Introduction to Virtual/Augmented Reality and Telepresence

MM-806

(Fall 2016)

 

Ivan Sutherland`s HMD (1968)

Modern HMDs (2016)

 

General Information

Instructor: Pierre Boulanger
Tel: 780-492-3031
Email:
pierreb@cs.ualberta.ca

URL: www.cs.ualberta.ca/~pierreb
Office: 411 Athabasca Hall
Office hours: By appointment only.

Lectures: Tuesday and Thursdays 13h00 to 15h00 in ED N2 101

Course Description

Virtual reality and augmented reality can provide an immersive environment where many scenarios can be simulated. For example, manufacturing and engineering tasks, medical planning and training, art and design, rehabilitation, Physics, Biology and Chemistry concept exploration and many others can benefit from a virtual reality environment. This course focuses on the challenges of setting up a user friendly virtual reality scene where users can interact in an intuitive and natural way. The use of interactive techniques and sensor-based devices, such as haptic and head-mount display, in creating a virtual environment for scientific analysis, visualization exploration and Tele-presence, as well as how mobile users can participate in these applications, will be discussed.

Prerequisites

Some knowledge of computer graphics and multi-media systems

 

Homework

Homework will generally be handed out in lecture and be due in lecture on the following week. Some parts of the homework will involve C or C++ programming.

There will be 5 problem sets. Don't be misled by the relatively few points assigned to homework grades in the final grade calculation. While the grade that you get on your homework is at most a minor component of your final grade, working the problems is a crucial part of the learning process and will invariably have a major impact on your understanding of the material.

 

Course Project

There will be a group project, culminating in a final 10 pages report in IEEE format and a presentation at a day workshop. Progress and check points before the final due date will count toward the final grade.

 

Course Grade

The final grade for the course is based on our best assessment of your understanding of the material, as well as your commitment and participation. The problem sets and final projects are combined to give a final grade:

 

ACTIVITIES

Weight

Final Project

50%

Assignments

50%

 

Lecture Notes

 

 

Course calendar.

LECTURE DATE

TOPICS

Slides

Extras

W1: Sept. 8

First Class

Class overview and Irene presentation

Class Overview

 

VR-Intro

W2: Sept 13

Introduction

o   Definition of Virtual Reality, Augmented Reality, Virtualized Reality, and Telepresence

o   Generic Configuration of Virtual Reality Systems (image rendering systems, sound rendering systems, haptic rendering systems, communication systems, physical modeling systems, etc.)

o   Brief overview of the applications of Virtual Reality (in remote robotic control, in medicine, in e-commerce, in communication, in industrial design)

VR-Intro

 

W2: Sept. 15

History of VR

VR-History

W3: Sept. 20

Short Review of Computer Graphics

o   Overview and Transformations

VR-Graphics

Installing Unity 3D

CAMERAS AND EFFECTS in Unity

1. Cameras

2. Image Effects: Overview

GEOMETRY IN UNITY

1. Meshes

2. Mesh Renderers and Mesh Filters

Assignment 1: Due Sept. 27

W3: Sept. 22

o   Lighting and Shading

VR-Graphics

Group Description Due

 

LIGHTING IN UNITY

1. Unity 5 Lighting Overview

2. Unity 5 - Lighting and Rendering

3. Lights

4. Using Skyboxes

RENDERING AND SHADING in Unity

The Standard Shader

2. Materials

3. Textures

4. A Gentle Introduction to Shaders

5. Using detail textures for extra realism close-up

6. Frame Debugger

W4: Sept. 27

Introduction to Human Vision

VR-Human Vision

 

 

W4: Sept. 29

Visual Rendering Systems

o   Basic characteristics of human visual perception

o   Stereoscopic display systems (LCD, CRT, HMD, flat, panoramic, and hemispheric screens, etc.)

o   Detailed analysis of advanced visualization systems

o   New display devices such as real-time auto-stereogram and retinal writing

o   Cinematic display

VR-Displays

Assignment 2: Due October 13

W5: Oct. 4

o   Stereo vision

VR-Stereo-Displays

W5: Oct 6

o   Display Systems Continue

 

 

W6: Oct. 11

Digitizing the Human Body

o   Three-dimensional position sensors (magnetic, ultrasound, photogrammetric, mechanical, and inertial sensors)

VR-Tracking

W6: Oct. 13

o   Digitizing fine body motion and forces (DataGlove, CyberGlove, PowerGlove, DHM Dexterous Hand Master, etc.)

