Simulation Driven Virtual Reality:

A Framework for Large Scale Virtual Simulation

Lacey Duckworth – Ph.D. StudentFebruary 16, 2008

Tentative Committee:Dr. Strelzoff (Chair), Dr. Sulbaran,Dr. Seyfarth, Dr. Wang, Dr. Zhang

AgendaIntroductionProblem

◦Background◦Preliminary Study◦Difficulty of Problem◦Applicable Experience

ObjectiveMethodologyExpected Results and Impact

IntroductionThe objective of this meeting is

to get your feedback on an early version of my Ph.D. prospectus.

Form my Ph.D. committee

ProblemA robust and reusable

communicationmethod does not exist to

connect theexternal simulation languages

with thecompelling and accessible client-

serverVirtual Reality Environments.

Background

Creating Large Scale Virtual Simulation is very time consuming and the result is

not very reusable.

Preliminary Study

200 HoursCode is not

modular, extendable,or object oriented

Pascagoula example 46 major rigs

x 10 more complex than sample x 200 hours 96,000 hours

Why Is This So Difficult? 1Second LifeTM and all similar

client-server VR environments such as MultiverseTM and OpenSLTM were never intended for large-scale software development.

Ideal: object-oriented language for "top-level" process rigs then all instances and specialized rigs could more easily be derived.

Why Is This So Difficult? 2Computer Scientists are not

Refinery Plant Operators. Very hard to “get it right” from conversation and schematics.

Ideal: High-level behavioral simulation environment in which programmers would contribute a first version and plant operators and consultants could iteratively "get the details right” largely on their own.

Example of “Communication”

Sketch received from consultant and

interpretation of the atmospheric distillation

process.

Why Is This So Difficult? 3Second Life was not intended for

large scale computations. With larger numbers of numerical processes servers bog down and performance degrades.

Ideal: an external simulation language that could run independently on a dedicated server providing scalable performance as the size of the simulation grew.

Applicable Experience 1Our research group has a lot of

experience and success building bridges in and out of the environment.

Applicable Experience 2LabVIEW is a popular

Instrumentation simulation (USM has a license)

1 - Object Oriented – Hierarchal2 - Well known among Chemical Engineers3 - Reasonable performance – multi-core adaptive

MethodologyStep1: Define a

communication language protocol schema between a simulation language and a client-server Virtual Reality Environment.

Step 2: Test the robustness of the developed communication protocol.

Step 3: Develop a generalized framework to provide reuse of the communication protocol.

Restating the Problem

A robust and reusable communication method does not exist to connect the external simulation languages with thecompelling and accessible client-server Virtual Reality Environments.

MethodologyStep 1: Define Communication

Protocol◦Qualitative - Content Analysis

REASON

Step 2: Test Case◦Qualitative - Case Study

REASON

Step 3: Develop Reuse Framework◦Quantitative – Quasi-Experimental

Research REASON

Methodology (Cont.)Step 1: Define

Communication Protocol◦Finite state machine definition of

generalize simulation language (Σ1,S1,s01,δ1,F1)

◦Event-driven state machine definition of the client-server virtual reality environment (Σ2,S2,s02,δ2,F2).

Methodology (Cont.)Step 2: Test Case

◦Refinery or other Large Scale Construction Project

◦Virtual Environment SecondLifeTM

◦Simulation Environment LabVIEWTM

Methodology (Cont.)Step 3: Develop Reuse

Framework◦Create generalized protocol to

provide code reusability.◦Tested through small experiment

of new methodology of reuse vs. traditional.

Expected Results and Impact (1)

A communication language

protocol schema between a

simulation language and a

client-server Virtual Reality

Environment.

Expected Results and Impact (2)Communication between

virtual reality environment SecondLifeTM and LabVIEWTM.

 

Expected Results and Impact (3)Experimentally tested

framework to provide reusable simulation driven virtual environment components

Thank you for your participation.

Questions