Construction Of Virtual Environment Research Articles

Geomatics and metaverse for lost heritage sites documentation and dissemination: the case study of Palmyra Roman Theatre (Syria)

Cultural heritage encompasses both tangible and intangible aspects for each of us, and efforts must be made to safeguard this legacy for future generations. Unfortunately, in addition to natural and environmental degradation, human activities pose a significant threat to the integrity of historical sites. Monuments and architecture have frequently been intentionally destroyed in conflict zones all over the world. Three-dimensional (3D) and virtual technologies can serve as tools to digitally preserve these sites and raise awareness about the importance of historical properties to the general public, particularly when physical sites are at risk or no longer exist. This challenging field of lost heritage is the framework of this project, in which a procedure of geomatics-based techniques such as spherical photogrammetry, 3D modelling and virtual reality (VR) technologies was developed to reconstruct lost historical architecture. The Roman Theatre in Palmyra, Syria, partially destroyed during Syria’s war in 2017, serves as a case study. The methodology report starts with the description of the metrological foundation of the 3D model construction, i.e. spherical photogrammetry as developed by Prof. Fangi (Marche Polytechnic University). Then, the geometry optimisation phase carried out to accomplish the VR limitations in terms of polygon count is presented. Ultimately, the procedure for the virtual environment construction is explained, as well as the development of a metaverse scenario to be visited and shared on an online-based platform. This collective virtual experience aims to revive the destroyed architecture and communicate its significance to the public through a collective and interactive virtual exploration. This study also includes experiments to assess user response, providing insights into methodology effectiveness in conveying Palmyra’s Theatre historical relevance and shedding light on the users’ perceptions of virtual tools usage for lost heritage dissemination. The evaluation questionnaire’s results will guide the project’s future developments.

Animated VR and 360-degree VR to assess and train team sports decision-making: a scoping review.

In team sports, athletes' ability to make quick decisions plays a crucial role. Decision-making proficiency relies on the intricate balance of athletes' perceptual and cognitive abilities, enabling them to assess the competitive environment swiftly and select the most appropriate actions from various options. Virtual reality (VR) technology is emerging as a valuable tool for evaluating and refining athletes' decision-making skills. This study systematically examined the integration of VR technology into decision-making processes in team sports, aiming to identify more effective methods for presenting and interacting with virtual decision-making systems, thus enhancing the evaluation and refinement of athletes' decision making abilities. Following the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a thorough search of respected research databases, including Web of Science, PubMed, SPORTDiscus, ScienceDirect, PsycINFO, and IEEE, was conducted using carefully selected keywords. Twenty research papers meeting predefined inclusion criteria were included after careful evaluation. These papers were systematically analyzed to delineate the attributes of virtual decision-making task environments, the interactive dynamics inherent in motor decision-making tasks, and the significant findings. This review indicate that (1) the effectiveness of VR technology in assessing and improving athletes' decision-making skills in team sports; (2) the construction of virtual environments using the Head-Mounted Display (HMD) system, characterized by enhanced ease and efficiency; (3) the potential for future investigations to explore computer simulations to create more expansive virtual motion scenarios, thus efficiently generating substantial task scenario material, diverging from the constraints posed by 360-degree panoramic videos; and (4) the integration of motion capture technology for identifying and monitoring athletes' decision-making behaviors, which not only enhances ecological validity but also augments the transfer validity of virtual sports decision-making systems. Future research endeavors could explore integrating eye-tracking technology with virtual reality to gain insights into the intrinsic cognitive-action associations exhibited by athletes.

Analyzing Trust Dynamics in Human–Robot Collaboration through Psychophysiological Responses in an Immersive Virtual Construction Environment

Analyzing Trust Dynamics in Human–Robot Collaboration through Psychophysiological Responses in an Immersive Virtual Construction Environment

Discussion on Education and Teaching of Natural Ecological Color Design Based on Virtual Environment Construction

As one of the elements of natural ecological display design, color is particularly important for the virtual construction of natural ecology. However, how to reflect the ecological nature in the natural ecological display color design is a problem worthy of thinking. This paper focuses on the ecological nature of display color design. Taking the ecological nature of color design of Beijing Natural Ecological Exhibition Hall as an example, it starts from the definition of ecological nature of display color design to the embodiment of ecological nature of color design. Then this paper focuses on the ecological expression of display color design with the theme of nature. Finally, this paper discusses the teaching method of natural ecological color design education, and puts forward the teaching method guided by the virtual construction process of natural ecology and the natural color design method. Experimental results show that the method can improve the effectiveness of color design education.

