Virtual Applications: Applications with Virtual Inhabited 3D Worlds

261 Pages·2004·6.01 MB·English

by  Peter Bøgh Andersen

Virtual Applications: Applications with Virtual
Inhabited 3D Wodds
Springer-Verlag London Ltd.
Peter Andersen and Lars Qvortrup (Eds)
Virtual Applications
Applications with Virtual Inhabited
3D Worlds
i
Springer
Peter Andersen
Department of Computer Science, Aalborg University, Denmark
Lars Qvortrup
Department of Literature, Culture and Media, U niversity of Southern
Denmark, Denmark
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Virtual applications: applications with virtual inhabited 3D worlds / Peter Andersen and
Lars Qvortrup (eds.)
p.cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-84996-891-1
1. Human-computer interaction. 2. Virtual reality. I. Andersen, Peter B0gh. II.
Qvortrup, Lars.
QA76.9.H85V5352003
006.8--dc22 2003061742
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or
review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication
may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the
prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction
in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency.
Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
ISBN 978-1-84996-891-1 ISBN 978-1-4471-3746-7 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-1-4471-3746-7
Springer-Verlag is part of Springer Science+ Business Media
springeronline.com
© Springer-Verlag London, 2004
Originally published by Springer-Verlag London Limited in 2004
Softcover reprint of the hardcover l st edition 2004
The use of registered names, trademarks etc. in this publication does not imply, even in
the absence of a specific statement, that such names are exempt from the relevant laws
and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher makes no representation, express or implied, with regard to the accuracy
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liability for any errors or omissions that may be made.
Typesetting: lan Kingston Editorial Services, Nottingham, UK
34/3830-543210 Printed on acid-free paper SPIN 10880478
Contents
List of Contributors VB
Introduction
Peter Bogh Andersen and Lars Qvortrup
1 The World in the Computer
2 VR for Decision Support in Urban Planning
Erik Kjems .................. . 13
3 Virtual Reality and Habitats for Learning Microsurgical Skills
lens Haase, Peter Musaeus and Egil Boisen ........ . 29
4 Theatrical Virtuality - Virtual Theatricality
Niels Lehmann and lanek Szatkowski 49
5 Supporting Interactive Dramaturgy in a Virtual
Environment for Small Children
Claus B. Madsen 89
6 3D Technology in Design and Production
Anders Drejer and Agnar Gudmundsson . .. ........ 117
2 The Computer in the World
7 Habitats for the Digitally Pervasive Wodd
Daniel Chien-Meng May and Bent Bruun Kristensen .. 141
8 Lessons From Being There: Interface Design for Mobile
Augmented Reality
lesper Kjeldskov ........ . ....... . .. . . .... 159
v
vi Contents
9 Modelling Moving Machines
Peter B~gh Andersen and Paile Nowack .......... 189
10 Wayfinding, Ships and Augmented Reality
Michael May ............... . .. 212
11 Conceptual Abstraction in Modelling With Physical and
Informational Material
Bent Bruun Kristensen, Daniel Chien-Meng May,
Paile Nowack ............... . 234
Author Index 258
List of Contributors
Peter B0gh Andersen Agnar Gudmundsson
Department of Computer Science Department of Production
Aalborg University Aalborg University
Fr. Bajersvej 7E Fibigerstrrede 16
DK-9220 Aalborg 0. DK-9220 Aalborg 0.
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.cs.auc.dk/ Website: http://www.iprod.auc.
-pba/ dk/internet/i9-visitkort/agnar
gudmundsso.htm
Eigil Boisen
Department of Health Science Jens Haase
and Technology Department of Health Science
Aalborg University and Technology
Fr. Bajersvej 7D-l Aalborg University
DK-9220 Aalborg 0. Fr. Bajersvej 7D-l
E-mail: [email protected] DK-9220 Aalborg 0.
Website: http://www.hst.auc.dk/ E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.smi.auc.dk/
Anders Drejer members/jph/
Aarhus Business School
Department of Organisation and Jesper Kjeldskov
Management Department of Computer Science
Haslegaardsvej 10 Aalborg University
DK-821O Aarhus V Fredrik Bajers Vej 7
Denmark DK-9220 Aalborg 0
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.cs.auc.dk/
-jesper
vii
viii List of Contributors
Erik Kjems Daniel May
VRMedia Lab Maersk Institute
Aalborg University University of Southern Denmark,
Niels Jernes Vej 14 Odense
DK-9220 Aalborg 0. Campusvej 55
E-mail: [email protected] DK-5230 Odense M
Website: http://www. vrmedialab. E-mail: [email protected]
dk Website: http://www.
thedanielmay.com
Bent Bruun Kristensen
Maersk Institute Michael May
University of Southern Denmark, LearningLab DTU
Odense Technical University of Denmark
Campusvej 55 Building 101 - DTV
DK-5230 Odense M Anker Engelundsvej 1
E-mail: bbkristensen@ DK-2800 Kgs. Lyngby
mip.sdu.dk E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.mip.sdu.dk! Website: http://www.maritime
-bbk hfe.com
Niels Lehmann Palle Nowack
Institute for Aesthetic Studies Maersk Institute
Department of Dramaturgy University of Southern Denmark,
University of Aarhus Odense
Langelandsgade 139 Campusvej 55
DK-8000 Aarhus DK-5230 Odense M
E-mail: [email protected] E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://www.nowack.dk
Peter Musaeus
Psykologisk Institut Lars Qvortrup
Asylvej 4 Department of Interactive Media
DK-8240 Risskov University of Southern Denmark,
E-mail: [email protected] Odense
Website: http://www.psy.au.dk! Campusvej 55
DK-5230 Odense M
Claus B. Madsen E-mail: [email protected]
Computer Vision and Website: http://www.qvortrup.
MediaTechnology info/
Aalborg University
Niels Jernes Vej 14 Janek Szatkowski
