Introduction to Virtual/Augmented Reality and Telepresence

MM-806

(Fall 2022)

 

Ivan Sutherland's HMD (1968)

Modern HMDs (Today)

 

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 will start on September 6

In-person:

Every Tuesday, from 13:00-14:20, classroom C5-36 (Chemistry Room)

Every Thursday from 13:00-14:20, we will use CAB379

Virtual:

Please register in advance for the lectures using the zoom link

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email about joining the meeting.

All lectures will be recorded

 

TA: Gabriel Lugo Bustillo lugobust@ualberta.ca

 

Course Description

Virtual 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 intuitively and naturally. The use of interactive techniques and sensor-based devices, such as haptic and head-mount displays, 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 multimedia systems

 

Assignments

Assignments must be submitted electronically to VRARMM806@gmail.com. Most of the assignments will be using Unity 3D.

There will be five problem sets. Don't be misled by the 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 on the problems is a crucial part of the learning process and will invariably have a significant impact on your understanding of the material

 

Course Project

A group project will culminate in a final ten-page report in IEEE format and a presentation at a day workshop. Progress and checkpoints before the last 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 and your commitment and participation. The problem sets and final projects are combined to give a final grade:

 

ACTIVITIES

Weight

Final Project

50%

Assignments (5 x 10%)

50%

 

Lecture Notes

 

Course calendar.

 

TOPICS

Slides

Extras

First Class

Class Overview

Class Overview

VR-Intro

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 modelling systems, etc.)

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

VR-Intro

 

History of VR

VR-History

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 October 3

o   Lighting and Shading

VR-Graphics

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

Introduction to Human Vision

VR-Human Vision

 

Group Description: Due October 3

Visual Rendering Systems

o   Essential characteristics of human visual perception

o   Stereoscopic display systems (LCD, CRT, HMD, flat, panoramic, 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 17

Digitizing the Human Body

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

VR-Tracking

VR/AR Term Projects

By October 23, I would like each team to send me the following information:

o  A project titles

o  The name of each member of the team

o  A detailed description of the project

o  A diagram of the VR/AR interface functionality

o  A preliminary system design

o  An estimated timeline of the execution of the project

  • A list of the equipment/data required

Once I get this, I will meet with each team individually and discuss the logistic of the project.

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

VR-Tracking

Assignment 3: Due October 31

o   Review of student projects

List of Projects

Sound Rendering Systems

o   Essential 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 14

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

 

Computing Architectures

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

VR-Hardware

 

Modelling 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   Behavioural Modeling (Artificial life, responsive model, etc.)

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

o   Modelling real-life from sensors

VR-Modeling

 

VR Programming

 

o   Java 3D

o   Vizard Toolkit

o   Unity 3D

o   MiddleVR

 

VR-Programming

Human Factors in VR and Augmented Reality

VR-Human-Factors

Assignment 5: Due December 5

Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality

 

Tele-presence and Cinematic VR

VR-Telepresence

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

 

Students' Presentations and Demos

 

Project demos start the week of December 13

Final Report

 

Due no later than December 19

Recommended Reference Books

 

o  Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications. 2nd Edition. K. S. Hale, K. M. Stanney, Eds. 2014.

o  3D User Interfaces: Theory and Practice. D. A. Bowman, E. Kruijff, J. J. LaViola, and I. Poupyrev. 2014.

o  Understanding Virtual Reality: Interface, Application, and Design. W. R. Sherman and A. B. Craig. 2012.

 

Developer References

 

o  Unity3D Interface Overview

o  Unity3D Manual

o  Oculus Best Practices Guide

 

Research Articles

 

o  Stereoscopy and the Human Visual System

o  Optometric and Perceptual Issues with Head-mounted Displays

 

Other Online Resources

 

o  Reddit/Oculus

o  A developer's perspective on immersive 3D computer graphics

o  Road to VR

o  Oculus Connect keynotes

o  Blur Busters

 

Internet Links

 

o  https://www.edx.org/professional-certificate/virtual-reality-vr-app-development

 

o  http://stanford.edu/class/ee267/

 

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

 

o  https://www.evl.uic.edu/aej/528/

 

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