Virtual Helicopter Landing Platform (V-HELP)

The research project focused on how virtual reality (VR) could create a non-immersive environment and improve in increasing safety awareness at offshore platform. The main problem is the typical training talk usually use video and audio presentation which cannot provide the walkthrough movement. The aim of this project is to develop and design Virtual Helicopter Landing Platform (V-HELP) application which allows users to explore the virtual platform environment. The objectives of this project are to design and develop helicopter landing platform; to visualize movement and facilitate understanding in VR; and at the same time identify components and characteristics of the virtual environment for adequate realism. In completion the project, the framework used is based on part of the waterfall "modeling theory. The phases involved in the framework used for project development is the analysis phase, design and development phase, integration and testing phase and lastly evaluation phase. Developments tools have been used in the project are 3D Maya 5..0.1 and Macromedia Flash MX software. As a result from the evaluation conducted, shows that most of the evaluators are satisfied with the project. They think that the realism of the prototype can be improved in virtual environment through enhancement on chosen the suitable textures materials and enable user control during walkthrough. As a conclusion, the research project show that Virtual Environment are very useful and more effective for the offshore safety training compared to the conventional method

Interactive interrogation of computational mixing data in a virtual environment

Mixing processes are essential in the chemical process industries, including food processors, consumer products corporations, and pharmaceutical manufacturers. The increased use of computational fluid dynamics (CFD) during the design and analysis of static and stirred mixers has provided increased insight into mixing processes. However, the velocities, temperatures, and pressures are insufficient to completely quantify a mixing process. A more complete understanding of mixing processes is given by the material spatial distribution of massless particles as they move through the flow field. This research seeks to combine surround-screen virtual reality and particle tracing of massless particles into an interactive virtual environment to explore the benefits these tools bring to engineers seeking to understand the behavior of fluids in mixing processes. Surround-screen virtual reality (VR) provides a means to immerse users into the mixing data where they can collaboratively investigate the flow features as displayed on a large scale stereo-projection system. This work integrates the particle tracing computation power of the HyperTrace[Superscript TM] commercial software application with new data interrogation techniques made possible by the use of virtual reality technology. Parallel processing to facilitate interactive placement of particles in the flow, volume data selection using a convex hull approach, cutting plane generation, and the integration of voice control and a tablet PC will be presented. Both a stirred mixing vessel and flow through a duct will be used as examples. Finally, the benefits of VR applied to mixing analysis are presented, along with some suggestions for future work in this area

Virtual Helicopter Landing Platform (V-HELP)

The research project focused on how virtual reality (VR) could create a non-immersive environment and improve in increasing safety awareness at offshore platform. The main problem is the typical training talk usually use video and audio presentation which cannot provide the walkthrough movement. The aim of this project is to develop and design Virtual Helicopter Landing Platform (V-HELP) application which allows users to explore the virtual platform environment. The objectives of this project are to design and develop helicopter landing platform; to visualize movement and facilitate understanding in VR; and at the same time identify components and characteristics of the virtual environment for adequate realism. In completion the project, the framework used is based on part of the waterfall "modeling theory. The phases involved in the framework used for project development is the analysis phase, design and development phase, integration and testing phase and lastly evaluation phase. Developments tools have been used in the project are 3D Maya 5..0.1 and Macromedia Flash MX software. As a result from the evaluation conducted, shows that most of the evaluators are satisfied with the project. They think that the realism of the prototype can be improved in virtual environment through enhancement on chosen the suitable textures materials and enable user control during walkthrough. As a conclusion, the research project show that Virtual Environment are very useful and more effective for the offshore safety training compared to the conventional method

Virtual reality and its role in removing the barriers that turn cognitive impairments into intellectual disability

Early expectations of the contribution that virtual reality (VR) could make to education far exceeded actual applications. This was largely due to the initial immaturity of the technology and a lack of evidence base on which to base design and utilisation. While the early developments in computer based learning largely concentrated on mainstream education, leaving those with special needs behind, the potential of VR as an educational tool was exploited for those with intellectual disabilities right from the start. This paper describes the empirical evidence that has contributed to the development of educational virtual reality for those with intellectual disabilities: studies on transfer of learning from the virtual to the real world; how teachers might support those using VR; the design of virtual environments and what input/control devices best facilitate use of desktop VR. Future developments and ethical issues are also considered

