Reading 5

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For class 2/28/13
Post Comments by 11:00 AM on 2/26/13

Defining virtual reality: Dimensions determining telepresence
Jonathan Steuer
http://ww.cybertherapy.info/pages/telepresence.pdf 

Discussion (Pick 5 of items below.  Each response should be at least a paragraph)

  1. In what ways do you think the author’s view on Tele-presence differs from Slater’s use of presence?
  2. The author lists a number of examples of presence without proximity (e.g. telephone, letters, etc).  Either arguing for or against one of the examples being indicative of presence.
  3. The author writes that “redundancy serves to further enhance vividness”.   Do you agree? Is sensory information often “redundant” in our daily lives?  Why or why not?
  4. The author writes that there is a trade-off between bandwidth and depth for senses.  In what ways would you for see trying to balance this trade-off in VR?
  5. Do you agree with the way Engagement is defined in this article?  Do you feel like matches the previous definition in the Slater paper?  Do you agree that engagement is achieved when we “feel for and with the characters”?
  6. Choose 4 items on Figure 3 that you believe are in the wrong place and state where you think they belong (more or less interactive and more or less vivid) and why
  7. Do you feel the final paragraph of the article is alarmist or justified?  Why or why not?
  8. Find a topic that you interesting, dubious, or curious and explain why.

Editors Note

I was originally thinking we would read the paper below for this week.  I eventually decided that while I really enjoy this paper, it brought up many of the same issues from the article from last week.  I eventually selected the new reading for this week as I felt it was a good bridge between what we have talked about up til this point in the semester and what we will talk about moving forward.  I am adding a link to this paper in case you are curious.

 

Rethinking virtual reality: Simulation and the deconstruction of the image
David Gunkela
http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15295030009388375
or
http://gunkelweb.com/articles/rethinking_vr.pdf

Reading 5 Extension

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Since we won’t be discussing reading 5 until Thursday, I have moved the deadline back until class on Tuesday (keeping it before Tuesday’s class in case any comments arise).  The reading will be posted shortly

Week 4 Readings

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For class 2/19/13
Post Comments by 11:59 pm on 2/17/13

Virtual Reality as the End of the Enlightenment Project
by Simon Penny

Please print out these articles and bring them with you to class on Tuesday for discussion.  Alternatively, you can bring digital version of the reading with you.

Discussion

  1. What do you think the author is trying to have the reader take away from this piece?   Do you feel this piece is effective overall? What points do you think were effective/convincing for you and which were not? (Write at least 1-2 paragraphs)
  2.  Finally, find a topic that you interesting, dubious, or curious and explain why.  (Write at least 1 paragraph of explanation and add citations if warranted)
  3. Choose three questions from the following (each should be 3 to 4 sentences)
    • Choose one of the examples the author lists of pre-1950 VR.  How would you compare these types of systems to VR systems of today?
    • The paper predicts that a future that we seem not to have arrived to.  Why do you think this disparity exists?  What things do you feel like have come to fruition and things do you feel like are still in the future.
    • Do you agree with the author that VR is different than tradition mediums such as film, television and so on? In what ways is VR similar and in what ways is it different?
    • The author argues that inventors often don’t see the downsides of their own inventions.  Do you feel that this is the case for VR?  Does VR present a more powerful means of presenting images for companies than other forms of media?
    • What do you think about the authors take on “how real is VR?”  Do you find the passenger analogy apt? (state why)
    • What do you think of the Battletech example? Do you feel like video games have taken the role of simulated Interactive media that the author suggests?  What do you think of the authors argument about “undiminished feeling of free will”?
    • What do you think of the section on surveillance?  Do you feel like it fits with the rest of the article?  Describe why or why not
    • What do you think of the quote from Lanier about the cup? Do you agree with the author or Lanier.  Why or why not?
    • The author states that the R in VR is misleading.  Do you agree?
    • The author implies that being inside of a simulated environment can cause the senses to become out of alignment.  Do you agree that this is a concern?  Does the section on cognitive plasticity make this concern seem less threatening?
    • The author brings up the idea that humans only navigate a 2.5D space so that multi-dimensional data representations are not useful.  Do you agree?  Could VR provide a better approach to multi-dimensional data analysis?
    • Do you agree there is no need for a body in VR?  Do you agree that Randy Walser and Eric Gulichsen are misguided in their quote?  Should we be concerned about alternative bodies?

 

 

 

 

Reminder

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Class will be at WID tomorrow.  You should all have access so just meet in the room downstairs.  See everyone then

 

Assignment 2

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This assignment is to warm us up to bringing models into the CAVE.  We will walk through everyone’s models in class on 2/21/13.  This assignment will consist of two steps.

More Information

  • Your model should be built so that we can walk around it in VR.  Therefore models should be at least room size.
  • Units matter in the CAVE.  Make sure your models are in meters.
  • The center of the CAVE is at (17’x17′) in our model loading program.  Not really sure why but if you want the user to start in the center of the CAVE offset your model by that amount
  • Make sure you bring all associated files (i.e. textures files) with you
  • The Trimble (aka Google) Warehouse is a good source of pre-built models.  If you use these models:
    • provide documentation of where you got the model
    • At least one object in the environment should be built by you

Due for class 2/14/13
Describe the environment you want to build (a few sentences) and have one piece of concept artwork (e.g. a photograph, a sketch, or an initial rendering of the environment you would like to create).  We will go around the room and present the ideas in class.

Due for class 2/21/13
Bring your model on to class on an external drive.  We will load up the models and walk through them in the CAVE.  Be prepared to answer the following questions:

  • What tools you used to make your model?
  • What object was the most difficult step in the process?
  • If you had more time what you would do next?

We will use OpenSceneGraph for our model loading.  A list of supported file formats can be found at: http://my.safaribooksonline.com/book/-/9781849512824/saving-and-loading-files/ch10lvl1sec03

Common formats that work well:
3ds, dae, dxf, ive, obj, ply, stl

For people using 3DS Max.  Here is a tutorial on how to bake lighting.  I encourage you to try it out

http://kb.worldviz.com/articles/1222

 

Week 3 Readings

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For class 2/12/13
Post Comments by 11:59 pm on 2/10/13

 What it is like to see: A sensorimotor theory of perceptual experience
by O’Regan and Noe
http://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.fr/Synthese/MyinFinal.html

Discussion

What do you think of the idea of “feeling the presence of redness”?  Do you agree that this feeling can be described with second-order awareness?  Would it be possible to give a robot or AI the ability to feel the presence of redness?

What are you initial thoughts on the ideas presented for “change blindness”? For examples, you can watch a few examples from http://nivea.psycho.univ-paris5.fr/#CB.  In what ways do you see us being able to exploit this in VR applications?

While the authors mention machines, the focus for the article is on humans.  Do you think that a machine could have sensation, perception, and/or awareness? If so, describe with examples for each.  If not, describe why not for each.

Finally, find a topic that you interesting, dubious, or curious and explain why.  Write at least a paragraph of explanation and add citations if warranted.