Platform is not destiny: Embodied learning effects comparing 2D desktop to 3D virtual reality STEM experiences

Experiences in immersive 3D virtual reality (VR) are more presence-inducing, and so it may be tempting to claim that content will be learned better in VR. This randomized control trial study on natural selection challenges that assumption. This study answers the question of whether learning STEM in an immersive 3D VR environment is always superior to learning via a 2D monitor (PC). This is a 2 × 2 × 3 design. The first factor is platform immersivity (low = 2D PC, or high = 3D VR), the second factor is level of embodiment (lower = watching playback video, or higher = using mouse/controller to agentically manipulate content), and the third factor is test time (pretest, posttest, and follow-up). There was a significant main effect for embodiment, the high embodied and agentic groups learned the most. There was not a main effect for platform, because the participants in the low embodied VR group performed significantly worse than the three other groups. Although, the one high embodied, VR group learned and retained the most knowledge. A path-analysis revealed that the effect of platform was significantly mediated by presence, agency, and engagement. The smaller learning gain in the low embodied VR condition suggests that participants come to the immersive VR experience with expectations about agency and control of the virtual content, and when those expectations were not met, the disconnect was deleterious for learning. More agentic and interactive control of manipulable virtual content is encouraged. Design is critical, and platform is not destiny.     

一种基于ActiveX控件的Quest3D与VB通信方法

VB是一种功能丰富、语法灵活的程序语言,已经在建模仿真领域得到了十分广泛的应用。但随着计算机仿真技术的发展,VB仅仅能做二维仿真的这一缺点已经不能适应市场的需求。Quest 3D是一种功能强大的虚拟仿真软件,它融合了当今先进的数字图像处理、计算机图形学、自动控制及各类传感器技术等多个分支领域的信息技术来模拟一个虚拟的三维空间,可以使用户无限制地感受三维空间内的事物。这篇文章通过制作一个简单的例子,详细地介绍了一种通过Ac-tiveX控件把Quest 3D 4.3与VB 6.0这两个软件之间建立起通信的方法,以便于我们充分利用这两个软件的长处,制作出更加令人满意的效果。     

A Platform for User-Tailored Interaction Development in 2D, 3D, and VR

The discussion on the advantages and disadvantages of 2D, 3D, and VR interfaces and their applicability to different types of systems, users, and information led to a series of stand-alone implementations that lack the possibility of realizing an integrated approach. The acceptance of the different interaction techniques will depend on their success in practical applications, i.e. with systems that are used by different users for different purposes. Since this acceptance is especially hard to achieve in computer-critical environments, such as medicine, we developed a software environment that allows for the development, integration, and user-centered evaluation of existing and new interaction techniques for their use in medical applications. This environment is equipped with an innovative message-passing functionality that provides the communication to and among application objects in 2D, 3D, and VR. Furthermore, the environment contains a component for user-adapted interaction and system support at runtime.     

A geoscience perspective on immersive 3D gridded data visualization

We describe visualization software, Visualizer, that was developed specifically for interactive, visual exploration in immersive virtual reality (VR) environments. Visualizer uses carefully optimized algorithms and data structures to support the high frame rates required for immersion and the real-time feedback required for interactivity. As an application developed for VR from the ground up, Visualizer realizes benefits that usually cannot be achieved by software initially developed for the desktop and later ported to VR. However, Visualizer can also be used on desktop systems (unix/linux-based operating systems including Mac OS X) with a similar level of real-time interactivity, bridging the “software gap” between desktop and VR that has been an obstacle for the adoption of VR methods in the Geosciences. While many of the capabilities of Visualizer are already available in other software packages used in a desktop environment, the features that distinguish Visualizer are: (1) Visualizer can be used in any VR environment including the desktop, GeoWall, or CAVE, (2) in non-desktop environments the user interacts with the data set directly using a wand or other input devices instead of working indirectly via dialog boxes or text input, (3) on the desktop, Visualizer provides real-time interaction with very large data sets that cannot easily be viewed or manipulated in other software packages. Three case studies are presented that illustrate the direct scientific benefits realized by analyzing data or simulation results with Visualizer in a VR environment. We also address some of the main obstacles to widespread use of VR environments in scientific research with a user study that shows Visualizer is easy to learn and to use in a VR environment and can be as effective on desktop systems as native desktop applications.     

