In this work, we address the problem of the selection of 3D objects based on the user’s intent to interact with them in online virtual environments, both on desktop and VR devices. In addition to the traditional ray-casting technique, we select four promising techniques from the literature using time-dependent volumetric scoring (IntenSelect), trajectory prediction (KEP), Kalman filters enhancement (KalmanKEP) and machine learning with decision trees (MTP). We refine and adapt them to be implemented on both devices. We gather a number of raycasting-based 3D selections in a remote virtual environment, forming a small dataset that serves for simulations and training. The performance of the techniques is evaluated using these simulations through the theoretic relative amount of time and movement required for each technique to be able to predict the target corresponding to the user’s selection intent, called availability. The users’ experience is assessed through a user evaluation on two axes that are usability and task load. The results show that IntenSelect and the adapted KEP technique are credible alternatives to ray-casting. However, the ray-casting technique is still among the preferred ones in terms of user experience, despite being a method with a low spatial and temporal availability compared to others. / I det här arbetet tar vi upp problemet med att välja 3D-objekt baserat på användarens avsikt att interagera med dem i virtuella miljöer online, både på stationära datorer ochVR-enheter. Förutomdentraditionellaray-casting-tekniken väljer vi fyra lovande tekniker från litteraturen som använder tidsberoende volymetrisk poängsättning (IntenSelect), banaförutsägelse (KEP), Kalmanfilterförbättring (Kalman-KEP) och maskininlärning med beslutsträd (MTP). Vi förfinar och anpassar dem så att de kan genomföras på båda enheterna. Vi samlar in ett antal raycastingbaserade 3D-val i en avlägsen virtuell miljö och bildar en liten datamängd som tjänar till simuleringar och träning. Teknikernas prestanda utvärderas med hjälp av dessa simuleringar genom den teoretiska relativa mängden tid och rörelse som krävs för att varje teknik ska kunna förutsäga det mål som motsvarar användarens urvalsintention, så kallad tillgänglighet. Användarnas upplevelse bedöms genom en användarutvärdering på två axlar, nämligen användbarhet och arbetsbelastning. Resultaten visar att IntenSelect och den anpassade KEP-tekniken är trovärdiga alternativ till ray-casting. Ray-casting-tekniken är dock fortfarande bland de föredragna när det gäller användarupplevelsen, trots att det är en metod med låg rumslig och tidsmässig tillgänglighet jämfört med andra metoder.

This study investigates how mindfulness influences feelingsof place illusion in Virtual Reality (VR) experiences, i.e. the feeling of being inside the mediated world that is displayed through the VR technology. To research the effects, a design called Mindsition was proposed that consist of two Virtual Environments (VEs) that transfers the user from the physicalworld to a task environment in VR and altering the user’s state of mind. In the first VE, a guided meditation exercise was introduced to bring the user to a more mindful state, changing how the mediated world was perceived. The user was then brought to the task environment to complete a task. The design was evaluated using a between-subjects experimental design in which half of the participants were exposed to the entire experience, while the other half only experienced the task environment. Results are inconclusive, but revealed tentative evidence that the Mindsition does increase feelings of place illusion, as participants felt more captivated by the environment and had a stronger overall feeling of ’being inside’ the VE. However, the results also show that Mindsition compromises reality judgement, i.e. how veritable the environment felt, as participants were more aware that the virtual world co-existed with the physical world. Overall, the study suggests that Mindfulness has the potential to make users more observant about various aspect of the VE and place less attention on the fact that the environment is perceived through a screen, making memories about the VR experience more vivid. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to place illusionas well as mindfulness, and directions are given for future research. / Denna studie undersöker hur mindfulness påverkar känslor av “Place Illusion” i Virtual Realityupplevelser, d.v.s. känslan av att vara inuti den förmedlade världen som visas genom VR-tekniken. För att undersöka effekterna föreslogs en design som kallades Mindsition som består av två virtuella miljöer. De virtuella miljöerna för över användaren från den fysiska världen till en arbetsmiljö i VR och ändrar användarens sinnesförfattning. I den första arbetsmiljön introducerades en guidad meditationsövning för att försätta användaren i ett mer medvetet tillstånd och därmed ändra hur den förmedlade världen uppfattades. Användaren placerades sedan i den andra arbetsmiljön för att slutföra en uppgift. Designen utvärderades med hjälp av utvärderingsmetoden ”between-subjects” i vilken hälften av deltagarna upplevde hela upplevelsen, medan den andra hälften endast upplevde arbetsmiljön. Resultaten är ofullständiga, men avslöjade preliminära bevis för att Mindsition ökar känslorna av Place Illusion, eftersom deltagarna kände sig mer fängslade av miljön och hade en starkare övergripande känsla av att ‘vara inne’ i arbetsmiljön. Dock visar resultaten också att Mindsition äventyrar bedömningen av verklighet, d.v.s. hur äkta miljön kändes, eftersom deltagarna var mer medvetna om att den virtuella världen samexisterade med den fysiska världen. På det hela taget föreslår studien att mindfulness har potential att göra användarna mer uppmärksamma på olika aspekter av VE och lägga mindre uppmärksamhet på faktumet att miljön uppfattas genom en skärm, som gör minnena av VR-upplevelsen mer levande. Innebörden av dessa fynd diskuteras i relation till ”Place Illusion” och mindfulness och anvisningar ges för framtida forskning.

