<p>To be able to run a flight simulator a large area of terrain needs to be visualized. The simulator must update the screen in real-time to make the simulation work well. One way of managing large terrains is to tile the area into quadratic tiles to be able to work with different detailed representations of the terrain at different distances from the user. The tiles need to match with the adjacent tiles in the edge points to avoid cracks. When every tile can have a number of different levels of detail this means that the different levels of detail need to match too. This was previously done by having the same edge points in all levels of detail, giving an unnicessarily large polygon count in the less detailed levels. the method developed in this report uses different versions of borders with their own level of detail, adapting to different detail levels at the adjacent tile, reducing hte number of polygons.</p>

This study aims to test the effects of different way finding affordances on the usability of METU virtual campus built in Second Life virtual world in terms of users&rsquo / satisfaction, performance and mental workload. This study was conducted with 36 participants who are students at the Middle East Technical University. Participants were randomly put on of the five groups namely map, signboard, voice and agent groups and a control group. The participants were given navigational tasks in METU virtual campus within Second Life. In the experiment, the eye movements of the participants were examined with eye tracking tool in order to determine the areas which participants paid attention most. Also mental work load in their prefrontal cortex was examined with fNIR device. There was no significant difference among groups in terms of satisfaction, however / there were significant difference among groups in terms of task completion accuracy, time, length, navigation cue gaze duration and mental workload. Agent group has the highest accuracy score, map group has the highest time, length and navigation cue gaze duration score. Moreover, agent group has the highest mental workload but control group has the lowest mental workload. The results of the tests were used to provide guidance for the design of way finding affordances in METU virtual campus.

Cette recherche s’inscrit dans le domaine des sciences du langage et plus particulièrement dans celui de la Didactique des Langues (DDL) et de la Communication Médiatisée par Ordinateur (CMO). Son objectif est d’étudier les interactions entre les différents apprenants, et celles avec les enseignants/tuteurs, en relation avec des mondes virtuels en 3D, en particulier Second Life qui offre des possibilités pour la communication synchrone et la visite de « lieux » variés pour l'apprentissage.En nous appuyant sur la notion d’affordance dans une perspective écologique, nous voulons mettre l’accent sur la perception et l’action de chacun, apprenant et enseignant, en rapport avec les possibilités d’interaction et d’apprentissage offertes par ce monde virtuel. Nous avons choisi deux axes de recherche : tout d’abord analyser un certain nombre de pratiques existantes à travers leurs scénarios pédagogiques qui exploitent plus ou moins les possibilités de SL ; ensuite élaborer un scénario dans le cadre d’une télécollaboration mettant l’accent sur l’interactivité et les interactions. Nous étudions les perceptions des apprenants face aux possibilités offertes par ce scénario. Il peut y avoir un écart entre ce que propose le scénario et la manière dont il est ressenti et mis en œuvre.Les résultats de cette recherche qualitative fournissent quelques principes pour la conception et la mise en œuvre d'environnements d'apprentissage d’une L2 médiatisés par un monde virtuel en 3D, qui peut être le supplément d’un cours en présentiel ou une formation entièrement à distance. Pour nous, la réussite d’un scénario est avant tout liée aux possibilités d’échanges offertes à travers les activités, et à la capacité des étudiants à les mettre efficacement en œuvre avec l’aide de l’enseignant/tuteur. / This research falls within the field of language sciences, especially language teaching and computer-mediated communication (CMC). The aim of this dissertation is to study the interactions of the learners between themselves and with their teachers/tutors in virtual worlds such as Second Life where synchronous communication and visits in various “places” are possible.Based on the notion of affordance from an ecological perspective, our focus is on the perception and the action of both the learners and the teachers as to the interaction and learning possibilities generated by the virtual world. This research consists of two main parts: firstly, we analyze a number of existing teaching practices through pedagogical scenarios in which the possibilities of Second Life are not always fully exploited; secondly, within the context of a telecollaboration, we create a scenario taking advantage of the possibilities of the virtual world in order to promote interactivity and interaction. Then we study the learners’ perception of these possibilities. It is noted that there is a difference between what is offered by the scenario and how it is perceived and put into practice.The results of this qualitative research provide some principles for the conception and the setting up of a foreign language learning environment mediated by a 3D virtual world. It could be a valuable addition to face-to-face lessons or be used as a training program for distance learning. From our point of view, the success of a scenario depends mostly on the exchange opportunities proposed by the tasks and the capability of learners to make use of them efficiently with the help of their teachers or tutors.

