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Fischnaller, Franz; Hill, Alex
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890251pmid: N/A
This paper presents the CITYCLUSTER project, a virtual-reality networking matrix, in a high-tech framework with original technological features, navigation, interactivity, graphic, and content style, in which multiple environments, ambiences, and cities, both real and imagined, can be hosted, coexist, and be interrelated within themselves through a common virtual territory. It can be interconnected by high-speed network, enabling remote participants to access, interact, and collaborate in shared environments and work together in a common virtual space over distance in real time. The framework can be expanded and modified in accordance with the digital environment to be incorporated. Meta-Net-Page, a virtual-reality collaborative networking tool, was designed and implemented ad hoc for CITYCLUSTER. “From the Renaissance to the Megabyte Networking Age” is the first CITY-CLUSTER virtual-reality networked application, which offers visitors a thrilling interactive journey, from the Renaissance to the Super Broadband Networking and Electronic Age. Florence represents the “Renaissance Age”, Chicago the “Gigabits Networking Age.” Each virtual city is inhabited by a group of avatars: David, Venus, and Machiavelli in Florence, and Mega, Giga, and Picasso in Chicago. The implementation of CITYCLUSTER has given rise to a range of technological challenges, which in turn have revealed innovative aspects and salient features relative to content management, the development of juxtaposed virtual environments, networking interactive techniques, avatar design, architecture, and virtual effects. A series of special features and enhancements have been added to the software Ygdrasil, to satisfy content and quality levels of interactivity. In consequence, the Ygdrasil system was further refined as software tools that aid the rapid and intuitive development of interactive virtual environments for artists and other nontechnical users. The CITYCLUSTER project is primarily designed to run in the CAVE and on the AGAVE (Access Grid Augmented Virtual Environment). It can run either locally or through remote networking in both SGIs and the Linux platform.
Fischnaller, Franz; Hill, Alex
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890251pmid: N/A
This paper presents the CITYCLUSTER project, a virtual-reality networking matrix, in a high-tech framework with original technological features, navigation, interactivity, graphic, and content style, in which multiple environments, ambiences, and cities, both real and imagined, can be hosted, coexist, and be interrelated within themselves through a common virtual territory. It can be interconnected by high-speed network, enabling remote participants to access, interact, and collaborate in shared environments and work together in a common virtual space over distance in real time. The framework can be expanded and modified in accordance with the digital environment to be incorporated. Meta-Net-Page, a virtual-reality collaborative networking tool, was designed and implemented ad hoc for CITYCLUSTER. “From the Renaissance to the Megabyte Networking Age” is the first CITY-CLUSTER virtual-reality networked application, which offers visitors a thrilling interactive journey, from the Renaissance to the Super Broadband Networking and Electronic Age. Florence represents the “Renaissance Age”, Chicago the “Gigabits Networking Age.” Each virtual city is inhabited by a group of avatars: David, Venus, and Machiavelli in Florence, and Mega, Giga, and Picasso in Chicago. The implementation of CITYCLUSTER has given rise to a range of technological challenges, which in turn have revealed innovative aspects and salient features relative to content management, the development of juxtaposed virtual environments, networking interactive techniques, avatar design, architecture, and virtual effects. A series of special features and enhancements have been added to the software Ygdrasil, to satisfy content and quality levels of interactivity. In consequence, the Ygdrasil system was further refined as software tools that aid the rapid and intuitive development of interactive virtual environments for artists and other nontechnical users. The CITYCLUSTER project is primarily designed to run in the CAVE and on the AGAVE (Access Grid Augmented Virtual Environment). It can run either locally or through remote networking in both SGIs and the Linux platform.
Chardavoine, François; Ageneau, Sylvain; Ozell, Benoît
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890297pmid: N/A
In this paper we present Wolverine, a simple scene-graph library that incorporates advanced concepts such as node and object differentiation, seamless serialization for distributed environments, and multimedia elements including dynamic textures and video sources. By examining the specifics of Wolverine, we will compare our approach to other scene-graph APIs and dwell on its use in a videoconferencing shared-reality collaborative application.
Chardavoine, François; Ageneau, Sylvain; Ozell, Benoît
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890297pmid: N/A
In this paper we present Wolverine, a simple scene-graph library that incorporates advanced concepts such as node and object differentiation, seamless serialization for distributed environments, and multimedia elements including dynamic textures and video sources. By examining the specifics of Wolverine, we will compare our approach to other scene-graph APIs and dwell on its use in a videoconferencing shared-reality collaborative application.
Zhang, Xiaolong; Furnas, George W.
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890288pmid: N/A
In this paper, a new type of interaction environment, the multiscale collaborative virtual environment (mCVE), is proposed to support multiple users working together at different scale levels. This paper introduces the concept of multiscale collaboration in the context of 3D virtual environments and describes the benefits of multiscale collaboration for understanding and managing large structures that present important features at different scale levels. After a discussion on the design and implementation of multiscale tools to support the visualization of structures, cross-scale information sharing, and cross-scale action, the paper presents an experimental study showing that cross-scale collaboration can improve user performance.
Zhang, Xiaolong; Furnas, George W.
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890288pmid: N/A
In this paper, a new type of interaction environment, the multiscale collaborative virtual environment (mCVE), is proposed to support multiple users working together at different scale levels. This paper introduces the concept of multiscale collaboration in the context of 3D virtual environments and describes the benefits of multiscale collaboration for understanding and managing large structures that present important features at different scale levels. After a discussion on the design and implementation of multiscale tools to support the visualization of structures, cross-scale information sharing, and cross-scale action, the paper presents an experimental study showing that cross-scale collaboration can improve user performance.
Silverstein, Jonathan C.; Dech, Fred
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890233pmid: N/A
We describe a virtual-reality widget library and two medical applications built on the widget library. These two applications, education using surface models and radiological volume visualization, make use of collaborative interaction techniques. These techniques support a high degree of precision with respect to manipulation of data and data parameters. The 3D widgets instantiated in these applications are synchronized between clients in order to facilitate the high degree of interactivity necessary for productive investigation of shared medical models and volume data. We discuss challenges that face the investigator in an immersive 3D environment as opposed to that of a 2D desktop environment. We describe how these differences have led us to criteria for development of the shared 3D Virtual Reality (VR) graphical user interfaces (GUIs) used in the biomedical applications presented. We review our educational validations already conducted for the surface model exploration application and preview our future work toward a single advanced biomedical collaboration environment.
Silverstein, Jonathan C.; Dech, Fred
doi: 10.1162/1054746053890233pmid: N/A
We describe a virtual-reality widget library and two medical applications built on the widget library. These two applications, education using surface models and radiological volume visualization, make use of collaborative interaction techniques. These techniques support a high degree of precision with respect to manipulation of data and data parameters. The 3D widgets instantiated in these applications are synchronized between clients in order to facilitate the high degree of interactivity necessary for productive investigation of shared medical models and volume data. We discuss challenges that face the investigator in an immersive 3D environment as opposed to that of a 2D desktop environment. We describe how these differences have led us to criteria for development of the shared 3D Virtual Reality (VR) graphical user interfaces (GUIs) used in the biomedical applications presented. We review our educational validations already conducted for the surface model exploration application and preview our future work toward a single advanced biomedical collaboration environment.
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