Visual communication in urban planning and urban design

This report documents the current status of visual communication in urban design and planning. Visual communication is examined through discussion of standalone and network media, specifically concentrating on visualisation on the World Wide Web(WWW).Firstly, we examine the use of Solid and Geometric Modelling for visualising urban planning and urban design. This report documents and compares examples of the use of Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and proprietary WWW based Virtual Reality modelling software. Examples include the modelling of Bath and Glasgow using both VRML 1.0 and 2.0. A review is carried out on the use of Virtual Worldsand their role in visualising urban form within multi-user environments. The use of Virtual Worlds is developed into a case study of the possibilities and limitations of Virtual Internet Design Arenas (ViDAs), an initiative undertaken at the Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis, University College London. The use of Virtual Worlds and their development towards ViDAs is seen as one of the most important developments in visual communication for urban planning and urban design since the development plan.Secondly, photorealistic media in the process of communicating plans is examined.The process of creating photorealistic media is documented, examples of the Virtual Streetscape and Wired Whitehall Virtual Urban Interface System are provided. The conclusion is drawn that although the use of photo-realistic media on the WWW provides a way to visually communicate planning information, its use is limited. The merging of photorealistic media and solid geometric modelling is reviewed in the creation of Augmented Reality. Augmented Reality is seen to provide an important step forward in the ability to quickly and easily visualise urban planning and urban design information.Thirdly, the role of visual communication of planning data through GIS is examined interms of desktop, three dimensional and Internet based GIS systems. The evolution to Internet GIS is seen as a critical component in the development of virtual cities which will allow urban planners and urban designers to visualise and model the complexity of the built environment in networked virtual reality.Finally a viewpoint is put forward of the Virtual City, linking Internet GIS with photorealistic multi-user Virtual Worlds. At present there are constraints on how far virtual cities can be developed, but a view is provided on how these networked virtual worlds are developing to aid visual communication in urban planning and urban design

Integration of virtual reality within the built environment curriculum

Virtual Reality (VR) technology is still perceived by many as being inaccessible and cost prohibitive with VR applications considered expensive to develop as well as challenging to operate. This paper reflects on current developments in VR technologies and describes an approach adopted for its phased integration into the academic curriculum of built environment students. The process and end results of implementing the integration are discussed and the paper illustrates the challenges of introducing VR, including the acceptance of the technology by academic staff and students, interest from industry, and issues pertaining to model development. It sets out to show that fairly sophisticated VR models can now be created by non-VR specialists using commercially available software and advocates that the implementation of VR will increase alongside industryis adoption of these tools and the emergence of a new generation of students with VR skills. The study shows that current VR technologies, if integrated appropriately within built environment academic programmes, demonstrate clear promise to provide a foundation for more widespread collaborative working environments

The design-by-adaptation approach to universal access: learning from videogame technology

This paper proposes an alternative approach to the design of universally accessible interfaces to that provided by formal design frameworks applied ab initio to the development of new software. This approach, design-byadaptation, involves the transfer of interface technology and/or design principles from one application domain to another, in situations where the recipient domain is similar to the host domain in terms of modelled systems, tasks and users. Using the example of interaction in 3D virtual environments, the paper explores how principles underlying the design of videogame interfaces may be applied to a broad family of visualization and analysis software which handles geographical data (virtual geographic environments, or VGEs). One of the motivations behind the current study is that VGE technology lags some way behind videogame technology in the modelling of 3D environments, and has a less-developed track record in providing the variety of interaction methods needed to undertake varied tasks in 3D virtual worlds by users with varied levels of experience. The current analysis extracted a set of interaction principles from videogames which were used to devise a set of 3D task interfaces that have been implemented in a prototype VGE for formal evaluation

Development of a Collaborative Design Tool for Structural Analysis in an Immersive Virtual Environment

This paper contains the results of an on-going collaborative research effort by the departments of Architecture and Computer Science of Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, U.S.A., to develop a computer visualization application for the structural analysis of building structures. The VIRTUAL-SAP computer program is being developed by linking PC-SAP4 (Structural Analysis Program), and virtual environment software developed using the SVE (Simple Virtual Environment) library. VIRTUAL-SAP is intended for use as a collaborative design tool to facilitate the interaction between the architect, engineer, and contractor by providing an environment that they can walk-through and observe the consequences of design alterations. Therefore, this software can be used as an interactive computer-aided analysis of building systems