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Virtual Reality in Architecture
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What does virtual reality actually mean? Virtual Reality can be broadly said to be synthetic stimulation. Contrary to the popular belief propagated by most media VR extends far beyond the bounds of 3D computer generated environments. The concept is much wider, stretching from it's most primitive form, the radio or television to the realm of bio-mechanics which involves artificial sensations of touch, smell and taste. The computer is but a tool, even if a very important one, in this field. Virtual Reality as a concept focuses on creation of environments and immersing subjects into them. The type and complexity of the environments depend on the equipment and of course the purpose. The Virtual-Environment (VE) may be incomplete, for example in a cinema hall where a user only uses his eyes and ears and no other senses. So far a VE complete in all respects has not been developed but for the 'Star Trek - The Next Generation' enthusiasts an excellent example is the 'holodeck', a room in the starship where life-like environments (including smell & taste) are generated for entertainment of the crew who stay away from the Earth for extended periods of time. Why Virtual Reality? The problem: As mechanisation and specialisation rear its ugly heads the need for an aesthetic facade was felt. This is where architects were looked upon to create friendly work environments among hostile looking mechanical devices. The advent of automation has brought about more and more numbers of computer operators into the workplace. This means more number of monitors and keyboards. These are not necessarily the best interfaces for a worker as has been proved by medical experts time and again. This is where VR was considered as an option. The solvers: Architects have always been creating such environments out of bricks and cement and interiors using lights and sometimes sounds, and so were the natural choice as designers of such interfaces. The idea being to create interfaces friendlier than the standard array of buttons and of course more intuitive. This led to the interface becoming more and more like real life, with sounds and images or icons to indicate events or messages. The solution: By and by the interfaces began to be used as a tool for creation and also a means of expression. Computer graphics emerged as a totally new medium for art. It slowly became an interactive medium, giving a feedback to the user according to his actions. The range of human senses which these interfaces interacted with were not limited only to sight or hearing. In fact one of the first example of a virtual interface is the joystick of civilian aircraft which simulated scaled down wing & fuselage vibrations without actually transferring the mechanical energy. The Virtual Environment It was during the late 80's that high-speed computers came into the picture giving enough power to convert mathematical data into images in real time. Initially the computers were only used for viewing data in easily readable forms like 3D graphs etc. It was only after the entertainment industry started using 3D virtual environments for first person view type games like Wolfenstein that it's potential as a training and visualisation tool was realised. At about the same time research was being done on training for pilots and astronauts with the help of such computer simulated environments. During such research it was realised that there was immense potential for designing mechanical equipment in such an environment. Where else on Earth can you get moon like atmospheric and gravity conditions to test a new moon vehicle design. It also could be given controllable parameters which gave man a chance to play God. Forms of Virtual Reality Most of virtual reality's essentials can be described in threes. There are three general forms of VR, for example. There are also three types of VR application, three levels of necessary VR software, and three general types of VR hardware peripherals. Through-the-window:The most common form of virtual reality, called through-the-window VR, is already well known to the general public through its widespread use in arcade games and motion-based seat theatres. Through-the-window VR allows a participant to look into a virtual word from a seat in the real world. The "window" the user looks through may be as small as a home computer monitor, or as large asphalt two story movie screen. Motion-based seat theatres, the most common manifestation of through-the-window VR, allow for no true interactivity. The user is simply flown through a 2D-film-based world, usually at high speed on a bumpy ride, without being given any chance to change the itinerary or to interact with objects in the world. Through-the-window arcade games, however, are based on computer-generated images, not film, and thus are often more effective, usually allowing both 3D effects and some interactivity. In a through-the-window theatre experience, the participant views Scenes on the screen by the seat lurches and shudders in response to the images portrayed: roller-coasters, swan-dives off buildings, and cliff-edge Dune-buggy rides.
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