From: brundage@ipac.caltech.edu (Michael Brundage)
Subject: Re: INDUSTRY:  Successful VR Apps
Date: Wed, 04 Dec 1996 16:03:07 -0800
Message-ID: <brundage-ya023180000412961603070001@nntp-server.caltech.edu>
Organization: Infrared Processing Analysis Center, Caltech


In article <199611302058.PAA26974@puffer.cs.unc.edu>, Mark Mine
<mine@cs.unc.edu> wrote:
> 
> My question:  Does anybody really use VR for real work?

Absolutely.  I have used VR systems extensively for development,
research collaboration, and teaching.

> I'm most interested in hearing about immersive virtual environment
> applications using head-mounted displays or Booms (my personal bias),
> but I'd also be interested in hearing about "Cave" and "fishtank VR"
> type applications as well.

But, the VR systems in question are not the kind of VR systems which
receive much (or any) attention here on sci.virtual.worlds.  :-) My
experiences have been with text-based virtual realities, MOOs in
particular.  I had the privilege two years ago of prototyping
applications using PARC/Xerox's Jupiter client (described in
ftp://parcftp.xerox.com/pub/MOO/papers/JupiterWin.ps
ftp://parcftp.xerox.com/pub/MOO/papers/JupiterAV.ps ) and my employer
and I have just been awarded a NASA grant to develop a VR environment
for spaceflight project development, starting with SIM (Space
Interferometry Mission, described at http://huey.jpl.nasa.gov/ )

> In forming your response please indicate how much you think the
> "success" of the application is due to being in a virtual environment
> (immersion, direct manipulation, etc.) and how much is just due to
> real-time interactive graphics (i.e. it would have worked just as well
> sitting in front of a conventional computer monitor, forget all the
> fancy tracking, displays, and input devices).  Also, what is keeping
> the "near misses" from being "direct hits"?  Cost?  Quality of the
> technology?  Wrong applications?

I think the success of MOOs for work and research purposes is based
largely on the ease with which complicated networking projects may be
developed using them.  For example, in an afternoon I hooked up a
Mathematica session to the Web and used it in conjunction with a class
I was teaching at the University of Washington to graph equations (2
or 3D) on demand.  This is nothing particularly spectacular (WRI
accomplishes the same thing at their web site using CGI scripts), but
the ease and speed with which a working prototype was developed makes
it a useful environment.

Moreover, using advanced clients (such as Jupiter), it's possible to
supplement with text-based VR with graphics, custom interfaces,
audio/video, etc., etc.  These features (combined with the ability to
direct client-side apps from the server, thus making possible
collaborative sessions using other software products) make it a very
useful environment for a wide range of purposes.  It's difficult for
me to evaluate the effects immersion because I feel pretty immersed in
the electronic world already, without the VR.  Aside from the novelty
of it all, I suppose I would have to say that the addition of audio to
a text-based VR greatly increases the feeling of presence and frees
your hands to code while you use your mouth to communicate.

If you want to know more about how others are using this software, there is
a mailing list devoted to the topic:  Send email with the line
subscribe  yourself@your.address.here
to
moo-cows-request@parc.xerox.com


Cheers,

michael
brundage@ipac.caltech.edu