virtual characters and virtual environments research projects of the virtual environments group
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Virtual Characters and Virtual Environments Research Projects of the Virtual Environments Group. February 27 th , 2004 Benjamin Lok. Applications Driven Combines: Interactive Computer Graphics Computer Vision Human Computer Interaction. Virtual Experiences Group. PhD Students (2) - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Virtual Characters Virtual Characters and Virtual and Virtual
EnvironmentsEnvironments
Research Projects of the Research Projects of the
Virtual Environments Virtual Environments GroupGroup February 27February 27thth, 2004, 2004
Benjamin LokBenjamin Lok
Applications DrivenApplications Driven Combines:Combines:
Interactive Computer GraphicsInteractive Computer Graphics Computer VisionComputer Vision Human Computer InteractionHuman Computer Interaction
Virtual Virtual Experiences Experiences
GroupGroup PhD Students (2)PhD Students (2)
Kyle Johnsen (B.S. UF)Kyle Johnsen (B.S. UF) Cyrus Harrison (B.S., M.S. Cyrus Harrison (B.S., M.S.
(expected) UF)(expected) UF)
MS Students (1)MS Students (1) George Mora (B.S. UF) DASGeorge Mora (B.S. UF) DAS
Undergraduates (4)Undergraduates (4) Sayed Hashimi (S)Sayed Hashimi (S) Andrew Joubert (S)Andrew Joubert (S) John Samuelsen (S)John Samuelsen (S) Art Homs (J)Art Homs (J)
OverviewOverview Computer generated Computer generated
characters and characters and environmentsenvironments Amazing visuals and audioAmazing visuals and audio Interacting is limited! Interacting is limited!
Reduce applicability? Reduce applicability?
Goals:Goals: Create Create new methods to new methods to
interact interact Evaluate Evaluate the effectiveness the effectiveness
of these interaction methodsof these interaction methods
Aki from Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within
Walking Experiment PIT - UNC
Life-Sized Virtual Life-Sized Virtual CharactersCharacters
Virtual Characters as a way to Virtual Characters as a way to interact with informationinteract with information
If virtual characters are presented If virtual characters are presented with an adequate level of realism, with an adequate level of realism, would people respond to them as would people respond to them as they would to other people?they would to other people?
Effective Effective InteractionInteraction Natural (> than keyboard and Natural (> than keyboard and
mouse)mouse) 3D, Dynamic (augmentable)3D, Dynamic (augmentable)
Effective Effective CollaborationCollaboration Non-verbal communication (60%)Non-verbal communication (60%) High impact?High impact?
InteractionInteraction
Each participant in a communication has three Each participant in a communication has three stages: stages: perceptionperception, , cognitioncognition, and , and responseresponse
Investigate: Display, perception, efficacyInvestigate: Display, perception, efficacy
ThinkingParticipant
ThinkingThinking
Perceiving
Responding
Virtual Character
Responding
Perceiving
Responding
Perceiving
Interaction
Projects underwayProjects underway Interpersonal Interpersonal
communicationcommunication Distributed acting Distributed acting
rehearsalrehearsal
TeachingTeaching Medical Diagnosis Medical Diagnosis
TrainingTraining Training transferTraining transfer
Future work: Future work: Universal AccessUniversal Access
DisabledDisabled MinoritiesMinorities Rural communitiesRural communities
Virtual EnvironmentsVirtual Environments Been around for almost 30 yearsBeen around for almost 30 years # of systems in research labs > day to day use# of systems in research labs > day to day use Why?Why?
Interaction with the virtual environment is too poorInteraction with the virtual environment is too poor Everything is virtual isn’t necessarily good Everything is virtual isn’t necessarily good
Example, change a light bulbExample, change a light bulb
Approach:Approach: Real objects as interfaces to the virtual worldReal objects as interfaces to the virtual world Merge the real and virtual spacesMerge the real and virtual spaces Evaluate what VR is good for!Evaluate what VR is good for!
Projects Projects underwayunderway
Getting real objects Getting real objects into VR to aid into VR to aid engineering designengineering design
Collaboration w/ Mars Collaboration w/ Mars Airplane (Langley Airplane (Langley Research Center)Research Center)
Get tools, parts, and Get tools, parts, and other (possibly other (possibly distributed) distributed) collaborators in a collaborators in a shared spaceshared space
Videos of TaskVideos of Task
Having a hybrid environment provides substantial benefits in prototype design.
Merging real Merging real and virtual spacesand virtual spaces
Avatars in VEAvatars in VE Most virtual environments do not provide an avatar (user Most virtual environments do not provide an avatar (user
self-representation)self-representation) Why? Because tracking the human body is difficult.Why? Because tracking the human body is difficult. Solution: Use simple computer vision to track colored Solution: Use simple computer vision to track colored
markers to generate an avatarmarkers to generate an avatar
Locomotion in VRLocomotion in VR Most common locomotion:Most common locomotion:
Use a ‘virtual walking’ Use a ‘virtual walking’ metaphor.metaphor.
Does this reduce Does this reduce effectiveness?effectiveness?
We can test this because of We can test this because of new wide-area tracking new wide-area tracking technologies.technologies.
VR InteractionVR Interaction
Getting real objects into virtual environmentsGetting real objects into virtual environments How do you naturally interact with virtual objects?How do you naturally interact with virtual objects?
Virtual Experiences Virtual Experiences GroupGroup
2 PhD students2 PhD students 1 MS1 MS 4 Undergraduates4 Undergraduates
15’x15’x10’ wide area 15’x15’x10’ wide area trackertracker
Virtual Research V8 HMDVirtual Research V8 HMD 42” Plasma TV42” Plasma TV 4 data projectors 4 data projectors 120” passive stereo 120” passive stereo
displaydisplay
Collaboration with Collaboration with expertise in:expertise in:• Virtual RealityVirtual Reality• Digital ArtsDigital Arts• Image ProcessingImage Processing• Computational GeometryComputational Geometry• Human Computer Human Computer InteractionInteraction• Image Based RenderingImage Based Rendering