Virtual Reality for EC

1
Virtual Reality for E-C

• Ralph Westfall
• March, 2009

2
What Sells Well on the Web?

• books
• CDs
• software
• financial services (stock trading)
• travel reservations
• computers
• other?

3
What About?

• clothing
• cars
• houses (purchase without visit)
• furniture
• perishables fresh fruit, vegetables, fresh meat,
  etc.
• other?

4
Conclusions

• standardized products sell well on web
• customers know what they are, what they do
• price service become major issues
• less standardized products that vary in quality
  don't sell as well
• people want to see and try them before purchasing

5
Virtual Reality

• can see things in three dimensions with VR
• similarities to virtual reality entertainment
• dont need a VR headset, gloves, etc. to use
• use VR equipment with computer in future?
• could transform HTML into a 3D system
• 3D environment for 2-D images, text, scripts, and
  multimedia, instead of 2-D desktop?

6
3D Images and Movies

• need to use special glasses with one red lens and
  one cyan lens (blue green)
• 3D gif
• not impressive without glasses
• do it yourself 3D images
• 3D movies
• Google's 3D Warehouse

7
Can Virtual Reality Help E-C?

• makes it possible to view an object from all
  angles
• but still can't
• touch, feel, try on
• taste
• sniff and smell

8
Potential Web VR Applications

• on Internet or organizational intranets
• entertainment
• shopping
• real estate sales
• education/training
• decision support systems (DSS)
• analysis and decision making

9
3D Product Demonstrations

• Dell SAN storage device
• Cisco carrier routing system
• "Smart" furniture catalog
• may need to install to use items
• note (ViewSource) that many of these demos use
  Java applets and JavaScript

10
VRML

• virtual reality modeling language
• VRML may be pronounced as "vermal"
• language for creating 3D images
• standardized 3D data interchange format for other
  3D applications

11
VRML Capabilities

• translation change position
• scaling change size
• rotation 3 different ways to turn (X, Y, Z)
• lighting/shading
• perspective (lines converge in distance)
• texturizing surfaces
• camera points of view
• navigating (older IE versions)

12
VRML 2.0 Code Example

• VRML V2.0 utf8
• cone2.wrl (hotlink to this filename)
• Shape
• geometry Cone
• bottomRadius 1.4
• height 2.0
• appearance Appearance
• material Material diffuseColor 1.0 1.0
  0.0

13
More VRML

• code
• image
• computer integrated manufacturing models (PDF
  appears to work in both, but .wrl may crash
  Firefox)

14
Using VRML on the Web

• not built into (even latest) major browsers
• have to install VRML plugins for Netscape
• a lot of Microsoft VRML references are old
• "Retired KB Content"
• VRML not supported in Windows 2000
• Cortona 3rd party add-on for IE, Mac

15
VRML Limitations

• very difficult to create content without tools
• based on geometric figures
• cone, cube, cylinder, sphere
• VR window not integrated with browser
• but may have HTML support inside
• at 1st, navigation doesn't seem easy, natural
• poor performance (older machines, slow
  connections)

16
VR Demonstrations

• Interactive 3D Web Presentations
• 3D page of the week
• Introducing 3D Examples
• Tribute to World Trade Center in 3D
• Cubic VR Gallery (Apple QuickTime)
• Microsoft video (avi)

17
Creating VR Applications

• different kinds of authoring tools
• drawing programs generates VRML
• stitching photographs together
• gaming systems adapted to commercial use
• Java 3D can create VR images
• Macromedia Flash can also create 3D
• free tutorials (below ads)

18
VR Hardware and Equipment

• Virtual Realities, Inc.
• Virtual Guidebooks article
• Google Directory
• 5DT (Fifth Dimension Technologies)
• "augmented reality" (AR)
• Wikipedia article
• Howstuffworks article

19
3D Free Trials

• trueSpace7.6 (bought by Microsoft)
• Blender (open source)
• Real2Virtual 3 D
• includes a Pocket PC image viewer version
• Demicron WireFusion
• Pharus 3D Builder
• 3ds max
• Bitmanagement Software (test versions)

20
VRML Tutorials

• Introducing VRML
• VRML Primer and Tutorial
• Autodesk 3ds Max Crash Course

21
VRML Conclusions

• VRML may not be best VR solution
• OK in specialized niches
• organizational applications
• training/education
• CAD languages rather than VRML?
• 3ds max is from Autodesk, Inc.

22
Gaming Systems for VR

• Unreal Engine3
• demo (version 2)

23
Unreal VRML

• create in a 3D authoring tool
• e.g. 3ds max
• export as VRML data
• import into UnrealEd and finish there
• UnrealEd comes with Epic games

24
Exercises

• find examples of VR or 3D on web
• including 3D gifs
• find sources of free VRML objects
• download
• install VR viewer on a computer and run the code

25
VR References

• these are all quite dated
• Sweeney, T. Unreal Technology FAQ
• University of Michigan Virtual Reality Laboratory
  (VRL)
• medical uses