<p dir="ltr">The present condition of US infrastructure requires a data-driven, risk-based approach to asset management. In the case of bridges, inspectors in every state visit these structures, collect data, and based on the information they report, departments of transportation evaluate bridge conditions, predict deterioration, and make repair and retrofit decisions. However, current inspection practices are manual and subjective, which could result in inaccurate assessments, with a significant impact on the allocation of economic resources and work schedules oriented to the maintenance and operations bridges. Furthermore, the capacity of inspectors for defect or deficiency detection might be inconsistent due to several cognitive and physical factors, such as the inspectors’ experience or eyesight.</p><p dir="ltr">This thesis describes the development of a Virtual Reality (VR) application supported by advanced computer graphics where the users are engaged in immersive, photo-realistic 3D environments. It provides a testbed to study the variability among bridge inspectors. The outcome will provide statistical information that will be used to enhance the current inspection practices.</p><p dir="ltr">With the use of VR technology, current limitations of inspection evaluation, such as multiple districts and different types of structures, logistics of people and equipment, and weather conditions, are addressed. Besides improving inspection training, time and cost savings are expected, along with safer conditions and innovative training tools. The final product is a state-of-the-art VR set-up with testing models of concrete and steel bridges under controlled conditions that are open to assessing other needs in the future. The system runs on a high-resolution tethered headset supported by a gaming laptop to ease portability across Indiana districts.</p><p dir="ltr">The VR-based application comprises two bridge modules: one for a steel truss bridge and one for a multi-girder concrete bridge. The 3D bridge models are synthetically recreated using reference images from two case studies. Through constant feedback and multiple demonstration sessions with the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) bridge inspectors, the bridge components, the defects and their severity, and the inspection tools to be modeled are defined. Nine types of defects are modeled, including efflorescence, cracking, corrosion, spalling, and delamination. Eight inspection tools are also recreated in the VR scene, such as chain drag, hammer, scratch brush, flashlight, and tape measure.</p><p dir="ltr">After completing the inspection in the VR scene, users are required to fill out an online survey, one for each bridge. Condition rating numbers and comments on the state of the deck, superstructure, and substructure are requested. Besides, factors such as years of experience and work location are asked to ascertain inconsistency patterns when compared with the rating numbers. The VR application also offers the possibility of taking screenshots that inspectors can later attach to their surveys to complement their reports. Statistical analysis, including pie charts and histograms, is automatically generated, giving a multi-faceted approach to consistency evaluation among inspectors.</p>

Virtual Reality (VR) is a growing frontier of immersive consumable content. It provides an additional layer of immersion, namely presence, which can be described as the feeling of being somewhere, in this case, inside a virtual environment, thus accepting it as real. We utilise existing game design, VR, and perception models and theories to create prototypes that test the effect of realism in the representation of the player avatar on the felt presence in VR. We consider the concepts of “game feel”, “presence”, “scales of realism” and the “Uncanny Valley” theory when building the framework for this study. Furthermore, we create three prototypes with increasing levels of visual polish and three test groups (N = 36 adults) are made to play through one of the prototypes each. Galvanic skin response (GSR) is used to measure arousal response, a measure used to quantify degrees of presence. Participants are instructed to interact with two stimuli that share the same behaviours, first a virtual toy car and then a virtual spider. The instructions for the interactions with each stimulus are identical. Results from t-tests and linear mixed-effects modelling (LMM) show indications of effectiveness of increased player avatar visual polish on producing higher arousal response readings, suggesting an increased sense of presence. Additionally, some behavioural patterns that emerged suggest a heightened sense of embodiment. We argue that the findings validate the implementation of higher visual fidelity in player avatars, in pursuit of impacting a subject’s level of arousal when exposed to a virtual spider. This has implications for game designers, psychotherapists, and researchers who aim to use VR to induce an immersive state in individuals. / Virtuell verklighet (engelska: “Virtual Reality”) är ett växande område av konsumerbara innehåll som medverkar till att