced a life-size virtual model of the courtroom. Judges were able to walk trough the interior space of the room and give their feedback. After the building was constructed, people who were involved in this practice testified that the CAVE was a valuable experience since results helped them to improve their design and virtual reality was able to accurately simulate the courtroom space.

I believe that these kinds of tools are very helpful at the time we design any space, designers and artist can take advantage of this type of technology to accurately represent our future design proposals. On the other hand, I believe that this kind of technology should be developed in a way that can be affordable for most designers and art practitioners, at the same time this should collaborate on having a more accurate and cutting edge architectural design process.