VR Workshop #1

PRESENTER
Enrico BARACAGLIA
WORKSHOP #1
Visualisation of
scientific data in
VR
29 AUGUST 2018
ORGANIZED BY
ESO, Chile
SUPERVISOR
Frédéric VOGT

Overview
1. What is VR?
2. Why visualising data in
VR?
3. Available tools, software
and hardware
4. Guided practical session
2

What is VR?
329/08/18 | enricobaracaglia@gmail.com
Virtual Reality (VR) is the use of computer
technology to create a simulated environment
through stereo vision.
VR places the user inside an experience: instead
of viewing a screen in front of them, users are
immersed and able to interact with 3D worlds.

Why
visualising
data in VR?
Because it allows to see things differently,
with a different perspective and changing your
perspective changes what you see.
When we see things differently we can get insights
in a completely new way

Why
visualising
data in VR?
It opens new frontiers: it’s like making any
visualization twice better by giving the extra
dimension of information.
You do not have to rotate a model to get an idea
about its volume. You can literally feel shapes and
proportions. And in some experiences even
interact with data.
From: https://www.virtualitics.com/

Available
tools,
software
and
hardware
Software to create and/or visualise VR content

Available
tools,
software
and
hardware
Hardware to visualise VR content

Guided
practical
session
Our model
Created with Python and Mayavi module

Guided
practical
session
Sketchfab supports more than 50 3D formats [1]:
3DC point cloud (.3dc, .asc)
3DS (.3ds)
Alias Wavefront (.obj)
Blender (.blend)
Drawing eXchange Format (.dxf)
Autodesk Filmbox, FBX (.fbx)
Generic Tagged Arrays (.gta)
Google Earth, Keyhole Markup Language (.kmz)
LIDAR point clouds (.las)
Open Inventor (.iv)
OpenSceneGraph (.osg, .osgt, .osgb, .osgtgz, .osgx, .ive)
Polygon File Format (.ply)
Valve source engine (.vpk)
Virtual Reality Modeling Language, VRML (.wrl, .wrz)
[1]
https://help.sketchfab.com/hc/en-
us/articles/202508396-3D-File-
Formats?utm_source=website&utm_
campaign=upload_hints

Guided
practical
session

Guided
practical
session
How to upload a 3D model in A-Frame [2] [3]:
[2]
https://aframe.io/docs/0.8.0/introduc
tion/models.html
<html>
<head>
<script src="https://aframe.io/releases/0.8.0/aframe.min.js"></script>
</head>
<body>
<a-scene>
<a-assets>
<a-asset-item id="object" src="./mayavi_demo_fixed.obj">
</a-asset-item>
<a-asset-item id="material" src="./mayavi_demo_fixed.mtl">
</a-asset-item>
</a-assets>
<a-entity obj-model="obj: #object; mtl: #material" position="0 1 0" rotation="0 0 0“ scale="0.3
0.3 0.3">
</a-entity>
</a-scene>
</body>
</html>
Mozilla Firefox
[3]
https://aframe.io/docs/0.8.0/compon
ents/obj-model.html
https://aframe.io/a-painter/

Guided
practical
session
[4]
https://www.blend4web.com/doc/e
n/vr_and_ar.html
VR and AR with Blend4Web [4]:
Visualise point cloud (.txt file / .ply file) in VR
using Meshlab and Blend4Web.

Guided
practical
session
[4]
https://www.blend4web.com/doc/e
n/vr_and_ar.html
Steps:
1) MeshLab → Filters > Point Set > Compute normals for point
sets
2) → Export Mesh as .ply
3) Blender → File > Import > Stanford (.ply)
4) → Set Origin > Geometry to Origin
5) → Add Particle System, Set parameters
6) → Note: you can simplify the object that you want
to duplicate (Add Modifier, Decimate)
7) → Add Modifier > Convert > Parent
8) → Export as .obj (it will automatically export mesh
and material)
9) → Export as .html with B4W

Guided
practical
session
Unity supports importing Meshes and animation
from two different types of files [5]:
▪ Exported 3D file formats, such as .fbx or .obj. You can
export files from 3D modeling software in generic formats
that can be imported and edited by a wide variety of
different software.
▪ Proprietary 3D or DCC (Digital Content Creation)
application files, such as .max and .blend file formats from
3D Studio Max or Blender, for example. You can only edit
proprietary files in the software that created them.
Proprietary files are generally not directly editable by other
software without first being converted and imported.
▪ Unity can import and use both types of files, and each
come with their own advantages and disadvantages.[5]
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/3D
-formats.html

Guided
practical
session
15
Create a new project and set up a basic environment for VR
Steps:
1) Unity → Edit > Project Settings > Player
2) → Virtual Reality Supported > Enable Virtual Reality
Support through XR Settings
VR Overview and Settings
https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/VR
Overview.html

Guided
practical
session
Import our model (.obj + .mtl) into Unity
Import simple animation into Unity [6]
Import SteamVR from the Asset Store [7]
Import Blender animation into Unity [6]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=
3CSUxATQVLw
[7]
https://assetstore.unity.com/packag
es/templates/systems/steamvr-
plugin-32647

Summary
17
In this workshop you learned :In this workshop you learned
✓ What can be done with VR
✓ How to use different tools to visualize models
and animations in VR

“
Thanks for listening.
Any questions?
1823/07/18 | enricobaracaglia@gmail.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/enrico-baracaglia-978789100/

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