användaren ska kunna försvinna bort i en artificiell verklighet. Den engelska termen “immersion” är välanvänd inom speldesign och syftar inom denna kontext på ett uppslukande av användarens uppmärksamhet när de interagerar med ett datorspel. Virtuell verklighet bidrar med ytterligare ett lager av “immersion” nämligen genom närvaro (engelska: “Presence”). Närvaro hänvisar till känslan att befinna sig på en viss plats, i detta fall i en virtuell miljö. Vi har nyttjat sedan tidigare kända modeller och teorier relaterade till speldesign, virtuell verklighet och kognitiva förmågor som utgångspunkt för att utveckla tre prototyper. Målet med dessa prototyper är att testa vilken effekt en mer realistisk representation av en användares virtuella kropp (engelska: “Player Avatar”) kan ha på den upplevda närvaron i en virtuell verklighet. De tre prototyperna har avsikten att öka den visuella detaljrikedomen (engelska: “Polish”) på en skala från en abstrakt representation av en mänsklig kropp till en mer realistisk och faktisk representation. Deltagande i experimenten bestod av N = 36 vuxna individer, uppdelade i tre testgrupper. Vi använder galvanisk hudrespons (“GSR”) för att mäta fysiologiska responser, vars data vi använder för att kvantifiera olika grader av närvaro. Deltagarna är instruerade att interagera med två olika stimuli, som innehar samma beteendemönster, först en virtuell leksaksbil och sedan en virtuell spindel. Resultaten från t-testerna och de linjära modellerna med blandade effekter (engelska: “Linear Mixed-Effect Modelling” eller “LMM”) gav indikationer på att en högre visuell trofasthet av deltagarens virtuella kropp resulterade i en större fysiologisk respons vilket kan tolkas som att deltagarna upplevde en större närvaro. Vidare upptäcktes vissa upprepade beteendemönster som kan tolkas som indicier på att deltagarna upplevde en högre nivå av förkroppsligande i korrelation till de mer visuellt imponerande prototyperna. Vi lägger fram argumentet att fynden i denna studie validerar implementationen av en högre visuell trofasthet i spelarnas virtuella kroppar med syftet att påverka deltagarens fysiologiska respons när de exponeras för en virtuell spindel. Detta har implikationer för speldesigners, psykoterapeuter och forskare som eftersträvar att inducera ett sorts uppslukande tillstånd bland individer.

What happens when we see an object of a certain material but the sounds that it makes comes from another material? Whilst it is an interesting question, it is an area that is under researched. Though there has been some previous research in the field the visuals have been represented using textures on simple shapes like cubes or spheres. Since this is not how humans experience materials in the real world there is a possibility that the research that has been done is not generalizable or ecologically valid. We wanted to see what would happen if this type of test was performed using 3D models that looked like real-life objects that most people would be familiar with. In order to test this, we gathered impact sounds and 3D models to represent nine different materials and created a program in virtual reality that allowed us to test all the possible combinations of sounds and visuals. These tests were performed with 15 participants who selected which material they believed each audiovisual combination represented. Our results showed a higher tendency to rely on audio cues for material perception compared to previous tests. This is interesting since we increased the visual fidelity while the quality of the audio was comparable to the previous tests. One theory is that the increase in visual fidelity makes the visuals so much clearer that participants started focusing more on trying to understand the audio. / Vad händer när vi ser ett föremål av ett visst material men ljuden som det gör kommer från ett annat material? Även om det är en intressant fråga, är det ett område som är underforskat. Även om det har gjorts en del tidigare forskning på området har det visuella representerats med hjälp av texturer på enkla former som kuber eller sfärer. Eftersom det inte är så människor upplever material i den verkliga världen finns det en möjlighet att den forskning som har gjorts inte är generaliserbar eller ekologiskt giltig. Vi ville se vad som skulle hända om den här typen av test utfördes med 3Dmodeller som såg ut som verkliga objekt som de flesta skulle känna till. För att testa detta samlade vi in ljud från kollisioner och 3Dmodeller för att representera nio olika material och skapade ett program i virtuell verklighet som gjorde att vi kunde testa alla möjliga kombinationer av ljud och bild. Dessa tester utfördes med 15 deltagare som valde vilket material de trodde att varje audiovisuell kombination representerade. Våra resultat visade en högre tendens att förlita sig på ljudet för uppfattning av materialet jämfört med tidigare tester. Detta är intressant eftersom vi ökade den visuella detaljrikedomen medan ljudets kvalité var jämförbart med de tidigare testerna. En teori är att ökningen av visuell detaljrikedom gör det visuella så mycket tydligare att deltagarna började fokusera mer på att försöka förstå ljudet.