Buying and viewing art has gone from being a traditionally physical experience to becoming digital. Due to limitations in today's two-dimensional e-commerce websites, 3D technology can be used to simulate the physical experience as much as possible. This thesis studies which factors can potentially play an important role in online art purchases, of which trust on the artist, familiarity to the artist and understanding more in depth the painting techniques were found to be the most influential on enhancing the viewers experience and engagement with a painting viewed online. These factors were later implemented in a 3D exhibition. Interaction, video, light, spatial perception and interior design contributed to a more holistic experience of art in a 3D environment. A conceptual model is then proposed to offer users as realistic and applied experience as possible that can also contribute to a greater willingness to buy art online. / Att köpa och uppleva på konst har gått från att vara en traditionellt fysisk upplevelse till att bli en digital. På grund av begränsningar i dagens tvådimensionella e-handelswebbplatser kan 3D-teknik användas för att simulera den fysiska upplevelsen så mycket som möjligt. Den här avhandlingen studerar vilka faktorer som potentiellt kan spela en viktig roll i onlineköp av konst, varav tillit till konstnären, kännedom om konstnären och en djupare förståelse av målartekniken visade sig vara de mest inflytelserika för att förbättra deltagarnas upplevelse och engagemang av konst som visas online. Dessa faktorer implementerades senare i en 3D-utställning. Resultaten visade att interaktion, video, ljus, rumslig uppfattning och interiördesign bidrog till en helhetsupplevelse av konst i en 3D-miljö. En konceptuell modell föreslås sedan för att erbjuda användare en så realistisk och tillämpad upplevelse som möjligt som också kan bidra till en större vilja att köpa konst online

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Virtual reality is a technology that has seen unprecedented growth since the turn of the century with increasing applications within business, entertainment, and educational applications. As virtual reality technologies continue to develops and markets expand, the world may see an increased demand for virtual classrooms: virtual environments (VEs) that students may access through immersive virtual reality technologies to receive guided instruction, conduct simulations, or perform tasks typical in a classroom setting. While many studies document how virtual reality is beneficial to educational processes, there is little discussion on how virtual environments should be architecturally designed. Thus one may hypothesize that physical design strategies translated to virtual environments may have similar results. This thesis investigates virtual environments for education by creating several virtual classrooms embedded within a selective digital twin of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. The design of the virtual classrooms was influenced by current architectural trends in classroom design while capturing unique abilities present within a virtual context. A physical teaching module was also designed to create a platform for educators within the university to deliver instruction within the virtual campus.

Virtual reality is a medium where both visual and aural fidelity strive to be comparable to real life. However, effective sound localization is an important part of many virtual game environments. Previous studies on virtual acoustic environments suggest that acoustic fidelity may be at odds with effective sound localization. Therefore, this study examines how one of the more computationally demanding acoustic processes affects sound localization performance in virtual reality. This study compares three different conditions with varying amounts of early reflections in a virtual reality environment. The results showed no statistically significant difference in azimuth errors, elevation errors or response times.

Despite the potential of immersive virtual environments (VEs) as educational tools, little is known about how VE system parameters impact a child using the environment. Designers of VE applications targeted at children must rely on studies done with adults to guide their design decisions. The failure to understand how children differ from adults in their responses to VEs poses a serious obstacle to the design of effective learning environments for children. The main goal of this research was to quantify the impact of varying one VE system parameter, field-of-view, on large-scale, spatial learning in middle elementary schoolchildren and the incidence of side-effects in that population in an immersive VE. The other goals of this research were to identify 1) how, and if, middle elementary schoolchildren's responses to this environment differ from that of adult participants, and 2) how, and if, gender changed participant performance and responses. Adults and 7-9 year old children were taught a U-shaped route through a six room virtual house, while wearing a helmet mounted display (HMD). Participants viewed the environment under monoscopic conditions with the horizontal field-of-view (HFOV) of the display set at either 30 or 48 degrees. Head tracking was not enabled as the children were unable to maintain a normal head position while wearing the HMD. After the learning period, participants performed tasks designed to assess spatial knowledge of the space: 1) locomotion efficiency was measured by the number of collisions with objects, 2) landmark knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to recognize photos of objects found in the environment 3) route knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to correctly re-trace the route and name the sequence of landmarks along the route, 4) configuration knowledge was measured by the participant's ability to point to occluded landmarks, make spatial inferences, and construct a model of the environment. Participants also completed a simple questionnaire which assessed the incidence of equipment difficulties and side-effects, general enjoyment, and the sense of presence in the VE. Additionally, the participant's vision and balance was checked before and after immersion in the VE. Locomotion, route knowledge, and configuration knowledge efficiency increased significantly with both age and FOV. At the smaller FOV, both adults and 7-9 year olds developed a significantly lesser degree of spatial knowledge, with the effect being amplified in the 7-9 year olds. In general, the more sophisticated the level the spatial knowledge required by a task, the greater the impact of FOV and age, with configuration knowledge being achieved significantly less frequently than route knowledge. Gender also significantly impacted the development of configuration knowledge. Only landmark knowledge did not change with age, FOV, or gender. Also, the incidence of VE balance side-effects decreased significantly with age and was impacted by gender. The incidence of equipment difficulties also decreased with age,with significantly more, and longer, breaks being taken by 7-9 year olds than by adults. Further, general enjoyment of VE immersion and presence decreased significantly with age. / Master of Science