Grigore C. Burdea - Virtual Reality Technology

To my friends in need, Iris and Marty Hoffert Grigore Burdea

To my wife, Danielle Gandelin Philippe Coiffet

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It is insight into human nature that is the key to the communicator's skill. For whereas the writer is concerned with what he puts into writings, the communicator is concerned with what the reader gets out of it.

-William Bernbach

advertising legend, (1911-1982)

Burdea and Coiffet speak of three I's that their book centers on: interaction, immersion, and imagination. But it is a fourth I, insight, that makes this work so unique. Through insight into readers' diverse mindsets, Virtual Reality Technology has the versatility to capture the interests of the enthusiast or hobbyist, while at the same time presenting scientific rigor to satisfy the eager student or skilled technologist. The neophyte will come away with the basics of what constitutes a virtual environment, while the veteran will gain insights into how to tackle challenging problems such as specifying tracker performance requirements, resolving luminosity concerns in tiled displays, and achieving multipipeline synchronization.

Virtual Reality (VR) offers the enticing premise of a rich sensory experience. For years, proponents have heralded the limitless potential of VR to surpass predecessor interactive technologies. Those who have tried to communicate its potential, however, have generally leveraged static text, which often reduces what is supposed to be a stimulating, multimodal encounter to a one-dimensional exercise that underwhelms at best. Burdea and Coiffet's innovative multimedia presentation, with its enticing videos, abundant illustrations, and VRML and Java 3D-based interactive laboratory activities, is a novel and fresh approach to the presentation of large volumes of technical information. Based on my own experiences in teaching and researching VR-related subject matter, I believe this format is highly appropriate for the treatment of VR issues, which often rely heavily on visual and auditory modalities. Just as VR applications have expanded far beyond what was originally envisioned due to the creative use of this multifaceted technology, Burdea and Coiffet have expanded the possibilities for understanding the complex, intertwined issues associated with VR technology through their vibrant format.

VR applications have branched out into numerous domains, from education to medicine to the alluring world of entertainment. Each of these domains brings challenges to developers, who will be able to turn to this book for answers. Developers will be guided in which HMD, tracker and 1/0 devices to use, the type of architecture to support their integration, types of authoring tools and techniques, how to address human factors concerns (i.e., health and safety issues), and, in some regards, how much one can anticipate having to invest to bring their virtual world to life. Developers can also learn from the invaluable experiences of others, which have been well illustrated in the diverse compendium of applications.

Taken together, the chapters present systematic and comprehensive coverage of VR technology, from its requisite constituents to its administration woes. As Burdea and Coiffet likely intended, what the reader is certain to get out of this second edition is up-to-date knowledge garnered via an engaging and interactive learning experience. It is a work destined to be highly regarded by practitioners, hobbyists, and students alike.

KAY M. STANNEY, PH.D.

Orlando, Florida

February 2003

Almost ten years have past since we wrote the first edition of Virtual Reality Technology. Since then Virtual Reality has proven to be fast-changing, largely misunderstood (outside the technical community), and still awaiting full-spread application.

Computing technology, especially the Personal Computer, has seen dramatic improvements, and laid the foundation for worldwide VR development. Formal education in colleges and universities, aimed at preparing specialists capable of creating useful VR applications, has unfortunately lagged behind. This is due to the absence of good VR textbooks, as well as a lack of instructors with first-hand knowledge of the subject.

In writing this book, we were aware of the fast-changing technology of the field, and consequently, we updated the material presented in the first edition and included new developments in hardware, software, and applications. Haptics merits a particular mention, since it has now entered "mainstream" VR and is treated in an integrative manner in our book.

Our main motivation in writing a second edition was, however, to offer a complete, structured book that follows the rigors of texts written in related fields, such as Mathematics, Electrical Engineering, or Computer Science. Therefore Virtual Reality Technology, Second Edition includes definitions, mathematical formulae, and review questions. It also provides the reader with video clips, because we felt that seeing examples of actual simulations will allow the student to better understand the concepts. These video clips are found on the CD accompanying the book, and are cross-referenced in text with the special icon . A laboratory manual with six chapters, each intended for a different experiment and programming skill is also included on the CD. The Laboratory Manual uses VRML and Java 3D, since they are freely available on the Web, without additional license expenses for schools and universities. The experiments are designed for PC-based VR stations incorporating sensing gloves, stereo glasses, 3-D trackers, and haptic joysticks, in order to give the student a true experience in VR programming. Each Laboratory Manual chapter has homework and programming assignments for undergraduate and graduate students.