Yes / Online retailers are increasingly using augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) technologies to solve mental and physical intangibility issues in a product evaluation. Moreover, the technologies are easily available and accessible to consumers via their smartphones. The authors conducted three experiments to examine consumer responses to technology interfaces (AR/VR and mobile apps) for hedonic and utilitarian products. The results show that AR is easier to use (vs. app), and users find AR more responsive when buying a hedonic (vs. utilitarian) product. Touch interface users are likely to have a more satisfying experience and greater recommendation intentions, as compared to AR, for buying utilitarian products. In contrast, a multisensory environment (AR) results in a better user experience for purchasing a hedonic product. Moreover, multisensory technologies lead to higher visual appeal, emotional appeal, and purchase intentions. The research contributes to the literature on computer-mediated interactions in a multisensory environment and proposes actionable recommendations to online marketers.

Utveckling inom digitala- och sociala medier håller på att omdefiniera hur åskådarskap kommer se ut i framtiden. I kombination med en pandemi och en global klimatkris ställer det nya krav på hur sportarenor kan generera besökare till sina evenemang. Studiens syfte var därför att skapa förståelse för vilka förväntningar besökaren har på en virtuell arena samt skapa förståelse för vilka faktorer som är avgörande för användarens avsikt att besöka en virtuell arena. Studien har en kvalitativ ansats och empiri har samlats in genom tre strukturerade fokusgrupper. Unified theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT 2) användes som baslinje i studien och har utifrån analys och diskussion av studiens empiri utökats med fler element för att vara applicerbar i den befintliga fallet. Resultatet visade att en virtuell arena bör bidra med ett mervärde jämfört med en fysisk arena. Detta genom tillgång till exklusivt material och exklusiva områden. Vidare drogs slutsatserna att förväntad möjlighet till social interaktion, förväntad förbättrad informations- och upplevelsekonsumtion och förväntad möjlighet till personaliserad upplevelse har indirekt inverkan på användarens avsikt att använda den virtuella arenan genom hedonisk motivation och prestationsförväntan. Förväntad ansträngning visade sig vara en avgörande faktor som i sin tur påverkas av tillgänglighet, användarvänlighet och teknisk prestanda. Prisvärde visade sig vara en starkt avgörande faktor. Slutligen konstaterades intresse för sporten vara en ny modererande faktor med direkt inverkan på användarens avsikt att besöka den virtuella arenan. / Development within digital and social media is redefining how spectators will experience sport in the future. In combination with a pandemic and a global climate crisis, it creates new demands on how sports arenas can generate visitors to their events. The aim of this study was therefore to gain an understanding of the visitor’s expectations on a virtual arena as well as to identify key factors that affect the consumer’s intention to visit a virtual arena. The study has a qualitative approach and empirical data has been collected through three structured focus groups. Unified Theory of acceptance and use of technology 2 (UTAUT 2) was used as a theoretical foundation and was extended with more elements through analysis and discussion, to better suit the current situation. The results of the study indicated that a virtual arena should contribute added value compared to a physical arena, through access to exclusive material and exclusive areas. Furthermore, it was concluded that expected opportunity for social interaction, expected improved information- and experience consumption and expected opportunity for personalized experience have an indirect impact on the visitor’s intention to use the virtual arena through hedonic motivation and performance expectancy. Effort expectancy proved to be a crucial factor which in turn is affected by accessibility, ease of use, and technical performance. Price value is shown to be a strong decisive factor. Finally, it is stated that interest in the sport is a new moderating factor with a direct impact on the user’s intention to visit the virtual arena.