Effectiveness of Construction Safety Hazards Identification in Virtual Reality Learning Environment

Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994) and efforts taken to ensure the safety of workers in the construction industry. Despite these, accident rates are still alarming. One of the reasons is due to the weak pedagogy, lack of technology integration, and hazardous learning environment that lead towards low learning performance and practicing safety procedures. This study aims to discover the effectiveness of virtual reality simulation learning environment. Results show that there is a significant difference in trainee's achievements in a traditional construction site visit and virtual construction environment. To conclude, virtual reality learning environment offers effective learning platforms for millennials.Keywords: safety hazards; occupational safety and health; virtual reality;eISSN: 2398-4287 © 2019. The Authors. Published for AMER ABRA CE-Bs by E-International Publishing House, Ltd., UK. This is an open-access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/). Peer-review under responsibility of AMER (Association of Malaysian Environment-Behaviour Researchers), ABRA (Association of Behavioural Researchers on Asians) and cE-Bs (Centre for Environment-Behaviour Studies), Faculty of Architecture, Planning & Surveying, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia.DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/e-bpj.v4i12.1802

APRENDIZAGEM SIGNIFICATIVA EM EDUCAÇÃO A DISTÂNCIA – EAD: O DESAFIO DA FORMAÇÃO DE TUTORES ON-LINE, COM ÊNFASE NO RELACIONAMENTO INTERPESSOAL EM AMBIENTES VIRTUAIS DE APRENDIZAGEM – AVA

The main objective of this article is to present an introductory study on the construction of Virtual Environments of Learning - AVA's - using affective instruments as a way of approaching tutor and educating. It is limited to making such knowledge available and does not propose any AVA model, it only provides subsidies for the development of new VLEs that prioritize beyond cognitive development, interpersonal relationships, as a conducive medium for meaningful learning. It uses bibliographic resources from diverse sources: theoretical, legal and documentary; basing its assumptions on several authors who have carried out important research in different fields of knowledge, such as psychology, history of learning, distance education; as well as the legal basis in force. A reflection on the different functions carried out by the online tutor, which is the link of the teaching-learning relationship proposed by AVA, is also highlighted.

Spatial Sound Rendering – A Survey

Simulating propagation of sound and audio rendering can improve the sense of realism and the immersion both in complex acoustic environments and dynamic virtual scenes. In studies of sound auralization, the focus has always been on room acoustics modeling, but most of the same methods are also applicable in the construction of virtual environments such as those developed to facilitate computer gaming, cognitive research, and simulated training scenarios. This paper is a review of state-of-the-art techniques that are based on acoustic principles that apply not only to real rooms but also in 3D virtual environments. The paper also highlights the need to expand the field of immersive sound in a web based browsing environment, because, despite the interest and many benefits, few developments seem to have taken place within this context. Moreover, the paper includes a list of the most effective algorithms used for modelling spatial sound propagation and reports their advantages and disadvantages. Finally, the paper emphasizes in the evaluation of these proposed works.

How sounds influence user safety decisions in a virtual construction simulator

The construction industry is well known as generating a high level of noise. Research has been done on the harm that construction noise has on people’s health. However, apart from health issues, the effect that construction sounds have on safety issues such as workers’ safety decisions is unknown. In this study, a virtual construction simulator has been employed to investigate the effect sound has on people’s safety decisions. It is found that the addition of background sound to a high fidelity virtual reality simulator enhances people’s sense of presence by creating a high level of normality. More people make safe decisions when background sound is present in the virtual construction simulator, and salient sound is helpful in recognizing the related risks. Safe behaviors learnt in a virtual construction environment can effectively reduce unsafe behaviors in a corresponding physical environment.

Overview of geometrical room acoustic modeling techniques.

Computerized room acoustics modeling has been practiced for almost 50 years up to date. These modeling techniques play an important role in room acoustic design nowadays, often including auralization, but can also help in the construction of virtual environments for such applications as computer games, cognitive research, and training. This overview describes the main principles, landmarks in the development, and state-of-the-art for techniques that are based on geometrical acoustics principles. A focus is given to their capabilities to model the different aspects of sound propagation: specular vs diffuse reflections, and diffraction.

