Information-Rich Virtual Environments

Increasingly designers, engineers, and scientists require 'Integrated Information Spaces' where spatial, abstract, and temporal data are simultaneously available and linked. In our work we are developing Information-Rich Virtual Environments (IRVEs). An IRVE combines the capabilities of virtual environments and information visualization to support the integrated exploration of spatial, abstract, and temporal data.

People: Nicholas Polys, Jian Chen, Chris North, Karen Duca, Tao Ni, Doug Bowman

Home design tools

Increasingly designers, engineers, and architects have found that virtual representations of future constructions are quite useful. In the 2D/3D Home Design Project, we are developing two tools that will work together to help an architect plan his future project in more detail and aesthetics than what normal blueprints and small scale models allow for. The first tool is a 2D desktop application that allows users to build the floorplan of a house. The second tool is a 3D immersive application that runs in a CAVE and allows the user to walk through a new creation before a brick is ever laid.

People: Ryan McMahan, Walid Thabet, Doug Bowman

Spatial collaboration

Spatial collaboration is a specialized form of collaboration where the discussion relates to a physical place. Every day, people are engaged in complex activities and projects that require them to think spatially. From the decisions people make in deciding which route to take to work to the hobbies people enjoy like hiking and traveling, people are consistently thinking about spaces. Spatial collaboration describes the combined work of multiple participants to solve problems involving physical space.

People: Wendy Shafer, Doug Bowman