Virtual Reality (VR) is a tool with great potential and is under constant development for use in new fields. The project Fabriksvisualisering (Factory Visualization), has within the digital factory field, developed a tool for companies to build their factories in Unreal Engine (UE) and VR. The tool gives companies the opportunity to test their factory layouts, before implementing in the real world, to avoid costly mistakes. The following report examines possibilities for users to simulate and visualize their factory workflows as a part of the project Fabriksvisualisering. To achieve this, different solutions for visualizing the flow of products, staff and vehicles have been explored. User tests were carried out to test how an effect from UE can be used to visualize a flow of products in VR. The result gives users the opportunity to experience the interactions with factory workflows and visualize how they flow in VR.  The project resulted in two options that visualizes product flow and four options that visualizes workflow. Out of these six solutions, three were chosen and implemented to the project Fabriksvisualisering. These solutions are based on the construction of splines and include both alternatives for product flows and one alternative for workflows. The selection was based on functionality, user-friendliness and how realistic the outcome is. The result gives users the opportunity to experience the interactions with factory workflows and visualize how they flow in VR.  The conclusion is that there are several ways to visualize four out of seven factory workflows. The flows that are possible to visualize are material handling of raw materials, semi-finished and finished products, as well as the transportation and movements of workforce. This can be visualized with the help of AI, a robot system within UE, the construction of splines and Niagara systems connected to splines.

Artikeln behandlar blandningen av fysisk teater och Virtual Reality(VR) och ämnar att besvara vilka fördelar kroppsligt berättande kan generera ur en digital miljö. Sammanhangen och kopplingarna leder till en diskussion hur VR som medieform kan liknas vid en teatermask som främjar kroppslig berättande. Artikeln tar också upp hur kroppen är viktig i både VR och teater samt hur gestaltningen Get Your Act Together översätter den fysiska världen till en digital plats. Avslutningsvis presenteras ett sammanhang mellan VR och teater vilket leder till en diskussion om VR:ens roll som medie i teatersammanhang. / This article deals with the mixture of physical theater and Virtual Reality(VR) and aims to answer what benefits physical storytelling can generate from a digital environment. The context and the connections leads to a discussion of how VR as a media form can be compared to a theatrical mask that promotes physical storytelling. The article also addresses how the body is important in both VR and theater and how the design “Get Your Act Together” translates the physical world into a digital place. Finally, a connection between VR and theater is presented, which leads to a discussion about VR's role as a medium in a theater context.

Die Digitalisierung im Bauwesen schreitet immer weiter voran und während in diesem Zusammenhang oftmals das Stichwort Building Information Modeling (BIM) fällt, entwickeln sich Disziplinen wie das Brandschutzingenieurwesen (BSI) unabhängig weiter. Das Brandschutzbüro Brandschutz Consult Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH Leipzig (BCL) verwendet das BSI, um ingenieurtechnische Verfahren heranzuziehen. BCL verfolgt als Unternehmensphilosophie das Ziel, mit neuen Methoden und Erkenntnissen ständig die eigenen Prozesse zu optimieren und zu erweitern. Unter diesem Gesichtspunkt soll in dieser Arbeit in Kooperation mit BCL untersucht werden, inwieweit sich die Ergebnisse aus einer Brandsimulation, darunter besonders der Rauch, in einer virtuellen Realität (engl. Virtual Reality (VR)) darstellen und in bestehende oder potenzielle Anwendungsfälle integrieren lassen. Dazu soll zunächst mit einer Betrachtung der brandschutztechnischen Grundlagen inklusive des BSIs und einer Analyse zum Stand des Brandschutzes in BIM begonnen werden. Im nächsten Schritt sind für die Brandsimulation bestimmte Fragen zu klären, wie z.B. eine entsprechende Berechnung technisch abläuft und welche