EGVE02: Eighth Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments

Permanent URI for this collection

https://diglib.eg.org/handle/10.2312/375

Browse

Now showing 1 - 20 of 22

A framework to manage multimodal fusion of events for advanced interactions within Virtual Environments
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) TOURAINE, Damien; BOURDOT, Patrick; BELLIK, Yacine; BOLOT, Laurence; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
This paper describes the EVI3d framework, a distributed architecture developed to enhance interactions within Virtual Environments (VE). This framework manages many multi-sensorial devices such as trackers, data gloves, and speech or gesture recognition systems as well as haptic devices. The structure of this architecture allows a complete dispatching of device services and their clients on as many machines as required. With the dated events provided by its time synchronization system, it becomes possible to design a specific module to manage multimodal fusion processes. To this end, we describe how the EVI3d framework manages not only low-level events but also abstract modalities. Moreover, the data flow service of the EVI3d framework solves the problem of sharing the virtual scene between modality modules.
Virtual Prints: Leaving trails in Virtual Environments
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Grammenos, D.; Filou, M.; Papadakos, P.; Stephanidis, C.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
In this paper the concept of Virtual Prints (ViPs) is introduced and alternative ways in which they can be used are suggested. The design and required functionality of a software mechanism for creating and interacting with ViPs in Virtual Environments are presented along with techniques and methods for overcoming related issues. Finally, the findings of an explorative study of the concept and pilot implementation are discussed.
Collaboration in Tele-Immersive Environments
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Mortensen, J.; Vinayagamoorthy, V.; Slater, M.; Steed, A.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
This paper describes a study of remote collaboration between people in a shared virtual environment. Seventeen subjects were recruited at University College London, who worked with a confederate at University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. Each pair was required to negotiate the task of handling an object together, and moving a few metres into a building. The DIVE system was used throughout, and the network support was Internet-2. This was an observational study to examine the extent to which such collaboration was possible, to explore the limitations of DIVE within this context, and to examine the relationship between several variables such as co-presence and task performance. The results suggest that although the task is possible under this framework, it could only be achieved by various software tricks within the DIVE framework. A new Virtual Environment system is required that has better knowledge of network performance, and that supports shared object manipulation across a network. The participant-study suggests that co-presence, the sense of being together with another person, was significantly and positively correlated with task performance
Realizing a New Step-in-place Locomotion interface for Virtual Environment with Large Display System
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Bouguila, Laroussi; Ishii, Masahiro; Sato, Makoto; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Omni-directional locomotion systems are yet of little advantage in virtual environments (VEs) with limited large display system, where users may experience visual-less situations when they move in a direction that is not covered by the large screen. This paper presents a new omni-directional locomotion interface based on step-inplace movement and a smart-turntable system to impart users with the ability to move freely in any direction within VEs without loosing sight of the displayed images despite their projection on a limited large screen that do not provide surrounding or 360o visual feedback. A sensor-embedded turntable is used as a walking platform, on top of which users will stand at its center to perform walk in place and turn in place movements to steer their navigation through the virtual environment. However, as a large turn action may put the screen outside user s visual field of view, the turntable will cancel user s turnings by a smooth and passive rotation in the opposite direction so as to keep user oriented toward the center of the screen. The novelty of the interface is that a) it uses a smart-turntable as walking platform that compensate users rotations rather than their displacements b) no cable attachments are made to the user body c) user can make many full body rotations without loosing sight of the environment, virtually providing a surrounding display despite the use of limited size screen.
Real-time simulation of elastic objects in Virtual Environments using finite element method and precomputed Green s functions
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Nikitin, Igor; Nikitina, Lialia; Frolov, Pavel; Goebbels, Gernot; Göbel, Martin; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Simulation of an object s elastic deformation is an important feature in applications where three-dimensional object behavior is explored. In addition, the benefits of user-object interactions are best realized in interactive environments which require the rapid computation of deformations. In this paper we present a prototype of a system for the simulation of elastic objects in Virtual Environments (VE) under real-time conditions. The approach makes use of the method of finite elements and precomputed Green s functions. The simulation is interactively visualized in fully immersive rear-projection based Virtual Environments such as the CyberStage and semi-immersive ones such as the Responsive Workbench. Using pick-ray interaction techniques the user can interactively apply forces to the object causing its deformation. Our interactive visualization module, embedded in VE system Avango, supports real time deformations of high-resolution 3D model (10,000 nodes) at a speed > 20 stereoimages/sec.
