Burkhard Wuensche

Information visualisation utilising 3D computer game engines case study: a source code comprehension tool

Information visualisation applications have been facing ever-increasing demands as the amount of available information has increased exponentially. With this, the number and complexity of visualisation tools for analysing and exploring data has also increased dramatically, making development and evolution of these systems difficult. We describe an investigation into reusing technology developed for computer games to create collaborative information visualisation tools. A framework for using game engines for information visualisation is presented together with an analysis of how the capabilities and constraints of a game engine influence the mapping of data into graphical representations and the interaction with it. Based on this research a source code comprehension tool was implemented using the Quake 3 computer game engine. It was found that game engines can be a good basis for an information visualisation tool, provided that the visualisations and interactions required meet certain criteria, mainly that the visualisation can be represented in terms of a limited number of discrete, interactive, and physical entities placed in a static 3-dimensional world of limited size.

Creating 360° educational video: a case study

The application of virtual reality (VR) to education has been documented for over half a century. During this time studies investigating its use have demonstrated positive findings ranging from increased time on task, to enjoyment, motivation and retention. Despite this, VR systems have never achieved widespread adoption in education. This is arguably due to both limitations of the VR technologies themselves, and the overhead incurred by both content developers and users. In this paper we describe a case study of an alternative approach to creating educational VR content. Instead of using computer graphics, we used a spherical camera in conjunction with a VR head-mounted display to provide 360° educational lectures. The content creation process, as well as issues we encountered during this study are explained, before we conclude by discussing the viability of this approach.

Intelligent tutoring systems for programming education: a systematic review

A variety of intelligent tutoring systems have been created for the purpose of teaching computer programming. Most published literature focuses on systems that have been developed to teach programming within tertiary courses. A majority of systems have been developed to teach introductory programming concepts; other systems tutor more specific aspects of programming like scope or recursion. Literature reports that these systems address many of the difficulties associated with teaching programming to novices; however, individual systems vary greatly, and there is a large range of supplementary features developed in these systems. Most intelligent programming tutors involve some form of interactive programming exercises, but the use of supplementary features like plans, quizzes and worked solutions vary greatly between different systems. This systematic review reports key information about existing systems and the prevalence of different features within them. An overview of how supplementary features are integrated into these systems is given, along with implications for how intelligent programming tutors could be improved by supporting a wider range of supplementary features.

Competition and cooperation with virtual players in an exergame

Twocross-sectional studies investigated the effects of competition andcooperationwith virtual players on exercise performance in an immersive virtual reality (VR) cycle exergame. Study 1 examined the effects of: (1) self-competition whereby participants played the exergamewhile competing against a replayof theirprevious exergame session (Ghost condition), and (2) playing the exergame with a virtual trainer present (Trainer condition) on distance travelled and calories expendedwhile cycling. Study 2 examined the effects of (1) competitionwith a virtual trainer system (Competitive condition) and (2) cooperation with a virtual trainer system (Cooperative condition). Post exergame enjoyment and motivation were also assessed. The results of Study 1 showed that the trainer system elicited a lesser distance travelled than when playing with a ghost or on one’s own. These results also showed that competing against a ghost was more enjoyable than playing on one’s own or with the virtual trainer. There was no significant difference between the participants’ rated enjoyment and motivation and their distance travelled or calories burned. The findings of Study 2 showed that the competitive trainer elicited a greater distance travelled and caloric expenditure, and was rated as more motivating. As in Study 1, enjoyment and motivation were not correlated with distance travelled and calories burned. Conclusion: Taken together, these results demonstrate that a competitive experience in exergaming is an effective tool to elicit higher levels of exercise from the user, and can be achieved through virtual substitutes for another human player. Subjects Human-Computer Interaction, Emerging Technologies

Surface manipulation using a paper sculpture metaphor

The creation of 3D computer models is essential for many applications in science, engineering and arts and is frequently performed by untrained users. However, creating an intuitive mapping between 2D input and 3D models is a non-trivial task and is reflected in the difficulty novices have in using current 3D modelling software. Using metaphors of paper sculpture and pen sketching, our gesture based modelling tool simplifies this interaction mapping. More intuitive object manipulation means that an otherwise complex model can be rapidly created by an inexperienced, non-artistic user. To demonstrate this, we have chosen to model orchid flowers as they offer considerable challenges to the artist due to their complexity of shape and detail, especially the petal surfaces which vary a great deal in curvature.

Evaluating sensory feedback for immersion in exergames

Exercise video games show promise as a tool for increasing physical activity by providing intrinsic motivation to play the game. Immersion is an aspect of gaming which can lead to increased motivation and enjoyment. Due to the recent rise of consumer level Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), high levels of immersion are possible. In this paper, we evaluate different forms of sensory feedback in an immersive exergame played using an Oculus Rift HMD. We evaluate resistance feedback in the exercise itself, haptic feedback with wind, and sound feedback. Our study shows that all three kinds of feedback increase immersion when compared with no additional feedback, and that sound and wind feedback also increase enjoyment and motivation. Sound feedback is significantly more motivating and immersive than wind and resistance feedback. Combining all three feedback types produces better results than any single feedback type on its own. Exercise performance does not significantly change with the feedback types, although more calories are spent with resistance feedback due to the slightly increased difficulty of the exercise.