基于Quest3D 可视化管理系统的研究与实现

Quest3D 是一种基于DirectX 开发的三维交互技术平台,具有广泛的应用空间。在 研究Quest3D 构建交互式三维虚拟场景的过程、方法和相关技术的基础上,以某工程项目为例, 以VC++和Quest3D 为平台,结合MySQL 数据库技术,开发了一个工程项目可视化管理系统, 通过服务监听机制实现数据的异地同步和更新。用户在虚拟场景中通过鼠标或键盘进行交互操 作和漫游,查询工程信息,可视化预警存在问题工程及应急事件处理预案的查询等,为实际工 程施工和管理提供了一种可视化的解决方案。     

基于微机的面向对象三维图形引擎

随着微机三维图形加速硬件性能的不断提高,微机上虚拟现实及三维图形动画应用正在飞速发展,为了提高这方面程序开发的效率与质量,设计了一个面向对象的三维图形引擎Object-3D,它支持动态裁剪,分细节模型（LOD）,Billboard以及模型的结构化组织,在应用系统开发的实践中证明它可以提高应用的开发效率并保障其性能。     

基于Quest3D的钻床加工虚拟教学系统的研究

针对培训系统要求人机交互界面好以及沉浸感强等特点,在钻床教学系统开发中采用实时3D建构工具Quest3D,提出了一种针对钻床教学培训的虚拟现实系统的开发方案,将虚拟现实系统分为三维显示模块,运动控制模块,场景交互模块和场景声控模块等,通过Quest3D的图形编程使得整个系统开发周期缩短,运行效率提高。成功将三维场景虚拟交互技术运用于钻床教学培训系统中。     

工程三维实时漫游系统技术研究

虚拟现实技术已在许多领域有了广泛的文中应用，取得了很好的效果，但其应用系统的开发比较困难。为了利用虚拟现实技术实现工程的三维实时交互查看，分析了虚拟现实技术的基本原理，研究了当前比较可行的技术，利用3D Studio作为建模工具，利用Microaoft DirectX技术进行软件开发，实现了基于桌面系统虚拟现实技术的工程三维形象实时漫游系统，给出了模型的建立、转换及调用方法。实现的应用系统可在微机运行，达到了要求。     

基于虚拟模型的辅助教学软件设计

阐述了一种制作助教式辅助教学软件的方法,将基于VRML构建的实时交互虚拟模型嵌入PowerPoint幻灯片中,将文本内容、二维图形动画及实时交互虚拟模型有机地结合在一起,以“工程图学虚拟模型辅助教学软件”为例,详述了实时交互虚拟模型及其与PowerPoint幻灯片相融合的设计方法和制作技巧。     

三维交互任务的描述和结构设计

主要讨论了三维交互中交互任务的归纳描述和结构设计问题.首先归纳出三维交互中的基本交互任务和普遍交互任务,对二者之间的联系进行了描述,提出了一个三维交互任务的产生框架,最终建立起三维交互中通用的核心模块.三维交互核心模块描述了三维交互中通用的底层结构,模块中定义了三维交互中通用的一系列交互原语和交互任务,实现了原语的产生和任务的整合工作.在开发三维用户界面构造系统(3D UI toolkit或3D UIMS)或具体的三维/虚拟现实应用时,可以直接用它来建立系统的底层交互结构,而程序员将只关注于交互风格的建立等高层工作.     

Tele-immersive product evaluation: a review and an implementation framework

A novel virtual tele-immersive product evaluation environment is conceived. The components for the tele-immersive virtual environment for product evaluation include a robust virtual reality (VR) hardware system, associated VR driving software, development tool for the tele-immersive virtual environment, networking software, user representation scheme and tools for developing 3D models and incorporating dynamic properties into the models. We have developed a model to allow users to collaboratively evaluate products using the CAVE^TM, Performer, CAVERN, CAVEActors, Pro/ENGINEER, and ADAMS.     

基于VR技术的三维射击游戏开发研究

目前三维游戏中利用了虚拟场景,以便捷的人机交互,为游戏者提供最佳的游戏体验.三维游戏的衍生在很大程度上推动了虚拟现实(VR)技术的更新优化,其涵盖了虚拟现实所有技术.本文基于VR技术设计开发三维射击游戏.首先分析游戏开发需求,其次设计三维VR系统结构与游戏开发流程,再次详细规划三维射击游戏功能模块,最后进行游戏人物、场...     

3D textured model encryption via 3D Lu chaotic mapping

In the emerging Virtual/Augmented Reality (VR/AR) era, three dimensional (3D) content will be popularized just as images and videos today. The security and privacy of these 3D contents should be taken into consideration. 3D contents contain surface models and solid models. Surface models include point clouds, meshes and textured models. Previous work mainly focused on the encryption of solid models, point clouds and meshes. This work focuses on the most complicated 3D textured model. We propose a 3D Lu chaotic mapping based encryption method for 3D textured models. We encrypt the vertices, polygons, and textures of 3D models separately using the 3D Lu chaotic mapping. Then the encrypted vertices, polygons and textures are composited together to form the final encrypted 3D textured model. The experimental results reveal that our method can encrypt and decrypt 3D textured models correctly. Furthermore, typical statistic and brute-force attacks can be resisted by the proposed method.     

