Current Topics in Virtual Reality

Claudia Hnel, Torsten W. Kuhlen

haenel@vr.rwth-aachen.de
 Agenda

Presentation of the Virtual Reality Group

Seminar organization
Seminar topics

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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2016-10-21
Virtual Reality Group
Virtual Reality Group @ RWTH Aachen University

School of Mathematics, Comp. Science, and Natural Sciences

Visual Computing Institute

Virtual Reality and Immersive Visualization

IT Center
Central Institutions
Current Topics in Virtual Reality |
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 What is Virtual Reality all about?

Computer-generated, artificial world

Real-time interaction
Immersion
Intuitive interaction with data
VR is multimodal: acoustics, haptics
3D interface: stereoscopic, user-centered view

www.ar-tracking.com

www.dentsable.com

www.eyetracking-glasses.com/

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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Display Systems

Head-mounted display
Entertainment
Low cost VR
CAVE, Power Wall
Science
Industry

www.oculus.com/rift

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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 Research & Applications

Mechanical Engineering Medicine & (Neuro-)Psychology

Simulation Science
Basic Methods
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 Virtual Windtunnel

GPU-based real-time particle tracing

Works for structured, unstructured and time-varying data
Advanced billboard rendering (Virtual Tubelets)

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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Regional Anaesthesia

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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Seminar Organization
 General Information

All details given on the seminars web page

http://www.vr.rwth-aachen.de/course/10

3 weeks time to drop out without consequences (2016-11-11)

All templates on web page
All dates on web page
Failing a deadline = failing the seminar
Plagiarism = failing the seminar
Written and oral part need to be passed

Do not hesitate to contact your advisor!

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 Process

Literature research and Outline

First Submission
Final submission
Rehearsal talk
Final presentation

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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 Literature Research & Outline

Primary paper handed out by your advisor

Self-responsible investigation of this material and background information
Training Literaturrecherche
Sources: Internet, Library, ..

List of references & outline (deadline: 2016-11-14 8:00am)

Key to getting your thesis set up
List all related papers that you deem relevant
Add a short explanation
Give an outline with short explanations

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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 Writing the Seminar Paper

Prepare a detailed discussion of your topic

Methods, techniques, and algorithms presented in the primary paper
Work closely with your advisor

The paper
First submission includes: figures, tables, references,
LaTeX template on web page (DIN A4, 12pt font size, single-spaced line pitch)
16-21 pages (text)

1 page 3/4 page 1/2 page

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |
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 Writing the Seminar Paper

Citations and Plagiarism

All external, i.e., not your own results must be labeled correctly
Applies for seminar paper and the presentation

Deadlines:
first version: 2017-01-09 8:00am
final submission: 2017-01-30 8:00am

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 Presentation

Present your topic for your peers

Introduction to problem domain
Introduction to problem itself
Solutions for the problems
Concentrate on the nuggets of your paper

20min presentation + 5min discussion

Deadlines:
Rehearsal talk till: 2017-02-06
Final presentation: 2017-02-10 9:00am-5:00pm

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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 Deadlines

Literature research/Outline: 2016-11-14 08:00am

First submission: 2017-01-09 08:00am
Final submission: 2017-01-30 08:00am
Rehearsal talk till: 2017-02-06
Final presentation: 2017-02-10 9:00am-5:00pm

Missing a deadline = failing the seminar

Plagiarism = failing the seminar

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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 VR Lab Demo

2016-10-24 9.30-11.30am in the VR Lab at Kopernikussstr. 6

Demo in aixCAVE and on other devices
optional

Current Topics in Virtual Reality |

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Seminar Topics
 1. Selection Classification for Interaction with Immersive Volumetric
Visualizations

[Laha and Bowman, 2013]

Selecting single or multiple points

Challenges with occlusion and distance
Preliminary study on natural interactions
Suggestion for classification
[Lucas et al., 2005]

Amy Banic: Selection Classification for Interaction with Immersive Volumetric Visualizations. Human Interface and
the Management of Information. Information and Knowledge Design and Evaluation. Volume 8521 of the series
Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 10-21, 2014.

Advisor: Claudia Hnel

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 2. VTK-m: Accelerating the Visualization Toolkit for Massively
Threaded Architectures

Visualization Toolkit (VTK)

High performance computing installations
Volume rendering, ray tracing, geometric
operations etc.
ParaView, VisIt etc.

Kenneth Moreland et al.: VTK-m: Accelerating the Visualization Toolkit for Massively Threaded Architectures. IEEE
Computer Graphics and Applications, Volume 36(3), pp. 4858, 2016.
Advisor: Claudia Hnel

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3. Frameless Volume Visualization

Kaloian Petkov and Arie E. Kaufman:

Frameless Volume Visualization
IEEE TVCG, February 2016

Advisor: Bernd Hentschel

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4. Lift-Off: Using Reference Imagery and Freehand Sketching to
Create 3D Models in VR

Jackson et al., IEEE Transactions on Visualization and Computer Graphics, 2016

Create models from 2D sketches prepared offline

Extract 3D curves from input sketches placed in the IVE
Sweep surfaces along curves

Advisor: Sebastian Pick

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5. Making VR Work: Building a Real-World Immersive Modeling
Application in the Virtual World

Mine et al, Proceedings of the ACM Symposium on Spatial User Interfaces, 2014

Hybrid user interface (2D + 3D interaction) for better interaction

Custom-made and tracked, smartphone-based controllers in both hands
Interaction tasks are split between 2D UI and 3D UI

Advisor: Sebastian Pick

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 6. Interacting with Virtual Agents in Shared Space:
Single and Joint Effects of Gaze and Proxemics

Shared resource between user and VA

space
Level of intimacy variables
VAs gaze and proxemics

Research questions:
Perceived VA personality?
Users positioning themselves?