Collaborative stretcher carrying: a case study
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Hubbold, Roger J.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
This paper describes a simulation of a collaborative task in a shared virtual environment - two users carrying a shared object (a stretcher) in a complex chemical plant. The implementation includes a haptic interface for each user, so that forces transmitted through the stretcher from one user to the other can be experienced. Preliminary experiments show that the addition of haptic feedback significantly enhances the sense of sharing and each user s perception of the actions of the other user. The implementation is described, and some conclusions about the value of haptics, and plans for future work are given.
Interaction Techniques for Navigation through and Manipulation of 2D and 3D Data
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Aliakseyeu, Dzmitry; Subramanian, Sriram; Martens, Jean-Bernard; Rauterberg, Matthias; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
In this article we present a working prototype incorporating some new interaction techniques for the navigation through and the manipulation of both 3D and 2D data. The prototype aims at professional applications like architectural design, surgical planning and geological exploration. Its design was influenced by the analysis of user requirements and by the requirement for a natural interface. The prototype permits the user to navigate through 3D and 2D data in order to explore the internal structure. 3D navigation is accomplished by means of a natural selection of dynamically updated cross-sections. The user can navigate through these selected cross-sections of 2D data and can perform manipulations with them. As a proof of concept we focus on two disciplines, viz. architectural design and surgical planning. Our usability evaluation of the interaction styles demonstrates that they are perceived as useful and enjoyable additions to existing techniques in these disciplines.
The Interaction Table - a New Input Device Designed for Interaction in Immersive Large Display Environments
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Hachet, M.; Guitton, P.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Large display systems such as Reality Centers or Powerwalls, allow several users to be immersed in a virtual environment while being located in the same physical space. The characteristics of such systems induce new problems and new constraints as far as it concerns the interaction. According to the lack of input devices well adapted to large displays, we are developing a new interactor: The Interaction Table. This device, composed of a movable tray fixed on a pillar, offers 6 DOFs and uses both isotonic and isometric information. The table top offers a 2D plane on which the position of a pen can be recovered. Many 2D and 3D interaction techniques can be used to accomplish the different interaction tasks (navigation, manipulation, selection, system control) dealing with different space ranges. The design of the Interaction Table makes it accurate and easy to use without any effort. Its auto-supported aspect makes it a non constraining tool, which can be shared by all co-located users. We illustrate the utility of the Interaction Table through a real application of 3D geomarketing.
Scaffolding - Design issues in single and collaborative virtual environments for social skills learning
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Kerr, Steven J.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Virtual Environments (VE s) are seen as having great potential for teaching people with autism. This paper looks at research being carried out as part of the AS Interactive project to teach social skills to adults with Asperger's syndrome. Design issues for VE s are discussed, in particular the scaffolding required to help ensure learning objectives are met both in single user(SVE) and collaborative environments (CVE). While no firm guidelines as to when it is appropriate to move from a SVE to a CVE are offered, the factors involved in the transition from one to the other are discussed.
Haptic Display for a Virtual Reality Simulator for Flexible Endoscopy
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Körner, Olaf; Männer, Reinhard; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
A simulation system for flexible endoscopy is described, based on virtual reality techniques. The physician moves the flexible endoscope inside a pipe, in which forces are applied to it. In addition the navigation wheels provide force feedback from the bending of the endoscope s tip. The paper focuses on the special purpose haptic display which actively generates forces to model the complex interaction of physician, endoscope and patient with high accuracy. Moreover fast algorithms for the force simulation in real-time are presented.
Avatar Markup Language