Cette thèse porte sur la création interactive intuitive de formes 3D, justifié pour les artistes par un besoin d'efficacité et d'expressivité et pour le grand public par la démocratisation d'usages de la modélisation numérique pour les jeux vidéo ou pour les imprimantes 3D. Dans ce cadre, pour trouver des nouvelles formes d'interactions, nous avons développé des modeleurs et des techniques de modélisation : un modeleur de formes libres 3D par métaphore de peinture, un modeleur vectoriel temps réel de paysages ainsi qu'un modeleur de paysages par croquis vu de la première personne. Les contributions scientifiques vont d'un opérateur de mélange implicite qui garanti la localité du mélange, à l'utilisation qu'une formulation bi-harmonique pour la modélisation de terrains permettant une modélisation fine, intuitive et temps réel de terrains; en passant par la modélisation de paysages à partir de croquis composé de silhouettes vus de la première personne. / This thesis focuses on the interactive intuitive creation of 3D Models. Improvment of modeling tools for artists is still an active research mater especialy concerning efficiency and expressiveness. Moreother video games or 3D printers are make the use of modeling tools more common by the general public. In this context, to find new forms of interaction, we have developed modelers and modeling techniques: a 3D free-form modeler which uses a painting metaphor for creation, a vector-based real-time landscapes modeler as well as a sketch-based landscapes modeler that uses first person drawnings. Scientific contributions range from a blending operator for implicit modeling that guarantees the locality of the blend. The use for a bi-harmonic formulation for landscape modeling that allow fine, intuitive and real-time terrain modeling. Finally through landscape modelisation using sketches composed of silhouettes seen from the first person point of view.

To be able to run a flight simulator a large area of terrain needs to be visualized. The simulator must update the screen in real-time to make the simulation work well. One way of managing large terrains is to tile the area into quadratic tiles to be able to work with different detailed representations of the terrain at different distances from the user. The tiles need to match with the adjacent tiles in the edge points to avoid cracks. When every tile can have a number of different levels of detail this means that the different levels of detail need to match too. This was previously done by having the same edge points in all levels of detail, giving an unnicessarily large polygon count in the less detailed levels. the method developed in this report uses different versions of borders with their own level of detail, adapting to different detail levels at the adjacent tile, reducing hte number of polygons.

Cette thèse est une méditation sur l’art numérique et la perception, qui espère offrir un regard approfondi sur ces sujets. L’évolution technologique, comme le feu de Prométhée, apporte la lumière, et change le mode de vie humain, mais aussi les critères de l’art, en plus de nous introduire dans un monde inimaginable d’hyper-sensations. Science et technologie se déploient dans tous les domaines de la vie, le développement de l’interaction homme-machine nous inonde de dispositifs numériques et multimédia au quotidien, et nous rend familiers des mondes virtuels. Cette recherche explore les interactions entre l’art numérique et ses environnements de création et d’exposition.Deux études de terrain sont ici mises en relation : Le Festival d’Art Numérique de Taipei et Mons 2015, et soulignent un rapport art-science-société comme problématique. D’un point de vue sociologique, l’art numérique représente un microcosme de la société virtuelle et un macrocosme du monde réel, par la création d’une communauté virtuelle invisible.La science technologique incarne l’esprit humain et l’espace-temps, car la relation entre l’homme et la technologie marque la société contemporaine, où le scientifique et l’artiste peuvent créer des mondes imaginaires tout en traversant les oppositions dichotomiques entre la réalité et la virtualité. Ce travail de thèse permet ainsi d’explorer des entrecroisement entre le spectateur et l’œuvre, entre les mondes intelligible et sensible, réel et virtuel, visible et invisible. / This research is a meditation between digital art and perception of real-life, which hopes to offer a comprehensive look on these issues. Technology developments, such as the fire of Prometheus, not only bring the lights and changes in nature’s way into our daily life, but also the Principles and criteria of art. In addition, the new media bring us into unimaginable and hyper-sensations world. Science and technology are deployed and infiltrated in all area, the development of man-machine interaction flooded with digital devices and media every day, and make us rely on virtual worlds unconsciously. This research explores the interactions between digital art, digital art creation and exhibition environments.Two case studies are made here is related to: The Taipei Digital Art Festival and Mons 2015, and highlight a report art-science-society as problematic definition. From sociological point of view, digital art represents a microcosm of the virtual society and a macrocosm of the real world, by creating an invisible virtual community.Technological science embodies the human spirit and the space-time, because the relationship between man and technology marks contemporary society, where the scientist and the artist can create imaginary worlds while crossing dichotomous oppositions between reality and virtuality. This work allows us to explore the intersection between the viewer and the work, between intelligible and sensible worlds, real and virtual, visible and invisible.