On the Efficiency of a VR Hand Gesture-Based Interface for 3D Object Manipulations in Conceptual Design

In the early stages of 3D design, sketches are used to quickly conceptualize ideas and gain insight into problems and possible solutions. Computer-aided design tools are widely used for 3D modeling and design, but their required precision and 2D mouse and screen-based interface inhibit the flow of ideas. A study was conducted to explore the efficiency of hand tracking and virtual reality (VR) for 3D object manipulations in conceptual design. Based on existing research on conceptual design and hand gestures, an intuitive hand-based interaction model is proposed. An experiment on basic 3D manipulation shows that participants using a simple VR and hand-tracking interface prototype have similar performance to those using a traditional mouse and screen interface. For the improvement of gestural conceptual design interfaces, the relevant issues are identified.     

Web 3D技术的应用比较

Web 3D技术有多种,都有适用的场合,介绍了有代表性的几种Web 3D技术;Vrml、Cortona、Wire Fusion、EON、Virtools、Quest3D、Flash 3D和Unity 3D,比较了它们各自的特点和应用。     

以Quest3D为虚拟引擎的船舶机舱漫游系统的制作方法

在现代海员培训中,以虚拟现实模型取代实物模型进行培训,可以达到节约成本、提高培训效率的目的。该文简要介绍了使用Quest3D为虚拟引擎,设计海船船舶交互式虚拟机舱的方法;以海船机舱漫游、阀门开关操作以及船舶车钟对主机的控制为重点,简述了Quest3D场景漫游的制作以及对机构控制的基本操作方法。     

3D content-based search using sketches

This paper presents a novel interactive framework for 3D content-based search and retrieval using as query model an object that is dynamically sketched by the user. In particular, two approaches are presented for generating the query model. The first approach uses 2D sketching and symbolic representation of the resulting gestures. The second utilizes non-linear least squares minimization to model the 3D point cloud that is generated by the 3D tracking of the user’s hands, using superquadrics. In the context of the proposed framework, three interfaces were integrated to the sketch-based 3D search system including (a) an unobtrusive interface that utilizes pointing gesture recognition to allow the user manipulate objects in 3D, (b) a haptic–VR interface composed by 3D data gloves and a force feedback device, and (c) a simple air–mouse. These interfaces were tested and comparative results were extracted according to usability and efficiency criteria.     

基于Truevision3D的虚拟现实技术

在介绍TV3D引擎的基础上重,点讨论了在Visual C#.NET中使用TV3D引擎实现虚拟现实的方法和步骤.文中采用动态摄像机,当操作键盘或鼠标来移动目标物体时,场景视角和摄像机会自动调整,很简单地就实现了虚拟漫游.实验结果表明,使用TV3D引擎来实现虚拟现实,很多底层的功能很容易实现.     

Visual creation of inhabited 3D environments

The creation of virtual reality applications and 3D environments is a complex task that requires good programming skills and expertise in computer graphics and many other disciplines. The complexity increases when we want to include complex entities such as virtual characters and animate them. In this paper we present a system that assists in the tasks of setting up a 3D scene and configuring several parameters affecting the behavior of virtual entities like objects and autonomous virtual humans. Our application is based on a visual programming paradigm, supported by a semantic representation, an ontology for virtual environments. The ontology allows us to store and organize the components of a 3D scene, together with the knowledge associated with them. It is also used to expose functionalities in the given 3D engine. Based on a formal representation of its components, the proposed architecture provides a scalable VR system. Using this system, non-experts can set up interactive scenarios with minimum effort; no programming skills or advanced knowledge is required.     

Jabiru: harnessing Java 3D behaviors for device and display portability

The aim of this paper is to use the Java 3D ConfiguredUniverse utilities to create a set of behaviors that we can integrate into existing Java 3D programs, as long as these programs use the ConfiguredUniverse. We call this behavior package Jabiru (Java 3D Application Behavior Immersive Virtual Reality Utilities). The Jabiru set of behaviors, accessible from a master menu, facilitates moving Java 3D applications originally created for desktop environments to immersive VR environments and vice versa. Jabiru also provides a six-degrees-of-freedom (6DOF) device emulator for a conventional mouse, meant to facilitate offsite testing of immersive VR behaviors on a desktop. The main focus of our work with a CAVE is in relation to bioinformatics, which has embraced Java and Java 3D as one of the choice programming environments. By creating this package, we help bring 3D graphics to both the bioinformatics community and the casual Java 3D developer or user. We discuss the design and implementation of Jabiru.