Course Virtual Reality

Prof. Dr. Bernd Fröhlich
Dr. rer. nat. Alexander Kulik
Dipl.-Mediensys.wiss. André Kunert
M.Sc. Tim Weißker

This course presents the theoretical, technical and applied foundations of modern Virtual Reality systems, 3D TV, 3D Cinema, stereoscopic gaming and 3D user interfaces. The course focuses on the following topics:

  • Scenegraph technology
  • 3D viewing
  • 3D perception
  • Stereoscopic single- and multi-viewer display technology
  • Three-dimensional user interfaces and interaction techniques

The accompanying lab classes allow students to implement a set of 3D interaction techniques in stereoscopic environments. The VR lab provides access to the newest Virtual Reality technology such as multi-viewer 3D projections and head-mounted display systems.

Organization

  • Instructors: Prof. Dr. Bernd Fröhlich / Dr. rer. nat. Alexander Kulik
  • Teaching assistants
    • Dipl.-Medsys.wiss. André Kunert
    • M.Sc. Tim Weißker
  • Lecture schedule 
    • Introduction on 16 October 2018
    • Tuesdays, 3:15 PM - 4:45 PM
    • Location: Room 015, Bauhausstr. 11
  • Lab class schedule
    • Group A: Friday, 9:15 AM - 10:45 AM, starts 19 October 2018
    • Group B: Friday, 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM, starts 19 October 2018
    • Location: VR-Lab, Room 008, Bauhausstr. 11
  • Target audience
    • M.Sc. Computer Science for Digital Media
    • M.Sc. Computer Science and Media
    • M.Sc. Human-Computer Interaction
    • M.Sc. Digital Engineering
  • Credits
    • Lecture + Lab Class: 4.5 ECTS
    • Lecture + Lab Class + Final Project: 6 ECTS

News

  • Oral exams
    • Regular exam dates: March 12 to March 14
      Please contact maria-theresa.hansens (at) uni-weimar.de for a timeslot until March 5
    • Exam dates before March 8 are welcome on individual request
      Please email the instructor directly about 10 days before you would like to perform your exam
    • Later dates – after March 14 – are available only on special request and with a significant reason by email to the instructor until March 5
  • Q&A session
    • March 8: 9:30am - 12:00pm; in the VR-Lab B11
    • Specific questions and topics for discussion can be submitted via the Q&A board on the Moodle page

Lecture Materials

The documents from the WS 2017/18 course serve as a basis and will be further developed. The files are only accessible within the university network using a password provided during the first lecture. Adobe Acrobat Reader works well with protected files. The videos (webm and mp4) should work in most browsers without the need for download. Please do not redistribute the materials.

    Lab Class Materials

    The lab class will be administered on Moodle: http://moodle.uni-weimar.de/course/view.php?id=5196

    Assignment Overview

    • Assignment 1: Python (10%)
    • Assignment 2: Hierarchical Structuring (15%)
    • Assignment 3: Input Handling & Dataflow (10%)
    • Assignment 4: Dragging & Transfer Functions (20%)
    • Assignment 5: Transformations & Viewing Setups (10%)
    • Assignment 6: Remote Manipulation (20%)
    • Assignment 7: Navigation (15%)

    Grading

    Your grade for this course is determined by the successful completion of the lab class (1/3) and a final oral examination (2/3).

    During the lab class, you will be asked to complete both theory and practice assignments. You need to achieve at least half of the points over all graded assignment sheets to pass. The average grade across all assignments is your total grade for the lab class. Group work in pairs of two students is permitted.

    The final examination is an oral discussion covering all topics of the lecture and lab class. Appointments for oral examinations will be made individually at the end of the course.

    The following scheme is applied to convert percentages to grades:

    • 1.0   >=95.0
    • 1.1   [93.5-95.0)
    • 1.2   [92.0-93.5)
    • 1.3   [90.5-92.0)
    • 1.4   [89.0-90.5)
    • 1.5   [87.5-89.0)
    • 1.6   [86.0-87.5)
    • 1.7   [84.5-86.0)
    • 1.8   [83.0-84.5)
    • 1.9   [81.5-83.0)
    • 2.0   [80.0-81.5)
    • 2.1   [78.5-80.0)
    • 2.2   [77.0-78.5)
    • 2.3   [75.5-77.0)
    • 2.4   [74.0-75.5)
    • 2.5   [72.5-74.0)
    • ...
    • 3.0   [65.0-66.5)
    • ...
    • 4.0   [50.0-51.5)
    • Less than 50% is insufficient for a passing grade.

    Final Project (optional)

    The final project (graded separately and awarded additional 1.5 ECTS) requires the participants to apply the obtained theoretical and practical skills of the course in the design, implementation and presentation of an individual small research project. In particular, you will be asked to develop a concept, come up with an effective and efficient implementation in a 3D engine and present your results in a concise talk. This is an invaluable opportunity to work on an interesting topic of your choice with the state-of-the-art VR-hardware available in our lab like head-mounted displays, multi-user projection systems and multi-touch tabletops. Group work in pairs of two students is permitted.