Virtual Reality – Theory and Practice ER-DIKS-SM>VirRea

“Learn through experience” principle is basis for this course.
There are three basic levels on how Virtual Reality can be used:
1. Lowest level (characteristic for engineering applications, e.g. Virtual Prototyping) assumes that only our hands with the help of e.g. 3DConnexion SpaceMoues and CAD mouse are immersed in-to Virtual Reality, to manipulate there virtual objects. One lecture will be devoted to allow stu-dents to play with simple engineering-style Virtual Reality, using manipulation set from 3DConnexion company;
2. Intermediate level takes place when Virtual Reality is imported to our Real Reality and used in Augmented Reality mode. For this Microsoft HoloLens are used. They are considered as top de-vice in this area. Students students will play with HoloLens, one or two lectures.
3. Attempts are taken to fully immerse a human into Virtual Reality. It is technologically difficult and expensive task. Students will play one lecture with HTC Vive pro set, to taste problem of full immersion. Full immersion can be only implemented in very expensive systems, like those for paratroopers training (military simulators).

However, to use Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality, at first this must be produced with the help of powerful computers and software tools like Autodesk Maya 2020 or alternatively can be acquired with the help of e.g. 3D scanners like e.g. FARO 3D outdoor scanners.
Students will be trained on how to use Autodesk Maya 2020 software environment, to build simple Virtual Reality objects. This software is today the best one. Maya 2020 allows to e.g. build virtual di-nosaur for Jurassic Park movie, by team composed of: artist (sculptor) to make beautiful, however scary looking body of dinosaur, supported by engineer to build & control skeleton of dinosaur, to allow di-nosaur running and finally with the help a programmer, to program and implement special effects. Thus humanistic oriented students can efficiently work using this software on artist-level, under condi-tion that lecturer (prof. T. Szuba) is trained and able to carry out such lecture. This teaching approach is based on split of e.g. designing crystal glass wine into sub-steps. Every sub-step is at first demon-strated by lecturer and students observe this process on two 60” 4K screens. Later on, on their comput-ers they try to repeat this sub-step of creation, with prof. Szuba going around the Laboratory and help-ing them. Past 3 years have demonstrated, that ERASMUS students like this very much and even make selfie to document their face and object on the computer monitor, the managed to make.
Thus whole course is mix of demonstrations (see devices mentioned above), discussion about nature, possible applications of Modern Computer Graphics and Virtual and Augmented Reality, interleaved with practical making of Virtual Reality.
More advanced lectures: e.g. making hairs, leaking water, explosion, some physical effects (destruc-tion), etc. require much more time and much more powerful workstations, thus in this course, only “how to start” is demonstrated to students.