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Kshirsagar, Sumedha; Magnenat-Thalmann, Nadia; Guye-Vuillème, Anthony; Thalmann, Daniel; Kamyab, Kaveh; Mamdani, Ebrahim; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Synchronization of speech, facial expressions and body gestures is one of the most critical problems in realistic avatar animation in virtual environments. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing a new high-level animation language to describe avatar animation. The Avatar Markup Language (AML), based on XML, encapsulates the Text to Speech, Facial Animation and Body Animation in a unified manner with appropriate synchronization. We use low-level animation parameters, defined by the MPEG-4 standard, to demonstrate the use of the AML. However, the AML itself is independent of any low-level parameters as such. AML can be effectively used by intelligent software agents to control their 3D graphical representations in the virtual environments. With the help of the associated tools, AML also facilitates to create and share 3D avatar animations quickly and easily. We also discuss how the language has been developed and used within the SoNG project framework. The tools developed to use AML in a real-time animation system incorporating intelligent agents and 3D avatars are also discussed subsequently.
Evaluation of a Collaborative Volume Rendering Application in a Distributed Virtual Environment
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Wössner, U.; Schulze, J.P.; Walz, S.P.; Lang, U.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
In this paper, we present a collaborative volume rendering application which can be used in distributed virtual environments. The application allows the users to collaboratively view volumetric data and manipulate the transfer functions. Furthermore, 3D markers can be used to support communication. The collaborative setup includes a full duplex audio channel between the virtual environments. The developed software was evaluated with external users who were asked to solve tasks in two scenarios which resembled real-world situations from the medical field: a presentation and a time-constrained search task. For the evaluation, two 4-sided CAVE-like virtual environments were linked. The collaborative application was analyzed for both technical and social aspects.
AR-Planning Tool - Designing Flexible Manufacturing Systems with Augmented Reality
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Gausemeier, J.; Fruend, J.; Matysczok, C.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
The technology of augmented reality (AR), as a new user interface, introduces a completely new perspective for the design of technical manufacturing systems. This technique supports a face to face collaboration where users need to be able to easily cooperate with each other. As with typical construction sets like LEGO or Fischertechnik, the planning engineers model the future manufacturing system in their real environment. The components are taken from virtual construction sets and are positioned interactively in the manufacturing hall. Planning rules are used to assist the user and to prevents possible errors. This article describes the conception of a virtual construction set and the realization of its prototype. The description of the development of this construction set is supplemented by an illustration of the used hardware and software components.
Collision Detection and Tissue Modeling in a VR-Simulator for Eye Surgery
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Wagner, Clemens; Schill, Markus A.; Männer, Reinhard; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
This paper gives a survey of techniques for tissue interaction and discusses their application in the context of the intra-ocular training system EyeSi. As key interaction techniques collision detection and soft tissue modeling are identified. For collision detection in EyeSi, an enhanced image-based approach for collisions between deformable surfaces and rigid objects is presented. By exploiting the computing power of graphics processing units, it achieves higher performance than existing geometry-based approaches. Deformation vectors are computed and used for the biomechanical model. A mass-spring approach is shown to be powerful enough to bridge the gap between low computational demands and a convincing tissue behavior.
Active Visualization in a Multidisplay Immersive Environment
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Blanke, W.; Bajaj, C.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Building a system to actively visualize extremely large data sets on large tiled displays in a real time immersive environment involves a number of challenges. First, the system must be completely scalable to support the rendering of large data sets. Second, it must provide fast, constant frame rates regardless of user viewpoint or model orientation. Third, it must output the highest resolution imagery where it is needed. Fourth, it must have a flexible user interface to control interaction with the display. This paper presents the prototype for a system which meets all four of these criteria. It details the design of a wireless user interface in conjunction with a foveated vision application for image generation on a tiled display wall. The system emphasizes the parallel, multidisplay, and multiresolution features of the Metabuffer image composition architecture to produce interactive renderings of large data streams with fast, constant frame rates.
Virtual Spring Manipulators for Particle Steering in Molecular Dynamics on the ResponsiveWorkbench
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Koutek, Michal; Hees, Jeroen van; Post, Frits H.; Bakker, A.F.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
