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M. W˛ asowicz
compromise between processing time and the level of detail and complexity—
no longer is a must; what was a considerable issue—significant human contribution to the process of creating visualization—no longer is an issue. The changing
HCI world called for a change in the conceptualization of VR. In 2003, Ferverda
[23] heard this call, which led him to propose applying Margaret Hagens’ varieties of realism in computer graphics. These are physical realism, photorealism, and
functional realism [24], a classification employing the differentiation of two neural
mechanisms: perception for recognition and perception for action.
The following subsections review state-of-the-art of technical development in
VR devices. While virtual reality is always linked with visuality, rapid technical
development changed that years ago. Immersive virtual environments provide the
user with three types of information: visual, auditory, and haptic. Many modern VR
systems employ visual devices supported not only by auditory (which was nothing
new even twenty or thirty years ago), but also tactile equipment. This is novel—
but also powerful. Human-computer interaction through visual and auditory senses
offers a great deal of possibilities, but incorporating the sense of touch makes a whole
world of difference, opening a new worlds of virtuality.
Less often do VR systems deliver stimuli to sensory systems of smell, and almost
never of taste, making them less relevant in experiencing built environments. For this
very reason, we will not discuss devices stimulating senses of smell and taste.
Given VR’s immersiveness, it is best to include as many sensory systems as
possible [4]. Hence, to evaluate VR devices in terms of sensory substitution, we
will use the following factors, as critical for this process’s effectiveness: wide fieldof-view vision, allowing for near-space scaling; stereoscopic display; stereophonic
acoustics; motion tracking; and low latency.
4 Vision
In essence, VR systems consist of electronic visual display devices, such as a desktop
monitor, a multi-monitor display, a head-mounted display (HMD), and a projection
screen, which can take various forms [4]. This list does not include a traditional
stationary computer monitor. This is because it is not considered immersive, enabling
the user to observe visualizations within the existing surroundings, thereby reducing
the impression of presence and self-motion.
A multi-monitor display, used in early studies on VR technology, is an array
of monitors that together establish a multiple visual display. Their more up-to-date
equivalent is multi monitor setups or video walls, consisting of multiple displays,
such as LCD panels, Direct View LED arrays, and Laser Phosphor Displays, all set
up together in order to form a singular large screen. Such displays have a significantly
wider field of view than standard desktop displays, and they can be mounted along
curved surface, in order to provide the user with a more peripheral view. A panoramic
projection display comprises an adjusted setting of surfaces and an image projection
M. W˛ asowicz
compromise between processing time and the level of detail and complexity—
no longer is a must; what was a considerable issue—significant human contribution to the process of creating visualization—no longer is an issue. The changing
HCI world called for a change in the conceptualization of VR. In 2003, Ferverda
[23] heard this call, which led him to propose applying Margaret Hagens’ varieties of realism in computer graphics. These are physical realism, photorealism, and
functional realism [24], a classification employing the differentiation of two neural
mechanisms: perception for recognition and perception for action.
The following subsections review state-of-the-art of technical development in
VR devices. While virtual reality is always linked with visuality, rapid technical
development changed that years ago. Immersive virtual environments provide the
user with three types of information: visual, auditory, and haptic. Many modern VR
systems employ visual devices supported not only by auditory (which was nothing
new even twenty or thirty years ago), but also tactile equipment. This is novel—
but also powerful. Human-computer interaction through visual and auditory senses
offers a great deal of possibilities, but incorporating the sense of touch makes a whole
world of difference, opening a new worlds of virtuality.
Less often do VR systems deliver stimuli to sensory systems of smell, and almost
never of taste, making them less relevant in experiencing built environments. For this
very reason, we will not discuss devices stimulating senses of smell and taste.
Given VR’s immersiveness, it is best to include as many sensory systems as
possible [4]. Hence, to evaluate VR devices in terms of sensory substitution, we
will use the following factors, as critical for this process’s effectiveness: wide fieldof-view vision, allowing for near-space scaling; stereoscopic display; stereophonic
acoustics; motion tracking; and low latency.
4 Vision
In essence, VR systems consist of electronic visual display devices, such as a desktop
monitor, a multi-monitor display, a head-mounted display (HMD), and a projection
screen, which can take various forms [4]. This list does not include a traditional
stationary computer monitor. This is because it is not considered immersive, enabling
the user to observe visualizations within the existing surroundings, thereby reducing
the impression of presence and self-motion.
A multi-monitor display, used in early studies on VR technology, is an array
of monitors that together establish a multiple visual display. Their more up-to-date
equivalent is multi monitor setups or video walls, consisting of multiple displays,
such as LCD panels, Direct View LED arrays, and Laser Phosphor Displays, all set
up together in order to form a singular large screen. Such displays have a significantly
wider field of view than standard desktop displays, and they can be mounted along
curved surface, in order to provide the user with a more peripheral view. A panoramic
projection display comprises an adjusted setting of surfaces and an image projection