Virtual Collaborative Environments

http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/computing/users/dixa/teaching/VAV/VAV-L3.html

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virtual worlds

a LONELY future for SAD people?

or ...

opportunity

meet people

see exotic (virtual) places

make friends

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things to do together

playing

learning

buisiness

getting married !!

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collaborative virtual environments

virtual worlds

multi-participant

able to communicate (text, audio, video)

embodied - avatars

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MUDs

text based dungeons & dragons

multi-user networked games

• Doom
• soon (if not already) on Virgin Atlantic ...

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cyberspaces

virtual graphical worlds

• often 2.5 D - cardboard cutout

choose an avatar

• off the shelf free
• often pay for custom avatar

move

• between different rooms/scenes/worlds
• within rooms

meet people

• see others as their avatars
• text based speech

an example

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examples ...

Contact Consortium HomePage

• THE place for links

The Palace

• one of the worlds there

Virtual wedding

• the guests arrive
• and vows are taken

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pros and cons

Pros:

great leveller

• anonymity - accountability?
• hides disability - email even better

cheaper than travelling

Cons:

no body language

limited communication

SAD !!!

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learning

virtual universities

• traditional distance learning + CDROM, video
• email, bullitin boards
• IRC
• CuSeeMe, video conferencing
• virtual worlds ...

virtual classroom [video]

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meetings and buisiness

travel costs money

• fares
• time - £1000s per hour

timeliness essential

• miss the strategic moment

video conferences

• now common
• special rooms etc.

virtual conference room

• stay at your desk
• real(ish) environment
• table, whiteboard, computer (?!?)

shared synthesised environement

• scientific visualisation
• information visualisation

[video]

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who's there?

awareness

that people are there

what they are saying

what they are doing

modelling

for analysis and implementation

nimbus - area where your presence is felt/heard

focus - area of attention

point of action - where you are doing things

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embodiments

geometric - blockies

• efficient to render

texture map face

humanoid

full virtual body?

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viewpoints

everyone sees the same?

text

• difficult to read at an angle
• face on for everyone
• pointing?

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of real and virtual ...

augmented reality

• project image on real world
• head-up display
• field manuals

desktop video

• video image on screen

Internet foyer

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Internet foyer

real foyer

large screen, camera

see virtual world on screen

virtual world

representation of web

see real foyer on virtual screen

Read the paper too