Sandboxes for Model-Based Inquiry

In this article, we introduce a class of constructionist learning environments that we call Emergent Systems Sandboxes (ESSs), which have served as a centerpiece of our recent work in developing curriculum to support scalable model-based learning in classroom settings. ESSs are a carefully specified form of virtual construction environment that support students in creating, exploring, and sharing computational models of dynamic systems that exhibit emergent phenomena. They provide learners with “entity”-level construction primitives that reflect an underlying scientific model. These primitives can be directly “painted” into a sandbox space, where they can then be combined, arranged, and manipulated to construct complex systems and explore the emergent properties of those systems. We argue that ESSs offer a means of addressing some of the key barriers to adopting rich, constructionist model-based inquiry approaches in science classrooms at scale. Situating the ESS in a large-scale science modeling curriculum we are implementing across the USA, we describe how the unique “entity-level” primitive design of an ESS facilitates knowledge system refinement at both an individual and social level, we describe how it supports flexible modeling practices by providing both continuous and discrete modes of executability, and we illustrate how it offers students a variety of opportunities for validating their qualitative understandings of emergent systems as they develop.

Analysis and Application of BIM Technology in the Project Goal Control

BIM is a method which is based on the integration of digitalization technology and visualization technology to manage information related project construction. This paper states the build process of imitating reality by using BIM’s visualization technology with multi-dimension and large data, and unique features for finding the potential problems and risks under virtual construction environment by BIM’s technology, so as to find problems in advance and evaluate them preliminarily, put forward corresponding countermeasures and prevent measures, work out optimized scheme to guide the real construction, and control effectively the project’s quality, progress and cost. BIM solves fundamentally the management defects from traditional project, and will certainly bring about a series of great changes in the circles of project management.

Virtual Construction Technology Applications in Building Based on DELMIA

This paper simulated 3-D virtual construction environment to achieve visualization of the building construction process by using the CATIA and DELMIA software. It confirmed the best construction program through comparing the advantages and disadvantages from multiple the construction programs for the aim of improving the constructability of the construction program.

A Walkthrough Remote View System with an Omnidirectional Camera

A remote view system is a system for the delivery and presentation of information such as video and audio to users in remote locations. Methods for the construction of virtual environments based on video information have been applied to remote view technology. When a system that supports remote viewing is applied to situations such as viewing scenery or engaging in collaborative work, it is useful to provide users with a function that enables them to walkthrough a sense of immersion in a remote location environment. Although walkthroughs are possible in remote view systems that use pre-prepared images to construct virtual environments, these systems are lacking in terms of real-time performance. In this study, we built a virtual walkthrough environment and created a system that allows multiple users view images sent in real time from an omnidirectional camera installed in a remote location. In this system, when presenting an object in the environment on a real world image, the information of the object can be shown in a separate window to the walkthrough environment if necessary. By using an improved map projection method, the system produces less image distortion than the conventional projection method. We have confirmed the walkthrough capabilities of this system, evaluated the performance of the improved map projection method, and subjected it to user trials.

User-centered virtual environment design for virtual rehabilitation

BackgroundAs physical and cognitive rehabilitation protocols utilizing virtual environments transition from single applications to comprehensive rehabilitation programs there is a need for a new design cycle methodology. Current human-computer interaction designs focus on usability without benchmarking technology within a user-in-the-loop design cycle. The field of virtual rehabilitation is unique in that determining the efficacy of this genre of computer-aided therapies requires prior knowledge of technology issues that may confound patient outcome measures. Benchmarking the technology (e.g., displays or data gloves) using healthy controls may provide a means of characterizing the "normal" performance range of the virtual rehabilitation system. This standard not only allows therapists to select appropriate technology for use with their patient populations, it also allows them to account for technology limitations when assessing treatment efficacy.MethodsAn overview of the proposed user-centered design cycle is given. Comparisons of two optical see-through head-worn displays provide an example of benchmarking techniques. Benchmarks were obtained using a novel vision test capable of measuring a user's stereoacuity while wearing different types of head-worn displays. Results from healthy participants who performed both virtual and real-world versions of the stereoacuity test are discussed with respect to virtual rehabilitation design.ResultsThe user-centered design cycle argues for benchmarking to precede virtual environment construction, especially for therapeutic applications. Results from real-world testing illustrate the general limitations in stereoacuity attained when viewing content using a head-worn display. Further, the stereoacuity vision benchmark test highlights differences in user performance when utilizing a similar style of head-worn display. These results support the need for including benchmarks as a means of better understanding user outcomes, especially for patient populations.ConclusionsThe stereoacuity testing confirms that without benchmarking in the design cycle poor user performance could be misconstrued as resulting from the participant's injury state. Thus, a user-centered design cycle that includes benchmarking for the different sensory modalities is recommended for accurate interpretation of the efficacy of the virtual environment based rehabilitation programs.

