From: Martin.Goebel@gmd.de (Martin Goebel) Subject: ANNOUNCE: CAVE(tm) @ gmd Date: Wed, 2 Oct 1996 17:28:47 +0100 GMD operates the first CAVE(tm) in Germany ------------------------------------------ GMD - the German National Research Center on Information Technology has installed the first CAVE-like projection system for European VR/VE research in BONN (Germany). GMD's CAVE set up consists of 3 rear projection walls (3,00*2,40 mtr) and a ground projection (3*3 mtr) using 4 Electrohome Marquee 8500 projectors. The CAVE is installed in a 6*10 mtr room, requiring triple mirroring for the projection. Images are generated by a dual pipe SGI ONYX IR, equipped with RM6 and Sirius options. Stereo shuttering is based on Crystal Eyes glasses and tracking is done via Polhemus FasTraks. An acoustic floor has been integrated into the CAVE to display the sense of vibration to users. A loudspeaker-based surround sound system fed by an SGI Indy is completing the installation. To reduce noise in tracking to a minimum, the system is constructed with a wooden skeleton wearing the projection screens. The entire construction and system integration was made by a small German company TAN, specialized in stereo projection for a couple of years. This multi-screen projection system is the first CAVE-like set up in Germany. 48 hours following the installation of the ONYX IR, GMD showed the first images in the CAVE. The CAVE was demonstrated to the public during GMD's Schlosstag'96 (25-26 Sept.). Over 300 visitors from German ministries, international companies and public agencies used this opportunity to get an impression in the virtual environments of an operation theatre and a museum. GMD developed the entire software for visual presentation (based on IRIS Performer) and for interaction. The sound system is based on IRCAM's real-time signal processing software FTS which recently became available for SGI workstations. In the past, GMD has shown up with non-immersive Virtual Environments like the Responsive Workbench (RWB) (tm), which created by Wolfgang Krueger in 1993, and is currently used by German automotive industry as a design and development tool and is also rebuild in the US. Together with head coupled systems like the BOOM and non-immersive systems like the RWB, the CAVE now completes the presentation platforms for Virtual Environments in GMD. Research at GMD in Virtual Environments focuses on the development of more intuitive man machine interfaces for future collaborative applications. CAVE-to-RWB distributed heterogeneous VEs will be evaluated locally in the near future and CAVE-to-CAVE interconnection is anticipated for the next year. Applications shown during the 'Schlosstag' included the audio-visual simulation of a novel operation theatre concept from the German Max Dellbrueck Center in Berlin as well as a walk through in an audio-visual gallery of the Museum for Architecture. Engineering data like the interior design of a Volkswagen Sharan van was also easily imported an shown in the CAVE during that event. --------------------------------------------------------------------- CAVE (TM) is a registered Trademark of UIUC/EVL, 1996 Responsive Workbench (RWB) is a registered Trademark of GMD, 1996 --------------------------------------------------------------------- for further informationen: http://viswiz.gmd.de/tools/cave.html or contact: -------------------------------------------------------------- Dr. Martin Goebel Head VMSD - Visualization & Media System Design GMD-IMK: Institute for Media Communication National German Research Center for Information Technology D-53754 Sankt Augustin tel: +49 (0) 2241 14-2367 fax: +49 (0) 2241 14-2040 email: goebel@gmd.de URL: http://viswiz.gmd.de --------------------------------------------------------------