Module 02645 (2005)

Syllabus page 2005/2006

06-02645
Virtual Reality

Level 3/H

Unknown/Left
10 credits in Semester 1

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The Module Description is a strict subset of this Syllabus Page. (The University module description has not yet been checked against the School's.)

Relevant Links


Outline

This module introduces the concepts of virtual reality, using Virtual Reality Modelling Language (VRML) and enables the students to gain hands-on experience by developing their own applications.


Aims

The aims of this module are to:

  • present an overview of the past, present, and future of VR
  • analyse VR concepts
  • show the principles of the creation of VR worlds using the Virtual Reality Modelling Language
  • present an overview of the development process

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this module, the student should be able to: Assessed by:
1demonstrate conceptual understanding of virtual reality, regardless of the programming language used Practical work
2develop virtual reality models in VRML Practical work
3combine VR and numerical modelling using VRML and Java/JavaScript Practical work
4apply the knowledge to modelling in a wide range of disciplines Practical work

Restrictions, Prerequisites and Corequisites

Restrictions:

None

Prerequisites:

None

Co-requisites:

None


Teaching

Teaching Methods:

2 hrs lectures/tutorials per week

Contact Hours:

22


Assessment

  • Supplementary (where allowed): As the sessional assessment
  • The continuous assessment consists of a mini-project.

Recommended Books

TitleAuthor(s)Publisher, Date
The Annotated Vrml 2.0 ReferenceR. Carey, G. Bell Addison-Wesley, 1997
Reality Architecture: Building 3D Worlds In Java and VRMLM. McCarthy, A. DescartesPrentice Hall, 1998
Distributed Virtual Worlds : Foundations and Implementation Techniques Using Vrml, Java, and Corba.S. DiehlSpringer Verlag, 2001

Detailed Syllabus

  1. Introduction to the Module. What is Virtual Reality? Sensing in VR and VR Hardware. VR Development Languages. VR past, present, and future. Examples of Virtual Worlds.
  2. Development issues - Development cycle and development tools. Organising the code. Scenes and scene graphs. Creating and navigating the virtual world. Gravity and collision. Geometry, standard units, co-ordinate systems and transformations. Examples.
  3. Adding user interaction - Events and time, sensors and routes. Examples.
  4. Object oriented nature of VRML programming - Prototypes, nodes, fields. Structure of a VR Object. Creating Prototypes and Objects. Interface declaration semantics. Definition semantics. Rules for mapping. Scoping rules. External prototype semantics. Static and dynamic instantiation. Examples.
  5. Adding processing capabilities to VR models - Scripting. Script languages. Script execution. Initialize and shutdown. Events processed. Scripts with direct outputs. Asynchronous scripts. EventIn handling. Accessing fields and events. Accessing fields and eventOuts of the script. Accessing eventIns and eventOuts of other VRML nodes. Sending eventOuts. Examples.
  6. Adding audio-visual effects 1 - Animation and Light. Interpolators. Common principles. Colour interpolator. Scalar Interpolator. Orientation Interpolator. Position Interpolator. Dynamic scaling. Directional, point, and spot light. Examples.
  7. Adding audio-visual effects 2 - Texture and Sound. Textures and texture maps. Application of textures to different geometric objects. Level of Detail. Sound and its spatial aspect. Examples.
  8. Creating VR models with emergent behaviour. Examples.
  9. Using Java with VRML - Scripting in Java. Creating and driving a virtual world from an external Java code - External Authoring Interface. Examples.
  10. Resume and preparation for project submission.

Last updated: 2 July 2003

Source file: /internal/modules/COMSCI/2005/xml/02645.xml

Links | Outline | Aims | Outcomes | Prerequisites | Teaching | Assessment | Books | Detailed Syllabus