From: thomat@vccsouth17.its.rpi.edu (Todd Michael Thomas)
Subject: EDUC: VR at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, New York
Date: Wed, 14 Oct 1992 03:24:23 GMT
Message-ID: <gp1z7!h@rpi.edu>


This and the last article were crossposted from alt.architecture, a new
newsgroup


Here at good ole RPI (Rensselaer Poly. Inst.) we have had the pleasure
and good fortune to use some VR technology.  Our professor of our CAD
department (yes we have CAD and we do use it for DESIGN, as well as
PRESENTATION) is very interested in VR and its applications in/to
Architecture, as well as being fairly conversant in the technology
invloved.  We have fairly powerful machines (from 386, and 486 to
RS6000 and Mac FX) and he managed to get a company specializing in low
cost, user friendly, available to small firm and school type VR
equipment to come and demo.  In the extended demo we got some classes
and actually got to design in VR (in combonation with AutoCad) and
present this to the school, as well as the whole school of
architecture got to tour some VR models to see how it works (VR) and
how the experience is.  We are also trying to aquire such equipment on
a permanent basis.

The basic set-up consisted of stereo goggles and a hand position
sensor which would control pitch, roll, altitude, and speed, and
compass direction.  The equipment can run on 386 (very slow though)
but can run relatively well on a 486, which is very affordable for a
small firm and or school.  On a 486 the model can be moderately
detailed and sized and run at a reasonable frame rate to simulate real
time movement.  This is enough to design with and give a student or
your client a very good idea of the space(s) being created at a scale
relative to your experience ( it is very hard to imagine yourself in
most 1/8th " scratch models!). The larger the machine, the faster the
frame rate and the more detailed the image and the larger the model
can be.  The equipment is not hand fabricated, it consists of off the
shelf technology and parts.  Advances in the VR field will surely
improve the tech and equipment but there does exist VR equipment
usable at the small level today.

===============================================================================
  "When in danger or in doubt        =       The chance is very high that
   run in circles,                   =       i'm doing this when i should
   scream and shout"  -RAH           =       be doing something else!
===============================================================================
 - T Sqaured