Virtual reality: A state-of-the-art survey

This paper presents a survey on virtual reality systems and provides an in-depth understanding toward the notion of immersion, according to the semantic meanings of the terms “virtual” and “reality”. The paper analyses the structure and functions of a virtual reality system and takes the three dimensional display as the immersive medium to identify the key issues for construction of virtual environments. The paper also reviews the development of virtual reality technology and introduces new image processing techniques into the design of virtual reality systems and virtual environments.

Three-Dimensional Simulation and Visualization of Crane Assisted Construction Erection Processes

A system for three-dimensional simulation and animation of erection processes is presented. The system is aimed at providing detailed planning and visualization in a virtual construction environment as well as for assisting crane operators in real-time during erection. In the system, construction cranes are modeled and treated as robots in which the motion required for each degree of freedom of the crane is computed as a function of the path to be followed by each component being erected. The sequence and path of each component are computed such that construction times are minimized and collisions with previously erected components are avoided. A physics-based simulation and animation of crane motions was also developed to visualize vibrations induced by crane motion. A special emphasis is placed on crane maneuvering required for containing motion-induced vibrations at acceptable levels and for increasing safety at job sites. Examples of the erection of steel and precast reinforced concrete buildings using tower cranes and crawler cranes are included. The system is a significant step forward in computer-assisted construction erection, for both prior to and during construction.

View Synthesis for Realistic Virtual Walk Through Based on Omni-directional Images

Virtual walk through can be widely applied in many industries such as virtual environment construction, history heritage conservation and scenic site exhibition etc. This paper proposes a more convenient and efficient approach to create realistic virtual walk through from catadioptric omni-directional images via view synthesis technique. Our innovation mainly lies in three aspects: omni-directional image preprocessing, image rectification and novel view interpolation. Acquisition and unwarping of omni-directional image are discussed firstly. Then, for specialty of cylindrical panoramic imaging, epiline-sampling method is adopted for rectification, which samples reference images along epilines as much as possible grounding on epipolar geometry. In this way, it can detract the rectified images from image deformation and resolution degeneration, which usually take place due to perspective transformation when using some other algorithms. As to novel view generation, a corresponding interpolation algorithm is developed. Pixels on novel view are formulated according to the cylindrical panoramic imaging model. Experiments carried out on both synthetic and real scene are given at the end of this paper, with a demonstration of the method's application in realistic virtual walk through.

Admittance and Impedance Representations of Friction Based on Implicit Euler Integration

Modeling of friction force is cumbersome because of its discontinuity at zero velocity. This paper presents a set of discrete-time friction models for the purpose of haptic rendering and virtual environment construction. These models allow friction to be treated as an admittance-type or impedance-type element of a virtual environment. They are derived from implicit Euler integration of Coulomb-like discontinuous friction and linear mass-spring-damper dynamics, and have closed-form expressions. They include rate-dependent friction laws, and their extension to multidimensional cases is easy in most practical cases. The validity of the models is demonstrated through numerical examples and implementation experiments

Evaluating design guidelines for reducing user disorientation in a desktop virtual environment

Navigation in virtual environments can be difficult. One contributing factor is user disorientation. Two major causes of this are the lack of navigation cues in the environment and problems with navigating too close to or through virtual world objects. Previous work has developed guidelines, informed by cinematography conventions, for the construction of virtual environments to aid user comprehension of virtual space to reduce user disorientation. To validate these guidelines, two user studies have been performed where users of a desktop virtual environment are to complete a navigation task in a virtual maze. In an initial study [12], collision detection with the maze walls was not enabled and the results indicated that the guidelines were effective for reducing disorientation but not for developing the user’s awareness of the environment space. A second study has been performed where collision detection was enabled. Results suggest that the use of the guidelines can help reduce the incidences of user disorientation and aid navigation tasks. However, the guidelines have little impact on users’ ability to construct cognitive maps of the desktop virtual environment.

Virtual facility layout design using virtual reality techniques

Manufacturing facility layout design has long been recognized as one of the most critical and difficult design tasks in manufacturing industries. Traditional layout methods can not fully solve this complex spatial layout problem. Virtual reality (VR) is a new form of human-computer interaction, which has the potential to support a range of engineering applications. This paper discusses the reasons why manufacturing facility layout design is considered to be an appropriate new area of VR utilization. A VR-based layout design framework is proposed. The virtual environment construction issues are discussed. An example of the immersive VR application of facility layout is examined.