Im Rahmen des DFG-Graduiertenkollegs „CrossWorlds“ (http://www.crossworlds.info) wird im Teilbereich Kommunikation ein autonomer mobiler Roboter aufgebaut. Das Anwendungsszenario ist das Industriemuseum Chemnitz. Mithilfe von technischen Mitteln werden die Exponate des Industriemuseums durch die Informationen und Darstellungen der virtuellen Welt erweitert. Der Roboter CLUES (Cross worLds autonomoUs mobilE robot hoSt) tritt dabei als Mittler zwischen der realen Museumswelt und virtuellen Informationswelt auf. Er bietet den Besuchern die Möglichkeit zur Interaktion mit den bereitgestellten Inhalten und nimmt gleichzeitig als Gastgeber des Museums die Besucher wahr. Dieser erste Bericht beinhaltet die Grundidee des Projektes und die Hardwareausrüstung. Er schildert die Auswahl und Abstimmung der eingesetzten technischen Geräte. Mit Blick auf das Anwendungsszenario und die technischen Möglichkeiten werden die auftretenden Probleme und Lösungen diskutiert.

Made available in DSpace on 2015-03-04T20:01:03Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 0 Previous issue date: 12 / Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / Esta dissertação consiste no estudo teórico embasado, principalmente, na Teoria da Biologia do Conhecer da autoria de Humberto Maturana, articulada a um viver e conviver de educadores em formação no Mundo Virtual (Eduverse). Assim, foram desenvolvidas duas Atividades Complementares: Aprendizagem em Mundos Virtuais e Prática Pedagógica em Mundos Virtuais, para estudantes dos diferentes cursos de Licenciatura da Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos – UNISINOS e construída a Vila Aprendizagem em Mundos Virtuais. O foco principal da investigação foi: estudar como se desenvolvem a autonomia e a autoria no processo de formação do educador, por meio da construção de Mundos Virtuais, cuja proposta pedagógica está fundamentada numa concepção interacionista/construtivista/sistêmica. A metodologia de estudo de caso auxiliou na coleta dos dados empíricos, bem como na articulação desses dados com a teoria para realizar as análises. As fontes de informações utilizadas neste estudo foram: questionário, extratos eletrônicos / This dissertation consists of the theoretical study chiefly based on the Theory of Biology of Knowing by Humberto Maturana, articulated for future teachers’ living and cohabiting in the Virtual World (Eduverse). So two Complementary Activities have been developed: Learning in Virtual Worlds and Teaching Practice in Virtual Worlds for students in different teaching courses in Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS), and the Village ‘Learning in Virtual Worlds’ was built. The main investigation focus was studying how autonomy and authorship develop in the teacher education by constructing the Virtual Worlds, whose teaching proposal is based on an interactionist/ constructivist/systemic notion. The methodology of the case study helped in collecting empirical data and articulating these data with the analysis theory. The information sources for this study were a questionnaire, electronic excerpts (AVA-UNISINOS, MSN and Eduverse), and images captured in the Virtual World. Evidences coming out from this in

