From: cramzy@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Catherine Ramzy)
Subject: TECH: Virtual environments for spatial exploration experiments?
Date: 8 Feb 1996 03:27:39 GMT
Message-ID: <4fbqjb$9rd@vixen.cso.uiuc.edu>
Organization: University of Illinois at Urbana


From: cramzy@s.psych.uiuc.edu (Catherine Ramzy)

I'm looking for some advice in choosing software (and perhaps a
platform) to design realistic (reasonably) 3-D environments that I can
then have experimental subjects explore in a constrained way.

I have available a PowerMac or mid-speed 486's, so I am leaning toward
going with the Mac platform as the best hardware I've got.  My
understanding is that if I want smooth motion through a fairly
detailed space I'd need a Pentium or a PowerMac (so correct me if
that's wrong, please).

My current best option seems to be to use Virtus' WalkThrough Pro to
build my environment models.  It has an easy interface, and comes with
a lot of ready-to-use tools and objects (furniture, wallpaper,
windows).  Since I am looking to design a space that looks like one we
might actually encounter in real life, the architectural design
strengths of WalkThrough seem just right.

My major problem in this plan is what browser/player to use for users
to explore the model.  They won't be computer literate, so I want to
be able to make sure that objects can't be walked through and that the
possible user inputs are obvious, intuitive, and constrained.  It
should be crashproof.  And, ***most important, I need to be able to
monkey with the code, enough to insert a routine to record data about
user inputs while the user explores the model***.

Is there any Mac VRML browser code sitting at some ftp site that will prevent
walking through objects, and that I can also edit as I described?  I should 
probably mention that my WalkThrough Pro models can be exported in VRML or in 
DXF format.

I welcome any of your ideas or suggestions, here or by mail.  Thank you!

Catherine Ramzy				cramzy@s.psych.uiuc.edu
HPP Group
Beckman Institute
University of Illinois 
Urbana, Illinois  61801