Virtual Reality for E-C

Ralph WestfallMarch, 2009

What Sells Well on the Web? books CDs software financial services (stock trading) travel reservations computers other?

What About? clothing cars houses (purchase without visit) furniture perishables: fresh fruit, vegetables,

fresh meat, etc. other?

Conclusions standardized products sell well on

web customers know what they are, what

they do price & service become major issues

less standardized products that vary in quality don't sell as well people want to see and try them before

purchasing

Virtual Reality can see things in three dimensions with VR similarities to virtual reality entertainment

don’t need a VR headset, gloves, etc. to use use VR equipment with computer in future?

could transform HTML into a 3D system 3D environment for 2-D images, text, scripts,

and multimedia, instead of 2-D desktop?

3D Images and Movies need to use special glasses with one

red lens and one cyan lens (blue green)

3D gif not impressive without glasses

do it yourself 3D: images 3D movies Google's 3D Warehouse

Can Virtual Reality Help E-C? makes it possible to view an object

from all angles but still can't:

touch, feel, try on taste sniff and smell

Potential Web VR Applications on Internet or organizational

intranets entertainment shopping real estate sales education/training decision support systems (DSS)

analysis and decision making

3D Product Demonstrations Dell SAN storage device Cisco carrier routing system "Smart" furniture catalog

may need to install to use items note (View>Source) that many of

these demos use Java applets and JavaScript

VRML virtual reality modeling language

VRML may be pronounced as "vermal"

language for creating 3D images standardized 3D data interchange

format for other 3D applications

VRML Capabilities translation: change position scaling: change size rotation: 3 different ways to turn (X, Y, Z) lighting/shading perspective (lines converge in distance) texturizing surfaces camera points of view navigating (older IE versions)

VRML 2.0 Code Example#VRML V2.0 utf8# cone2.wrl (hotlink to this filename)Shape { geometry Cone { bottomRadius 1.4 height 2.0} appearance Appearance { material Material { diffuseColor 1.0 1.0 0.0}}}

More VRML code image computer integrated

manufacturing models (PDF appears to work in both, but .wrl may crash Firefox)

Using VRML on the Web not built into (even latest) major

browsers have to install VRML plugins for Netscape a lot of Microsoft VRML references are old

"Retired KB Content" VRML not supported in Windows 2000

Cortona 3rd party add-on for IE, Mac

VRML Limitations very difficult to create content without tools

based on geometric figures cone, cube, cylinder, sphere

VR window not integrated with browser but may have HTML support inside

at 1st, navigation doesn't seem easy, natural

poor performance (older machines, slow connections)

VR Demonstrations Interactive 3D Web Presentations 3D page of the week Introducing 3D Examples Tribute to World Trade Center in 3D Cubic VR Gallery (Apple QuickTime) Microsoft video (avi)

Creating VR Applications different kinds of authoring tools

drawing programs generates VRML “stitching” photographs together gaming systems adapted to

commercial use Java 3D can create VR images Macromedia Flash can also create 3D

free tutorials (below ads)

VR Hardware and Equipment Virtual Realities, Inc. Virtual Guidebooks article Google Directory 5DT (Fifth Dimension Technologies) "augmented reality" (AR)

Wikipedia article Howstuffworks article

3D Free Trials trueSpace7.6 (bought by Microsoft) Blender (open source) Real2Virtual 3 D

includes a Pocket PC image viewer version Demicron WireFusion Pharus 3D Builder 3ds max Bitmanagement Software (test version

s)

VRML Tutorials Introducing VRML VRML Primer and Tutorial Autodesk 3ds Max Crash Course

VRML Conclusions VRML may not be best VR solution

OK in specialized niches organizational applications training/education

CAD languages rather than VRML? 3ds max is from Autodesk, Inc.

Gaming Systems for VR Unreal Engine3

demo (version 2)

Unreal + VRML create in a 3D authoring tool

e.g. 3ds max export as VRML data import into UnrealEd and finish

there UnrealEd comes with Epic games

Exercises find examples of VR or 3D on web

including 3D gifs find sources of free VRML objects

download install VR viewer on a computer

and run the code

VR References these are all quite dated

Sweeney, T. “Unreal Technology FAQ”

University of Michigan Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRL)

medical uses