Virtual Reality-Laboratory
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What is „Virtual Reality“?
The idea of virtual reality is to create a computer generated three-dimensional world in which the user can immerge and with which he can interact.
There is a wide range of uses for virtual reality systems. For example they are used in CAD-systems in the context of car, aircraft and ship design. Furthermore they are used in town planning, architecture, plant construction and medicine.
Equipment
The equipment of the VR-laboratory of the IWI consists of a powerwall, eight workstations for students and eight mostly mobile workstations for research and student assistants.
To provide an immersive
three-dimensional world, the powerwall consists of three separate
screens. Each of them is illuminated by two separate projectors. The
image creation is realized by the INFITEC-method (passive projection
of two shifted colour spaces). 
A computer with Quadcore-CPU and 4 GB
of RAM is controlling a cluster of three computers. Each of them has
a Quadcore-CPU and 4 GB of RAM and performs the image processing for
one pair of projectors. The Powerwall is equipped with an
optical tracking system which comprises four infrared cameras, a
tracking-computer, tracked glasses and tracked human interface
devices. Thus every object of the virtual environment exactly
positioned with respect to the user. This gives the user a better
immersive experience, because the virtual world adapts to his
position.
Furthermore the Powerwall has a 7.1-soundsystem. The whole system is driven by IC:IDO's Visual Decision Plattform.
Each of the eight student workstations
consists of a high performance PC with Quadcore CPU, 4 GB RAM, 1 TB
disk space, a Nvidia Graphic Card GeForce 8500GT with 512MB RAM and a
24'' widescreen-monitor. 
Each workstation is equipped with a license
for Autodesk Visual Studio Max 2008. Open Source Software like
Blender is also used. One of the student workplaces is equipped with
an 19'' Tridelity 3D-Monitor. The VR-Studio also has an
high-performance-beamer with SXGA-resolution and an electric silver
screen.
The VR-Studio was financed from HBFG-funds and some own funds.
Research Goals and Projects
Development and evaluation of the possibilities for interactively storing software artifacts in user-designed, role-specific and stereoscopic environments. This should lead to a better navigation in these artifacts and their retrieval. Furthermore the ability to deal with an increasing complexity of software projects should be improved. Additionally an appropriate estimation of the current state of a software project should be supported effectively.
Integration and analysis of the possibilities for the stereoscopic visualization of static and dynamic structure as well as certain quality attributes of software. The goal is to interactively analyse and understand software. To reach this target it is necessary to use, adapt and advance achievements of other research groups being active in this domain.
Cooperation with other research groups interested in stereoscopic and interactive visualization, which want to develop and evaluate the possibilities in this domain. Possible topics are road construction, explorative and immersive learning environments, visualization algorithms and libraries for instance.
Impressions
Pair of projectors 3D-Cursor Helicopter-Model (Ausschnitt)
Working with the powerwall
Contact
Prof. Dr. Ulrich W. Eisenecker M.A.
Tel.: +49 (0) 341 / 97 – 33720
Fax: +49 (0) 341 / 97 – 33729
Email: eisenecker@wifa.uni-leipzig.de
