TABLE OF CONTENTS

Foreword

1 What is Virtual Reality?

1.1 What is Virtual Reality?
1.2 History of Virtual Reality
1.3 Types of Virtual Reality Systems

1.3.1 Adventure games, MUD/MOO
1.3.2 Desktop VR, Window on World Systems (WoW)
1.3.3 Projected
1.3.4 Semi-immersive
1.3.5 Immersive VR
1.3.6 Fish Tank Virtual Reality or HTD
1.3.7 Distributed Virtual Environments
1.3.8 Telepresence
1.3.9 Augmented reality, Mixed Reality
1.3.10 Video Mapping
1.3.11 Cube

2 VR Hardware

2.1 3-D Position Sensors

2.1.1 3-D Magnetic Sensors
2.1.2 Ultrasound 3-D Sensors
2.1.3 Optical Sensors
2.1.4 3-D Probes ( Mechanical Sensing Devices)
2.1.5 Trackers, Companies, Products.

2.1.5.1 Polhemus Inc..

2.1.5.1.1 Fastrak and Isotrack
2.1.5.1.2 Long Ranger
2.1.5.1.3 Startrak
2.1.5.1.4 3BALL
2.1.5.1.5 Fastscan

2.1.5.2 Ascension Inc.

2.1.5.2.1 3-D Bird
2.1.5.2.2 Flock of birds
2.1.5.2.3 MotionStar
2.1.5.2.4 Spacepad
2.1.5.2.5 Minibird
2.1.5.2.6 Pcbird
2.1.5.2.7 Applications for Ascension Motion Trackers

2.1.5.3 Why does Ascension use DC magnetic field technology
in its trackers while Polhemus use AC magnetic
fields?

2.1.5.4 Northern Digital Inc.

2.1.5.4.1 Optotrack 3020

2.1.5.5 Logitech Inc.

2.1.5.5.1 The Logitech Head Tracker
2.1.5.5.2 The Logitech 3D Mouse

2.1.5.6 Magellan 3D Controller

2.1.5.7 Spacetec Imc Corporation

2.1.5.7.1 The Spaceball 3D Controller

2.1.5.8 Global Devices Inc..

2.1.5.8.1 6DOF trackball
2.1.5.8.2 Game Controller
2.1.5.8.3 6DOF Joystick-Type Controller
2.1.5.8.4 6DOF Keyboard

2.2 The Sensing Gloves

2.2.1 The measurement of the position of the glove

2.2.2 Fifth Dimension Technologies

2.2.2.1 5dt glove

2.2.3 Virtual Technologies Inc.

2.2.3.1 CyberGlove
2.2.3.2 The CyberGrasp
2.2.3.3 The CyberTouch
2.2.3.4 Gesture Plus

2.3 Stereo Viewing Devices

2.3.1 Head-mounted Display Comparison Table

2.3.2 Boom-Mounted Displays

2.3.3 Shuttered Glasses for Stereo Monitors

2.3.4 Others

2.3.4.1 CAVEs and KIN
2.3.4.2 Panaromic displays and workbenches

3 Touch and Force Feedback

3.1 Touch Feedback

3.2 Force Feedback

3.3 Promising Technologies

4 Computing Architectures

4.1 Rendering

4.2 A VR System

4.2.1 Distributed VR

4.3 Shading

4.4 Rendering Methods

4.4.1 Wire Frame
4.4.2 Flat Shading
4.4.3 Gourad rendering
4.4.4 Phong rendering
4.4.5 Ray Tracing

4.5 Related Terms

4.6 Visibility

4.6.1 Z-buffering

4.7 System Performance

4.7.1 Graphics Performance vs. Shading Mode
4.7.2 Graphics Performance vs Scene Complexity

5 Modeling and VR Software

5.1 Geometric Modeling

5.2 Lighting

5.3 Geometric Modeling Methods

5.4 Modeling Transformations

5.4.1 Translate
5.4.2 Scale
5.4.3 Reflection
5.4.4 Rotation

5.5 Kinematic and Physical Modeling

5.5.1 Behaviors
5.5.2 Collision Detection
5.5.3 Object Hierarchies
5.5.4 Surface Deformations and Compliance
5.5.5 Interaction Techniques

5.5.5.1 Flying
5.5.5.2 Teleporting
5.5.5.3 Object Picking
5.5.5.4 Gesture recognition

5.6 Shared Environments

5.7 Animated Characters

5.8 Model Segmentation

5.8.1 Cell Segmentation
5.8.2 Level of Detail Segmentation

5.9 VR Software

5.9.1 Programming in VR
5.9.2 Real Time Distributed Platform
5.9.3 Locomotion in Ves

6 Human Factors in VR

6.1 Vision and Graphics Feedback

6.1.1 The graphics refresh rate
6.1.2 Stereopsis
6.1.3 Depth perception
6.1.4 Accommodation ( Focusing )
6.1.5 Color Discrimination
6.1.6 Passive Vision
6.1.7 Active Vision

6.2 Audio Feedback

6.3 Force and Tactile Feedback

6.4 Evaluation of Integrated Systems

6.5 Coordination

6.6 Effects of Virtual Interfaces

6.6.1 Motion Sickness
6.6.2 Effects of Longterm Exposure to Virtual Reality
6.6.3 Other Effects

7 Applications

7.1 Medicine and Rehabilitation

7.1.1 Anatomy and Surgery
7.1.2 Telesurgery
7.1.3 Rehabilitation & Improvement of the quality of life for the disabled

7.2 Entertainment

7.2.1 Simulations

7.3 Art and Museums

7.4 Avatars, Human Representation, Modeling

7.4.1 Avatars, Human Representation, Modeling
7.4.2 Motion capture

7.5 Augmented Reality

7.6 Architecture

7.7 Education

7.8 Manufacturing

7.9 Virtual Communities

7.10 Business and Finance

7.11 Military and Aerospace

7.12 Robotics

8 Web References

9 Bibliography

Appendices

Conclusion

About Myself