Gaze Gaze
VA User
Proxemics Proxemics
Jan Kolkmeier et al.: Interacting with Virtual Agents in Shared Space: Single and Joint Effects of Gaze and
Proxemics. Proceedings of the 16th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, 2016.
Advisor: Andrea Bnsch

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 7. Manipulating the Perception of Virtual Audiences
using Crowdsourced Behavior

Most common reported phobia: public speaking

Options to reduce phobia: exposure to virtual audience
Research question:
Which non-verbal behaviors make an audience appear in a particular state?

Mathieu Chollet et al.: Manipulating the Perception of Virtual Audiences using Crowdsourced Behaviors. Proceedings
of the 16th International Conference on Intelligent Virtual Agents, 2016.
Advisor: Andrea Bnsch

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8. A Display with 80s End-to-End Latency

Lincoln, P., Blate, A., Singh, M., Whitted, T.,

State, A., Lastra, A., Fuchs, H.:
From Motion to Photons in 80
Microseconds: Towards
Minimal Latency for Virtual and
Augmented Reality
IEEE TVCG, April 2016

Latency is one of the most important

problems in VR
Reduces performance, comfort,
immersion
Lots of factors contributing to latency
Development of an extremely low
latency display prototype

Advisor: Sebastian Freitag

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 9. Performance of Redirected Walking in Constrained Worlds

Hodgson, E., Bachmann, E., and Thrash, T.:

Performance of Redirected
Walking Algorithms in a
Constrained Virtual World
IEEE TVCG, April 2014

Goal: continued real walking

Redirected Walking imperceptibly
steers user away from obstacles
Different redirection strategies are
possible
Exploiting constraints of the virtual
world (e.g., aisles in a supermarket)
can enhance strategy performance

Advisor: Sebastian Freitag

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10. Guidelines for Using Multiple Views in Information Visualization

Discusses rules when to use CMV systems

Presents use cases where CMV can be applied

Baldonado et al. Proceedings of the Working Conference on Advanced Visual Interfaces. ACM, 2000.

Advisor: Christian Nowke

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11. A Coordination Model for Exploratory Multi-View Visualization

Seminal paper on the coordination of views

Presents an abstract model for coordination principles

Boukhelifa et al. Proceedings of the International Conference on Coordinated and Multiple Views in
Exploratory Visualization, IEEE, 2003.
Advisor: Christian Nowke

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12. Effects of VR System Fidelity on Analyzing Isosurface
Visualization of Volume Datasets

B. Laha, D. A. Bowman, and J. J. Socha. IEEE Trans. Vis. Comput. Graph., 2014.

Volume data analysis requires precise spatial judgments

Isosurfaces in a CAVE-like display
Controlled experiment evaluating the effects of different components of
system fidelity
Compared results with those from a prior experiment using 3D texture-
based rendering
Advisor: Sascha Gebhardt

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13. IDS: The Intent Driven Selection Method for Natural User Interfaces

F. Periverzov and H. Ilie. 3D User Interfaces (3DUI), 2015 IEEE Symposium on.

Difficulties in selection of small objects in crowded scenes

New selection technique:

Natural hand gestures for object manipulation
Use of behavioral cues for goal-directed movement

Advisor: Sascha Gebhardt

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Choose Your Topic

Fill form
3 prioritized choices
1 no-go

Youll get an e-mail with your topic and your advisor within the next
couple of days
Get back to your advisor ASAP!
Talk to her about the topic, the focus of your work, and how to
proceed

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Choose Your Topic (3 prioritized, 1 no-go)

1. Selection Classification for Interaction with Immersive Volumetric

Visualizations
2. VTK-m: Accelerating the Visualization Toolkit for Massively Threaded
Architectures
3. Frameless Volume Visualization
4. Using Reference Imagery and Freehand Sketching to Create 3D Models in
VR
5. Building a Real-World Immersive Modeling Application in the Virtual World
6. Interacting with Virtual Agents in Shared Space
7. Manipulating the Perception of Virtual Audiences using Crowdsourced
Behavior
8. A Display with 80s End-to-End Latency
9. Performance of Redirected Walking in Constrained Worlds
10. Guidelines for Using Multiple Views in Information Visualization
11. A Coordination Model for Exploratory Multi-View Visualization
12. Effects of VR System Fidelity on Analyzing Isosurface Visualization of
Volume Datasets
13. IDS: The Intent Driven Selection Method for Natural User Interfaces
34