Jilin Ye

Applications of virtual reality in product design evaluation

Product evaluation throughout various stages of a design process is crucial to the final products success, and this may be a costly, time consuming and logistically complex process. Currently there are limited product design evaluation tools available to provide better support to the whole product design and development process. Virtual reality (VR) has matured to become useful technology to support efficient and effective product design and development applications. This paper reports an investigation on applying VR technologies to computer aided product evaluation. The research work has concentrated on: i) investigating the potential of emerging VR based technologies such as three dimensional (3D) haptic interaction and 3D stereoscopic viewing, ii) integrating and implementing these VR based technologies into a computer aided product evaluation application and iii) exploring the efficiency and effectiveness of these VR based technologies in comparison with traditional techniques used during the product design evaluation process.

Supporting conceptual design with multiple VR based interfaces

Conventional computer aided design (CAD) systems have not provided enough support for conceptual design partly due to the lack of natural and intuitive human–computer interaction. Currently emerging virtual reality (VR) based techniques offer new ways to overcome these obstacles. In this paper, new CAD user interfaces including two-handed operation, haptic interaction, stereoscopic display and auditory feedback are investigated. The contribution of this work is to develop a new direct, natural and intuitive interaction paradigm required to support conceptual design. This paradigm enables designers to take fuller advantage of their visual, auditory and tactile sensorial channels to create, view, touch, hold, manipulate and listen to computer-generated virtual models. This is done more easily and freely in a more realistic three-dimensional (3D) environment through convenient interface device operation. A new conceptual design system called the LUCID system that fully integrates and implements these VR-based innovative interfaces into one design application is presented. As an approach to the next generation of human–computer interfaces for use in the design activity, the LUCID system has shown particular human computer interface benefits to designers during conceptual design based on the outcome from the user evaluation test.

Multiprojector image distortion correction scheme for curved screens on the example of the Cybersphere

One of the problems appearing in the virtual reality (VR) application is the image distortion and blending correction for curved screens with single or multiple projectors. There are ways to solve this problem via a special circuit implementation within the image projectors or via special image correction PC based boxes. In this study we proposed own algorithm for the image correction based on the back ray tracing approach. The algorithm is using reverse ray tracing and it was tested on the Cybersphere1 setup. We propose the software implementation of the algorithm which allows using it for any programs not limited by a certain technology such as OpenGL for instance as in other image correction algorithms. The algorithm can be used for distributed image rendering and projection such as Chromium based sets.

Virtual reality in construction industry: a requirement compatibility analysis approach

Virtual Reality (VR) is regarded as a high-end user-computer interface that involves real-time simulation and interactions through multiple sensorial channels. It is assumed that VR will reshape the interaction interfaces between user and computer technology by offering new approaches for the communication of information, the visualisation of processes and the creative expression of ideas. The VR application in construction has a relatively long history but its successful stories are not heard quite often. In this paper, the authors have explored how much further the construction industry could be supported by new three dimensional (3D) VR technologies in different construction processes. The design information in the construction industry has been discussed first followed by a detail construction process analysis. A questionnaire survey has been conducted and the results of the survey are presented and discussed. As an investigation into the application of 3D VR technologies in the context of the construction processes, the benefits and challenges of current and potential applications of 3D VR in the construction industry have been identified. This study also reveals the strengths and weaknesses of 3D VR technology applications in the construction processes. Suggestions and future works are also provided in this paper.