Submitted by Silvana Teresinha Dornelles Studzinski (sstudzinski) on 2015-06-26T13:50:45Z No. of bitstreams: 1 LisianeMachado.pdf: 2700271 bytes, checksum: daa16317d86ca19329e47209f7d8c6a7 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2015-06-26T13:50:45Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 LisianeMachado.pdf: 2700271 bytes, checksum: daa16317d86ca19329e47209f7d8c6a7 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2012-10-30 / CAPES - Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior / O estudo teve como objetivo identificar se, e de que modo, os mundos virtuais tridimensionais (MDV3D) podem ser utilizados como um ambiente para o desenvolvimento de competências interculturais no Ensino de Pós-graduação stricto sensu. O método de pesquisa empregado foi o Design Research, usado para criar um artefato no formato de um método de capacitação para o desenvolvimento de competência intercultural, consistindo em um conjunto de atividades para a promoção de um Intercâmbio Intercultural Digital Virtual no MDV3D Second Life, com alunos do Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa - ISEG, de Portugal, e os alunos Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos - UNISINOS, do Brasil, matriculados em diferentes cursos de Mestrado O artefato (método) desenvolvido era composto por instrumentos de diagnóstico, ambientes modelados no MDV3D Second Life, treinamento para o uso do MDV3D, atividades de intercâmbio (encontro geral de abertura do intercâmbio, reuniões em grupo, palestra e encontro geral de encerramento das atividade do intercâmbio) e avaliação final. Para avaliar o processo de desenvolvimento de competências interculturais no MDV3D, adotou-se instrumentos de autoavaliação (aplicados antes e após o Intercâmbio Digital Virtual), questionários e também a Técnica de Incidentes Críticos para selecionar, com base na observação direta (filmagens), situações e acontecimentos em que foi possível identificar evidências do desenvolvimento de competências interculturais. Os principais resultados indicam que os MDV3D podem ser utilizados como um ambiente para o desenvolvimento da competência intercultural, especialmente devido às affordances de interação social, produção de conteúdo e compartilhamento de conhecimento. Os alunos envolvidos no Intercâmbio Intercultural Digital Virtual dentro do SL tiveram que praticar um conjunto de atitudes e habilidades, tais como habilidades comunicacionais; conhecimento de especificidades culturais; compreender a visão de mundo de outras pessoas; habilidades para analisar, avaliar e relacionar-se; habilidades para ouvir, observar e interpretar; respeito, abertura; tolerância a ambiguidades, entre outros, que são todos atributos da competência intercultural. / The study is aimed to identify whether and how the tridimensional digital virtual world (3DDVW) could be used as an environment for development of intercultural competences in the Post Graduate Programs. We used Design Research as a research method to create an artifact, in the format of a method of capacitation for the development of intercultural competences, composed by several activities during one Intercultural Digital Virtual Internship in 3DDVW Second Life, with students from The Instituto Superior de Economia e Gestão da Universidade Técnica de Lisboa – ISEG, in Portugal, and the Universidade do Vale do Rio do Sinos – UNISINOS, in Brazil, who were registered in different master courses. The artifact (method) developed was based on diagnostical instruments, shaped environments in the 3DDVW Second Life, training for the usage of 3DDVW, internship activities (opening meetings, group meetings, lecture and closing meetings) and final evaluation. In order to evaluate the process of development of intercultural competences in the 3DVW, we adopted self assessment instruments (applied before and after the virtual exchange), questionnaires, and also the Critical Incidents Technique to select, based on direct observation (video recording), situations and events where it was possible to identify evidences of intercultural competence development. The main results indicate that the 3DVW can be used as an environment for the development of intercultural competence especially due to the affordances of social interaction, content production and knowledge sharing. The students involved in the virtual exchange inside Second Life had to practice a set of attitudes and skills such as communication skills; culturespecific knowledge; understanding others' worldviews; skills to analyze, evaluate, and relate; skills to listen, observe and interpret; respect; openness; tolerance for ambiguity, among other, that are all attributes of intercultural competence.

O tratamento de reabilitação motora compreende o emprego de um conjunto de técnicas terapêuticas que visam incitar a ocorrência da plasticidade cerebral, atividade fisiológica na qual o sistema nervoso central busca estabelecer novas ligações sinápticas para promover a recuperação da função neuromuscular. Observando-se as técnicas atualmente empregadas e fundamentando-se no fato da criança apresentar alta capacidade de sofrer plasticidade neural, decidiu-se desenvolver um sistema mecatrônico interativo como ferramenta de auxílio ao tratamento de reabilitação de crianças com deficiência motora nas pernas. O presente trabalho descreve a implementação deste sistema, composto por uma bicicleta instrumentada, integrada a um ambiente virtual de aparência lúdica, desenvolvidos com o objetivo de proporcionar a execução dos exercícios físicos de forma divertida e cativante, estimulando a ocorrência de uma plasticidade neural mais rápida e eficiente. Ao final do trabalho são relatadas algumas demonstrações práticas realizadas, onde foram avaliados os níveis de motivação das crianças, além de alguns depoimentos médicos a respeito das expectativas do projeto. / The rehabilitation treatment consists in a set of therapeutic techniques that try to stimulate cerebral plasticity. Cerebral plasticity is a physiologic phenomenon where the brain searches for new neural connections to supply the deficient function. lt is known that the young brain has a high cerebral plasticity capacity. Based on this, an interactive mechatronic system was developed to assist the rehabilitation treatment of children with motor disturbances in their legs. This system is composed of an instrumented bicycle and an entertaining virtual world generated by computer, developed to stimulate the child to accomplish the physical activities in a captivating and fun way and, consequently, increasing the cerebral plasticity performance. ln the end of this document some practical experiments were reported, showing the motivation of the children. Some medical opinions regarding the expectations of the project were also reported.