Home arrow Press Room arrow Massive Virtalis StereoWorks System Brings Stereoscopic 3D to UCLan
Massive Virtalis StereoWorks System Brings Stereoscopic 3D to UCLan
A student at UCLAN experiences 3D stereoscopic visualisation from VirtalisUP TO 425 students will be able to simultaneously receive teaching using 3D resources thanks to the installation of a huge Virtalis StereoWorks system in the new Charles Darwin Lecture Theatre at the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan). Craig Hickson, head of the Business Support Centre in the department of Information Systems Services at UCLan, explained: “Our existing 3D cube could only hold 10-15 people, yet we believe that since the advent of 3D films and 3D gaming, the concept of 3D is really taking off across both the commercial and academic sectors. We decided therefore to find a long-term partner who could help us drive forward the inclusion of advanced visualisation and Virtual Reality (VR) into a broad spectrum of degrees. Manchester-based Virtalis has that breadth of knowledge.”

Virtalis came up with a number of different options for UCLan, who chose a passive Stereoworks system featuring two Christie DS-60 projectors and an 8m by 4m screen. To aid UCLan with its move from using VR for research to using VR for teaching, Virtalis is helping the university in its evaluation of a range of software tools to help create stereoscopic models and environments. So far, they are already using Virtalis’ StereoServer to generate stereo 3D movies from 3DS Max. Now UCLan’s departmental heads are working to generate 3D teaching content. It is expected that the first fruits of these labours will be seen by the students in May 2007.

UCLan students experience 3D stereoscopic visualisation from VirtalisHickson concluded: “This project, which was HEFCE sponsored, has created a valuable resource for the entire University. Instead of VR being confined just to the computing or engineering departments, we are making it available to students reading degrees as diverse as antiques, forensics and design. When VR is linked to laser scanning, it becomes possible to view objects, be they rare artefacts or MRI scans, in 3D. We will simply post process these scans to create large 3D models. My department, working alongside Virtalis, is developing the training and support necessary to help academics create their own virtual models and we are currently identifying the first two dozen lecturers who have the most to gain from this technology.”

UCLan Web Site www.uclan.ac.uk


Download High Res images:

icon A student at UCLan experiences 3D stereoscopic visualisation from Virtalis (1.75 MB)

icon Students at UCLan experience 3D stereoscopic visualisation from Virtalis (1.32 MB)

 
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