Abstract

3D immersive visualization systems, or CAVEs™, have found wide adoption for use in geosciences, planetary science, medical research, and computer science. However, much of the potential for such systems in practical civil and environmental engineering settings has been severely limited due to 1) extreme costs in both hardware and software; 2) immobility due to calibration and darkroom requirements; and 3) extensive and expensive manpower requirements for both operation and maintenance. This thesis presents the development and testing of a new mobile low-cost immersive stereo visualization system -- the "VuePod" -- that attempts to address these challenges through the use of commercial-off-the-shelf technologies, open source software, consumer grade passive 3-D television monitors, an active tracking system, and a modular construction approach. The VuePod capitalizes on recent functional advancements and cost decreases in both hardware and software and is demonstrated herein as a viable alternative to projector-based walk-in CAVEs and their limitations. Additionally, I have selected twelve representative 3D immersive systems and performed a side-by-side analysis of each in terms of cost, viewing capabilities, computing and user experience. The purpose of performing this analysis is to classify the variety of systems available and simplify the system procurement and configuration processes. The availability of this comparative system information should facilitate the increased utilization of immersive 3D interface technologies in science and engineering.

Degree

MS

College and Department

Ira A. Fulton College of Engineering and Technology; Civil and Environmental Engineering

Rights

http://lib.byu.edu/about/copyright/

Date Submitted

2013-12-12

Document Type

Thesis

Handle

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd6643

Keywords

Virtual Reality, CAVE, VuePod, LiDAR

Language

English

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