From: jcs@crash.cts.com (John Schultz)
Subject: Re: More on Classifying VR
Date: 27 Feb 91 23:07:14 GMT
Message-ID: <7757@crash.cts.com>
Organization: Crash TimeSharing, El Cajon, CA




In <1991Feb25.114611.29204@santra.uucp> jmunkki@hila.hut.fi (Juri Munkki) 
writes:

>In article <17101@milton.u.washington.edu> quasar@neuromancer.leis.bellcore.
com (Laurence R. Brothers) writes:

>>There are no display devices that I am aware of for which the user 
>>cannot distinguish between reality and the display,...

  I recently spoke to a fellow VR researcher (Mark) who had experienced a 
military helicopter simulator. A colleague if his was at the controls, and 
he didn't know what he was doing. After a few moments of flight, the helicopter 
was headed straight for the ground, out of control. Mark realized that this
was a simulator, and wanted to turn around to make sure, but didn't want to
look frightened. After all, this was just a simulator, and they were in no
real danger. Seconds before impact, Mark could take it no longer and had
to look behind to make sure that they were in fact in a simulator...

  Dome-fusion flight simulation displays don't need to be stereo to work
effectively. In flight, most objects are far enough away so that everything
appears at infinity (stereoscopically). Further, the dome is far enough away
from the viewers' eyes that accommodation problems are minimized. See
Computer Graphics: Principles and Practice plate I.5b, for an example of
a real-time photo-textured terrain for flight simulation, or visit your
local military/commercial flight simulation facility for a first hand
look. 
 
>So, a "virtual reality Turing test" is not necessary for virtual reality
>to be useful. Full realism has its uses, but the advantages over a slightly
>unrealistic are really quite minimal.

  Of course. This whole concept lends itself to total freedom. Make it real,
make it unreal. There is no right or wrong. If a specific goal is set,
say "train F-16 pilots", then realism is an issue, and rigid realism tests
are required. Entertainment applications have no bounds, as long as they are
fun. Unless the goal is to torture the player (like viewing "Eraserhead").
There are no "rules" for music or film, but few will listen to "bad" music
or "cheap" films. The same will apply to VR.


  John