In this paper we present new virtual spring manipulator-based tools for steering particles in molecular dynamics simulations in virtual environments. We briefly overview the MolDRIVE system, our visualization and computational steering environment for molecular dynamics real-time simulations, which is the platform for our particle steering implementation. Our study concentrates on visual feedback tools. We compare a basic virtual particle steering method with two other methods using a spring manipulator. The first just creates a visual feedback of a flexible connection between the user s interaction device and the steered particle, while the second technique creates a visual illusion of force feedback. The user can, through the spring manipulator, exert a force on the manipulated particle in the MD simulation. All presented particle steering tools are intuitive and easy to use.
Towards Preferences in Virtual Environment Interfaces
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Wingrave, Chadwick A.; Bowman, Doug A.; Ramakrishnan, Naren; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Virtual Environment interfaces are designed by implementing an interaction metaphor and comparing it to existing implementations. This technique has proven effective in desktop interfaces but the difficulty of working inside a VE remains because VE interfaces do not understand what the user is trying to do, only what the metaphor wants to do. To handle this problem, we investigated a lower-level approach in interface design of letting the user work as they wish and the interface adapting to the user s method of interaction. Two exploratory experiments were performed on the task of selection to learn how users want to work, with the results being that users do not know until guided by affordances and feedback. Discussed is the intelligent capturing and dealing with VE interface data in terms of Nuances that can represent the details of the interface.
Technical System for Collaborative Work
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Kunz, Andreas M.; Spagno, Christian P.; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
Virtual reality makes it possible to realize distributed collaborative teamwork. In this case objects can be represented three-dimensionally in different visualization installations which are connected with each other over a network [7]. Up to now the user remains mostly without consideration. For distributed collaborative teamwork the user should be visualized three-dimensionally together with the other virtual objects [14]. In the presented paper a special projection installation is described which allows simultaneous projection and acquisition of images of the users.
An Interactive Toolkit Library for 3D Applications: it3d
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) OSAWA, Noritaka; ASAI, Kikuo; SAITO, Fumihiko; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
An interactive toolkit library for developing 3D applications called "it3d" is described that utilize artificial reality (AR) technologies. It was implemented by using the Java language and the Java 3D class library to enhance its portability. It3d makes it easy to construct AR applications that are portable and adaptable. It3d consists of three sub-libraries: an input/output library for distributed devices, a 3D widget library for multimodal interfacing, and an interaction-recognition library. The input/output library for distributed devices has a uniform programming interface style for various types of devices. The interfaces are defined by using OMG IDL. The library utilizes multicast peer-to-peer communication to enable efficient device discovery and exchange of events and data. Multicast-capable CORBA functions have been developed and used. The 3D widget library for the multimodal interface has useful 3D widgets that support efficient and flexible customization based on prototype-based object orientation, or a delegation model. The attributes of a widget are used to customize it dynamically. The attributes constitute a hierarchical structure. The interaction-recognition library is used to recognize basic motions in a 3D space, such as pointing, selecting, pinching, grasping, and moving. The library is flexible, and the recognition conditions can be given as parameters. A new recognition engine can be developed by using a new circular event history buffer to efficiently manage and retrieve past events. Development of immersive AR applications using it3d demonstrated that less time is needed to develop the applications with it3d than without it. It3d makes it easy to construct AR applications that are portable and adaptable.
Redirected Walking in Place
(The Eurographics Association, 2002) Razzaque, Sharif; Swapp, David; Slater, Mel; Whitton, Mary C.; Steed, Anthony; S. Mueller and W. Stuerzlinger
This paper describes a method for allowing people to virtually move around a CAVE without ever having to turn to face the missing back wall. We describe the method, and report a pilot study of 28 participants, half of whom moved through the virtual world using a hand-held controller, and the other half used the new technique called Redirected Walking in Place (RWP). The results show that the current instantiation of the RWP technique does not result in a lower frequency of looking towards the missing wall. However, the results also show that the sense of presence in the virtual environment is significantly and negatively correlated with the amount that the back wall is seen. There is evidence that RWP does reduce the chance of seeing the blank wall for some participants. The increased sense of presence through never having to face the blank wall, and the results of this pilot study show the RWP has promise and merits further development.

Browse

Browsing EGVE02: Eighth Eurographics Workshop on Virtual Environments by Issue Date

Results Per Page

Sort Options