Course Title：Virtual Reality

Instructor：Chung-Ming Wang

Prerequisite： Computer Graphics, Networks

Textbook：

Books and research papers from several periodicals:

a. IEEE 1993 Symposium on Research Frontiers in Virtual Reality

b. Virtual Reality Systems Guide

c. Virtual Reality: Theory, Practice, and Promise, S.K. Helsel and J.P. Roth, Meckler Publishing, 1991.

d. Special topics in IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications,

e. Special topics in The Visual Computer,

f. Special topics in Computer Graphics Forum,

g. dVise Users' Manual, dVise company, 1994.

　

 Contents：

(1) Introduction

虛擬實境(Virtual Reality, VR)衍生於近年來電腦技術之日新月異與人機互 動設計之長足發展。經科學與工程界在電腦硬體技術、軟體發展，尤其是電腦圖學、人機介面上之多年努力，近年來虛擬實境之重要性已獲得相當的肯定。許多實驗室中的雛型系統吸引了工商業的注意，甚而大眾媒體亦爭先報導。除電視節目常有介紹外，商業週刊(Business Week於1992 年 10 月以封面報導的形式介紹此一技術；而時代週刊(Time)也於 1993 年2 月對 V.R. 提出了專題報導，可見此項技術之吸引力。至於學術界，ACM SIGGRAPH，IEEE Spectrum, IEEE Computer Graphics and Applications 及 CACM 均有專刊討論V.R.之學理、技術及未來發展。有鑑於 V.R. 技術與電腦及通訊有密切的關係，國科會工程處之資訊科學與工程學門之研究發展規劃書亦將 V.R. 列為前瞻性的學術研究；而工業技術研究院電腦與通訊研究所亦在經濟部之八十四年引進國外技術,計劃中將 V.R. 列為首要引進的科技。

虛擬實境其基本原理乃在於利用電腦提供一個虛擬之環境，讓浸染此虛擬環境之參與者(participant)，能如在實際環境般，與三度空間事物產生互動 (Interaction)。然而構建此虛擬環境確是相當複雜繁瑣。在一般VR系統所用之電腦，不論是個人電腦級或工作站級，至少需能提供實際環境具有之動態視覺，其他如聲音、觸覺等效果則有賴更專門設備之提功。鑑於VR技術牽涉廣汎，以單一課程恐無法讓學生澈底一窺堂奧；又鑑於國PC工業之蓬勃發展，硬體技術與整體運算能力逐年成倍數更新，工作站並非惟一之選擇；因此，本VR課程，亦即虛擬實境課程之目標著重於VR技術在PC與工作站系統之整體介紹。為避免學生僅只於理論知識之汲取，欠缺實作之能力；同時亦考慮以一學期短暫學習時間內，無法獨自構建發展一套VR系統；因此，在課程之設計目標上，採分組研習後再整合學習之方式；在實作之教材上，兼採PC與工作站之VR系統研習。其中，PC級之系統可允許學生作小幅修改，藉由此，可激勵學生實作之興趣。期使學生修習此課程後，對VR新興科技之背景有基本之認識，

　

 (b). Contents

Part I: Background Knowledge (背景知識)

1. Introduction (簡介) 1 week Introducing the contents of the course and outlining some histories of the VR development 1.1 What is Virtual Reality?

1.2 The Three "I"s of Virtual Reality.

1.3 History

 2. Virtual Reality Tools (虛擬實境工具探討) 2 weeks Discussing various tools being used for VR. This aims to let students understand various commercial tools used for VR. An ACM video cassette will be used as an auxiliary teaching material in this stage. 2.1 3-D Position Sensors

2.2 Trackballs

2.3 3-D Probes

2.4 Sensing Gloves

2.5 Stereo Viewing Devices

2.6 3-D Sound Generators

2.7 Summary

 3. VR Computing Architectures (虛擬實境計算架構) 2 weeks Introducing issues of computing used for VR systems ranging from very low-end PC to Workstation-level systems. Some advanced systems will also be given from watching related ACM and/or NASA video cassette. 3.1 Frame Rate

3.2 PC-Based VR Engine

3.3 Workstation-Based VR Engine

3.4 Advanced VR Engines

3.5 Distributed VR

3.6 Summary

 4. Virtual Environment (虛擬環境概念) 2 weeks Define the meaning, requirements and demanding of the virtual environment and virtual shared environment. 4.1 What is Virtual Environment?

4.2 Three Perceptual Requirement

4.3 Why Shared Virtual Environment?

4.4 Progress in Shared Virtual Environment.

4.5 Summary

　

 Part II. Practice Knowledge (實作輔助教材) 5. Modeling Virtual Environment (虛擬環境構建) 2 weeks Introducing the concept of modeling virtual environment. Discussing the kinematics and physical modeling approach and object behavior for VE environment. Highlighting the relation between the VE and visualization parameters. 5.1 Geometric Modeling 5.2 Kinematics and Physical Modeling

5.3 Object Behavior and Model Segmentation

5.4 Visualization Parameters 5.7 Summary

 6. Three PC-Based VR systems (個人電腦架構之虛擬實境系統) Introducing three PC-based software and discussing their various applications. Students are divided into three groups for comprehensive study first and later information is exchanged during he study presentation. Group I: Virtual WalkThrough

Group II: Vistapro

Group III: Virtual Reality Studio

 7 dVISE System (dVISE 應用虛擬實境系統) 6 weeks Introducing a workstation-based commercial available system and its approach of developing virtual environment using object-oriented techniques. Discussing the MAZ virtual environment file format before each student begins to create his own VE database. Introducing a meta-script language for model exchange and integration. Creating students' VE model using MAZ and meta-script language. Porting students' models and evaluating performance in SG Indy and dVISE hardware environment (located in 工研院電通所) 7.1 What is dVISE system?

7.2 Fundamental Concepts

7.3 Actors and Runtime System

7.4 Standard Elements

7.5 VC Tool kit

7.6 Object-Oriented Hierarchical Database

7.7 The MAZ Virtual Environment Format

7.8 Meta-Script Language

7.9 Porting and evaluating to dVISE environment

7.10 Summary

　

 Part III: Conclusions and Future Development (未來前瞻發展) 8. Conclusions (結論) Summarying the course and laboratory works. Discussing and exchanging experience learned from the course and practice. 8.1 Experience Exchange

8.2 Open Discussions

8.3 Final Word

 　9. Future and Final Word (未來展望) Look forward for the future VR system development. 9.1 New Displays

9.2 Programming and Modeling

9.3 Future Applications

9.3 Open Discussion

　

 評分標準: Projects: 70%(含formal final reports)

期中,期末考 :30%

　

 附註: Comments are most welcome.

Equal treatments for EVERY postgraduate student.