VR-Tracking

Assignment 3: Due November 2

W7: Oct. 18

o   Tracking Continue

VR-Tracking

Project Description Due

W7: Oct. 20

Visit of the SERVIER Lab

 

 

W8: Oct. 25

Sound Rendering Systems

o   Basic characteristics of human auditory perception

o   Synthesis of 3D sound (convolvotrons, Beachtrons and Acoustetrons, simple 3D sound)

o   Unity 3D Sound Spatializer

VR-Sound

Assignment 4: Due November 15

W8: Oct. 27

Haptic Rendering Systems

 

o   Human requirements for good haptic perception

o   Tactile and force feedback (difference between tactile and force feedback, various tactile feedback systems, haptic rendering, force feedback systems)

o    Combination of tactile and force feedback.

VR-Haptic

W9: Nov 1

Computing Architectures

  • Graphic requirement of human perception vs. VR graphic engines
  • Basic architecture of a VR graphic engine (graphic pipeline, graphic cards for PC, etc.)
  • Detail analysis of modern graphic hardware
  • Highly parallel VR graphic engines
  • Distributed virtual reality systems

VR-Hardware

 

W9: Nov. 3

Visit to TEC Edmonton VR Lab

W10: Nov. 7 to Nov. 11

Fall reading week

 

 

W11: Nov. 15

Modeling for VR

 

o   Geometric Modeling (geometric primitives, scene hierarchies, constructive geometry, etc.)

o   Cinematic Model (object motion, collision detection, navigation models, motion hierarchies, etc.)

o   Physical Modeling (gravity, collision, deformable model, surface texture, etc.)

o   Behavioral Modeling (Artificial life, responsive model, etc.)

o   Model segmentation (segmentation in cells, LOD, etc.)

o   Modeling real-life from sensors

VR-Modeling

 

W11: Nov. 17

o   No-class

Assignment 5: Due Dec. 5

W12: Nov. 22

Modelling for VR Continue

VR-Modeling

 

W12: Nov. 24

VR Programming

 

o   Java 3D

o   Vizard Toolkit

o   Unity 3D

o   MiddleVR

o   Scanning Demo

VR-Programming

MiddleVR

KScan3D Tutorials

W13: Nov. 29

Human Factors in VR

VR-Human-Factors

To be read by the students

W13: Dec. 1

Augmented Realty

AR

W14: Dec. 6

Tele-presence and Cinematic VR

VR-Telepresence

 

W14: Dec. 8

Applications of VR and AR

 

o   Medicine and rehabilitation (surgery, anatomic simulator, remote surgery, hybrid systems)

o   VR games

o   Arts (virtual actors, virtual museum, virtual music, virtual theatre)

o   Virtual product design (CAD display, process simulation, virtual prototyping)

o   Robotic (robot and virtual reality, design of robots, robot programming, supervisory control, the Mars Rover)

o   Teaching systems (military training 'SIMNET', NASA training systems, flight simulators)

o   Virtual teleconferencing systems

VR-Future

W15: Dec. 12

Students Presentations and Demos

 

 

W15: Dec 16

Final Report Due

 

 



Additional Recommended Books

Developer References

Research Articles

Other Online Resources

 

Internet Links

 

https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/cs498sl/index.php

 

https://courses.engr.illinois.edu/cs498sl/extra-material.php

 

http://stanford.edu/class/ee267/

 

http://moodle.epfl.ch/course/view.php?id=6841

 

https://www.evl.uic.edu/aej/528/

 

http://allvirtualreality.com/learning/university-college-school-virtual-reality-vr-courses-training.html