DK-9220 Aalborg 0. Institute for Aesthetic Studies
E-mail: [email protected] Department of Dramaturgy
Website: http://www.cvmt.dk/ University of Aarhus
-cbm/ Langelandsgade 139
DK-8000 Aarhus
E-mail: [email protected]
1
Introduction
Peter B"gh Andersen and Lars Qvortrup
The present volume differs from the earlier volumes in this series about virtual
inhabited 3D worlds in two respects: as the title says, it is focused on applications
(trains, ships, toys, urban planning, brain surgery, design and production, and
educational material); but it also took an unexpected turn, partly because half of the
chapters are about augmented reality and partly because the concept of a habitat,
originally proposed by Daniel May, turned out to be useful in a number of chapters.
In addition to this, the focus on applications raised the issue of evaluation criteria:
what is a "good" virtual reality application? Is a "realistic" application (Le. an appli
cation that looks like reality) better than an application that does not look like the
real world? Not necessarily. For instance, the animals in the virtual environment for
small children analyzed by Madsen don't look like real animals, but the application
still works. So what are the criteria for good VR applications?
1.1 Virtual and Augmented Reality
That augmented reality is closely related to virtual reality should come as no
surprise: both technologies are based on a mapping between two coordinate
systems. In virtual reality, the user's view point is mapped into the coordinate
system of a virtual world, so that he sees what he would have seen had he been
located at a certain position in the virtual world. In augmented reality, the mapping
works the other way around: the user's position and orientation is now the point of
departure, and the virtual world is presented in such a way that the user sees what
he would have seen had the virtual object been located at a certain position in the
real world.
Therefore, augmented versus virtual reality is a matter of balance: is the real world
strong enough to make the virtual one adapt, or does the virtual world succeed in
forcing the user to see and hear according to its logic?
The chapters in Section 1 of this book are about the world in the computer that
users can enter, i.e. about virtual reality applications. In Section 2, the chapters deal
with computer applications that are placed in the real world. In both cases, the
2 Peter Begh Andersen and Lars Qvortrup
problem reminds one of Chinese boxes: one box must fit into another box. In some
cases, pieces of the real world, including real users, are put into the computer appli
cation's virtual world. Here the application provides real-world simulations in
which users can act and navigate. In other cases, the computer application's virtual
world is put into the real world in order to help users to navigate in the real world.
However, in both situations, of course, the final aim is to help people perform better
in the real world. For instance, a 3D brain model (cf. Chapter 3) is a virtual reality
application that users can enter in order to practice their surgery skills, or simulta
neously to navigate better in a real brain. The user goes from the real world into the
virtual world in order to perform better in the real world. In the interface designs
for mobile augmented reality analyzed by Kjeldskov in Chapter 8, the application
"enters" the user's real world. The application's virtual world is being merged into a
physical space supporting the real-world users' collaborative behaviour.
1.2 The Habitat Concept
The proliferation of the concept of habitat is at bit more surprising. It was tenta
tively suggested as a common framework at a meeting in spring 2002, and a number
of authors, more or less reluctantly, tried it out in their work. As might be expected,
the result was a number of variants, but still sharing the same kernel.
One constant feature is the idea of a boundary with an inside and an outside
(Brown, 1971). The conditions inside are markedly different from those outside, so
what can be said or done inside cannot necessarily be said or done outside, and
conversely. For very good reasons this notion is heavily stressed in Chapter 3, which
deals with various kinds of surgery: macroscopic surgery in an operating theatre,
micro-surgery and endoscopic surgery. It is also a major idea in the Chapter 9,
which looks at information needs in railways.
When one is inside the boundary, certain things can be done according to this
particular habitat's conditions and rules of behaviour. But when one crosses the
boundary (Le. makes a transition from one habitat to another), new rules apply. It
is important for a well-functioning virtual reality or augmented reality computer
application to support the user in understanding and managing these changes.
Another recurrent feature is the idea of simplification, i.e. reduction of complexity.
Once inside a habitat, one can ignore many choices and complications that are dealt
with outside. This simplification may be a necessity in order to survive, but can also
be counter-productive - even lethal. The former is stressed in Chapter 6, which
discusses organizational habitats, characterized by specialized languages and
modes of thinking, as an obstacle for developing efficient design and production
processes; the latter is important in Chapter 10 on wayfinding on ships during
maritime accidents. In such cases, passengers really live in small chunks of space
and have difficulty in getting the overview that might help them to escape to the
muster stations.
Nevertheless, a useful "overview" is not necessarily a grand model of everything.
On the contrary: overviews are often too complex and provide too much