About

It is a world shown to you that is so enveloping, you believe, even temporarily, that it’s your own world.

Basics

What does the XR Lab have to offer

• 3 Calibrated Zones for unrestricted XR Play.
• Augmented chaperone around the perimeter of each zone and room for your safety
• Each zone is equipped with:
  • Dell Precision 7920 (Xeon CPU, 128GB RAM, Triple Nvidia Quadro P5000 GPU, M.2 SSD)
  • 1 Vive Pro open source headset w/wifi, Dual Vive Controllers
  • 1 large wall mounted screen to allow everyone to see what the person in the headset sees
  • 1 small screen/kb/ms for control
• Available Software in the XR Lab

Apps used with HTC Vive Pro devices

1. Enscape3D: Revit, Rhino, Sketchup
2. Steam VR
3. Viveport
4. Unity3D Engine
5. Unreal Engine
6. Vive Pro SDK: Augmented Reality Support
7. Google Earth Pro: VR Support

How it works

Utilizing movement sensors like a compass and accelerometer to change your position in the virtual world. When you turn in the VR world, the device picks up on that position and moves you in the 3D world, shifting your direction so that the world rotates around you. When the phone is loaded into the holder and the special software it needs loads in place, the phone splits the image in two, revealing two frames of 1280×1440 for your eyes to view.  With two lenses inside the Gear VR you can change the focus depth depending upon the ability of your eyesight.  When everything is setup right, you'll be able to look at a three dimensional image on screen courtesy of your brain doing the math for what your eyes are seeing, and it’s not just a static 3D image either.

The phone itself is the computer and can load the 360 images, apps, and 3d models, so, you can see something other than what's right in front of you.  You'll be able to see all around, and experience a different reality.  Call it, Virtual Reality. 

A touchpad is on the side of the headset with four directions molded into it, providing you with control over the apps in the direction other that what you can provide with your head movement.  A few additional buttons control sound, focus, and a back button for exiting apps. 

What gear we use

Apps used with Gear VR & Galaxy devices

1. Oculus
2. VIMaec Viewer

• Front-line support for Extended Reality is provided by the Technology Desk staff
  • soatechdesk@utexas.edu
  • 512-471-1189
  • Technology Lab SUT 1.100
• Technical support for Extended Reality is provided by TRIG
  • trig@utexas.edu
  • SUT 1.120

Documentation