Ausgabedaten und -formate eine solche Simulation bereitstellt. Zur Darstellung der Simulationsergebnisse in virtuellen Realitäten werden Grafik.Engines benötigt, die VR-Anwendungen ermöglichen. Wichtige Untersuchungsgegenstände sind z.B. die anwendbaren Programmier- und Skriptsprachen, mit deren Einsatz die Daten eingelesen und visualisiert werden können. Für die gefundenen Grafik-Engines wird dann recherchiert, ob es bereits bestehende Anwendungen oder Prozesse zur Darstellung von Brandsimulationen gibt. Ist dies der Fall, sollen deren Workflows untersucht werden, um anschließend ihre grundsätzliche Einsatzfähigkeit zu bewerten und Verbesserungsvorschläge zu äußern...:1. Prozesse im Brandschutz 1.1. Brandschutztechnische Grundlagen 1.2. Angewandte Ingenieurmethoden 1.3. Brandschutz mit Building Information Modeling 2. Ablauf einer Brandsimulation 2.1. Verfügbare Software 2.2. Aufbau einer FDS-Eingabedatei 2.3. Generieren von Simulationsdaten in FDS 2.4. Ausgabedaten und -formate 3. Software zur Darstellung in VR 3.1. Blender 3.2. Unity Engine 3.3. Unreal Engine 3.4. Vergleich der Engines 4. Visualisierung der Brandsimulation 4.1. Konzept der Datenübertragung 4.2. Bestehende Workflows für VR-Programme 4.3. Versuchsdurchführung 4.4. Auswertung der Versuche 5. Anwendungsfälle und Optimierungspotenzial 5.1. Potenzielle Einsatzmöglichkeiten 5.2. Optimierungspotenzial 6. Fazit A. Beispielmodell Blender B. Beispielmodell VRSmokeVis C. Prüfmodell Abkürzungsverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Literaturverzeichnis / Digitization in the construction industry is progressing and while the keyword Building Information Modeling (BIM) is frequently mentioned, disciplines like the fire safety engineering are also evolving independently. The fire protection office Brandschutz Consult Ingenieurgesellschaft mbH Leipzig (BCL)) uses fire safety engineering for including engineering procedures. As a corporate philosophy BCL pursues the goal of constantly optimizing and expanding its own processes with new methods and scientific findings. From this point of view, in cooperation with BCL, this master thesis will examine to which extent it is possible to visualize the results of a fire simulation, in particular including the smoke, in Virtual Reality (VR) and to integrate them into existing or evolving applications. For this purpose, a consideration of the fire protection basics including fire protection engineering and an analysis of the status of fire protection in BIM has been started. In the next step the fire simulation must be investigated, i.e. how the corresponding calculation technically works and which output data and formats such a simulation provides. Graphic engines that enable VR applications are required to display the simulation results in VR. Important objects of investigation are e.g. the applicable programming and scripting languages. Those scripting languages are used to import and visualize the data. For the graphic engines found, research is initiated to determine whether there are already existing applications or processes for displaying fire simulations. If this is the case these workflows should be examined in order to subsequently evaluate their fundamental usability and to express suggestions for improvement. If possible, some of the optimizations should be carried out. Based on the existing processes in fire protection helpful application options are derived, for which the use must be proven in future projects.:1. Prozesse im Brandschutz 1.1. Brandschutztechnische Grundlagen 1.2. Angewandte Ingenieurmethoden 1.3. Brandschutz mit Building Information Modeling 2. Ablauf einer Brandsimulation 2.1. Verfügbare Software 2.2. Aufbau einer FDS-Eingabedatei 2.3. Generieren von Simulationsdaten in FDS 2.4. Ausgabedaten und -formate 3. Software zur Darstellung in VR 3.1. Blender 3.2. Unity Engine 3.3. Unreal Engine 3.4. Vergleich der Engines 4. Visualisierung der Brandsimulation 4.1. Konzept der Datenübertragung 4.2. Bestehende Workflows für VR-Programme 4.3. Versuchsdurchführung 4.4. Auswertung der Versuche 5. Anwendungsfälle und Optimierungspotenzial 5.1. Potenzielle Einsatzmöglichkeiten 5.2. Optimierungspotenzial 6. Fazit A. Beispielmodell Blender B. Beispielmodell VRSmokeVis C. Prüfmodell Abkürzungsverzeichnis Abbildungsverzeichnis Tabellenverzeichnis Literaturverzeichnis

