Virtual Reality systems enable organizations to cut costs and time, maintain financial and organizational control over the development process, digitally evaluate products before having them created, and allow for greater creative exploration. In this book, VR developers Alan Craig, William Sherman, and Jeffrey Will examine a comprehensive collection of current,unique, and foundational VR applications in a multitude of fields, such as business, science, medicine, art, entertainment, and public safety among others.
An insiders view of what works, what doesnt work, and why, Developing Virtual Reality Applications explores core technical information and background theory as well as the evolution of key applications from their genesis to their most current form. Developmental techniques are cross-referenced between different applications linking information to describe overall VR trends and fundamental best practices. This synergy, coupled with the most up to date research being conducted, provides a hands-on guide for building applications, and an enhanced, panoramic view of VR development. Developing Virtual Reality Applications is an indispensable one-stop reference for anyone working in this burgeoning field.
- Dozens of detailed application descriptions provide practical ideas for VR development in ALL areas of interest!
- Development techniques are cross referenced between different application areas, providing fundamental best practices!
Alan B. Craig currently does research and development in the Visualization and Virtual Environments group at the NCSA at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. In addition to giving numerous presentations, Alan has authored papers and book chapters related to scientific visualization and virtual reality. Prior to his work in the Visualization and Virtual Environments Group, Alan was Manager of the NCSA Training Group, Manager of the NCSA Information Technology Group, and a member of the NCSA Scientific Visualization Group.
William R. Sherman is Interim Director of the Environmental Modeling and Visualization Lab at the Desert Research Institute in Reno, Nevada. Previously he lead the virtual reality effort at the National Center for Super- computing Applications (NCSA) at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He has authored several book chapters and papers on the topics of scientific visualization and virtual reality and has taught a graduate-level course on VR at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.