Virtual Immersion: Simulating Immersive Experiences in VR

Abstract

This is an investigation in how VR can simulate experiences designed for large scale immersive environments. Immersive display and interaction environments and systems have been utilised in simulation, visualisation, entertainment, the arts and museological context for a long time before VR made its resurgence only a few years back. These systems include amongst others 360 degree cylindrical projection environments [3], curved screens, hemispherical projection systems [1] and multi-perspective installations [2]. In comparison to traditional screen based media, immersive environments provide a unique delivery platform for ultra-high resolution digital content at a real-world scale and for multiple simultaneous viewers. This makes them the ideal stage for impactful experiences in public museums, festivals and exhibitions. Applications and experiences created for a specific platform rely on the complex and costly technical infrastructure they were originally designed for. Descriptions and video documentation only go so far in illustrating an immersive experience. The embodied aspect, the emotional engagement and the dimensional extend, central to immersion, is mostly lost in translation. This project offers a prototypical implementation of a large scale virtual exhibition incorporating various immersive environments and applications situated within a fictional 3D scene (Figure 1). The focus is on simulation and conservation of existing applications and to create test bed for future projects.