I detta kandidatarbete undersöker jag hur man med hjälp av virtuell verklighet (VR) kan skapa en fabriksmiljö för att bidra till ökad medvetenhet och säkerhetstänk i fabriken.  Undersökningen baseras på en utmaning från Volvo med deras egen fabrik i fokus där dem velat ha en säkerhetsutbildning för deras gångtrafikanter i fabriken. Med hjälp av designperspektivet design thinking har Volvo fått vara delaktiga genom hela processen där vi kunnat skapa en produkt åt dem tillsammans. Undersökningens frågeställning är “Hur kan man med hjälp av Virtual Reality skapa upplevelsen av fabriksmiljö för att bidra till ökad medvetenhet och säkerhetstänk i fabriken?” där jag valt att gestalta detta i ett spel integrerat med VR. Med hjälp av de valda metoderna för designprocessen kunde jag sätta mig in i Volvos problem och skapa en fabrik som efterliknar deras så mycket som möjligt. Volvo själva fick ta del av skapandet genom bilder och videor för att ge feedback om miljön, samt hur realistisk upplevelsen kändes jämfört med deras egen fabrik. För att gestaltningen skulle testas och godkännas av Volvo involverades dem konstant i arbetet. Undersökningen resulterade i ett VR spel med en kort säkerhetsutbildning om fabrikens miljö och vissa faror som kan komma att ske i den. Eftersom ökad medvetenhet och säkerhetstänk hos personer inom arbetet inte kan mätas direkt har frågeställningen kunnat blivit besvarad efter endast ett fåtal test. De personer från Volvo som har testat det gav positiv respons och nya tankar och idéer kring tekniska utbildningar inom säkerhet som dessa har väckts hos många. / In this bachelor thesis I’m examining how to create a factory environment with virtual reality (VR) to contribute to increased awareness and safety mindset in the factory. The examination is based on a challenge from Volvo with their own factory in focus where they wanted to have a safety training for their pedestrians in the factory. With help from the design perspective design thinking, Volvo has been involved through the whole process where we could create a product for them together. The survey question is ”How can you with help from Virtual Reality create the experience of a factory environment to contribute to increased awareness and safety mindset in the factory?” where I chose to shape this into a game integrated with VR. With help from the selected methods for the design process I could put myself into Volvo’s problem and create a factory that resembles theirs as much as possible. Volvo took part of the creation themselves through pictures and videos to provide feedback on the environment and how realistic the experience felt compared to their own factory. For the design to be tested and approved by Volvo, they were constantly involved in the project. The examination resulted in a VR game with a short safety training about the environment of the factory and some dangers that may occur in it. Because increased awareness and safety thinking in people within the work can not be measured directly, the survey question has been answered after only a few tests. The people at Volvo who have tested it gave positive results and new thoughts and ideas about technical training in security, such as these, have been awakened by many.

This thesis describes the design, development, and evaluation of an interactive Microsoft HoloLens application that projects landscape models in Augmented Reality. The application was developed using the Unity framework and 3D models created in Sketchup. Using the application, students can not only visualize the models in real space but can also interact with the models using gestures. The students can interact with the models using gaze and air-tap gestures. Application testing was conducted with 21 students from the Landscape Architecture and Environmental Planning department at Utah State University. To evaluate the application, students completed a usability survey after using the application. Students also participated in a focus group. Results indicate that students were excited to use the application and found it helpful for learning landscape construction concepts. Some of the students found the application and the HoloLens device cumbersome to use, and they offered suggestions for how to improve the application. The thesis concludes with recommendations for future work.