 Projects
in Public
Spaces
Vali Lalioti was involved in
Interactive Digital Experience productions
in Cyberstage, a CAVE-like system, starting with the first public
opening of Cyberstage in CEBIT 1997, as member of a team of selected
Research Scientists of Fraunhofer-IMK, Virtual Environments group. Her
role in the design and development of the interactive experience
through all 3 exhibits covered visual, acoustic and interactive
elements and systems for such an experience and the overall concept and
content design. Additionally, for the RAG production, she worked as an
external consultant focusing on the design of the auditory experience,
while in CEBIT 1998 she was the main designer for the first use of
video-characters into a fully synthetic space, using techniques from
virtual studios and addressing issues on merging sequential and
interactive storytelling paradigms.
These exhibits provide interactive edutainment for large number of
visitors, with a scientific and industrial focus, while installations
that she was later involved have a more cultural and educational focus,
as in Ndebelle painting in Virtual Reality and Authoring of Interactive
Cultural Experiences.
|
In 1998 at the Hannover fair RAG, one of
Germany’s biggest companies, wanted to present itself as an innovative,
future oriented company, and to show their most important fields of
work with a high quality and impressive audio-visual experience. This
interactive experience was therefore designed around the activities of
the company, particularly coal mining, DVD design, HIV Research and
research into new forms of transportation. The first component takes
visitors through a lift into the mining areas to explore the processes
used and the machines utilised. Back in the elevator the trip continues
and visitors arrive in a room where DVD technology is being developed.
The Virtual tour also includes a laboratory which shows research into
HIV and finishes with a trip through space were the concept of
inter-planetary shipping of coal is shown. The project was developed in
co-operation with RMH, a partner to the Fraunhofer Institute, and used
the AVANGO software platform which proved stable throughout the fair
and met the high expectations of RAG.
|
|
Important
for the success of any such interactive public installation,
is the sounds and audio that accompanies the visual environment. Vali
Lalioti was responsible for the integration of audio, including music,
narration and individual sound sources with the visual aspects the
interactive experience. This included the overall design of the audio
experience, technical development to link audio files to relevant
virtual objects and she delivered a 8 channel spatialised audio
experience which enhanced the visual interaction.
|
|
 |
Both RAG and all visitors to the show
were extremely
impressed, including The minister of foreign affairs Mr. Kinkel, the
minister of economics Mr. Rexrodt and Gerhard Schroeder, and the
chairman of the Board Management and CEO Prof. Neipp praised the
installation during his press conference. This project was the most
complex project of it’s time for the industry in Europe using CAVE
technology.
|
Theta
Quadrant-classified-M, CEBIT, 1998
|
|
This
project was designed for Silicon
Graphics Inc. and was shown at the worlds largest Computer fair, CEBIT
1998. The goal was to show visitors, the power of Silicon Graphics
workstations (the installation was powered by an ONYX 2). The company’s
aim was to impress and entertain the audience and we also wanted to
demonstrate the strength of AVANGO. Therefore we developed a very
complex and entertaining application with an important focus on special
effects.
|
|
| A crucial
element to the success and
high levels of
immersion for visitors was the illusion of been guided by humans
through this world. Scenes were also carefully populated with realistic
humans. Realism in this case came at low cost due to a new technique
based on video avatars and virtual studios, designed by Vali Lalioti.
It uses pre-recorded video of actors acting in a manner related to the
context of the interactive narrative, and merges this into the virtual
environment. |
|
Theta
Quadrant-classified-M, CEBIT, 1998
|
|
This was
the first public demonstration in Germany of a
projection-based system like the CAVE. The project showed the
capability of the high-end Virtual Reality display system “Cyberstage”
using the AVANGO Software System. The project was presented at CEBIT
1997 for The Fraunhofer Institute (former GMD). The goal was to
introduce Cyberstage to the public and inform people about the
possibilities of this technology, so a complex and dynamic story was
created, which started with visitors being welcomed by two virtual
characters.
|
|
|
These
characters also guided the visitors through the entire production.
After an initial theme oriented scene the visitors experienced an
interactive sound installation. From there the trip continued through
an ice tunnel into an arctic landscape, which demonstrated the
breath-taking quality of viewing vast open areas with 27 degrees of
view. The story continued in a system of fire caves demonstrating the
potential for photo realistic visualisation of a spacious geological
structure within a synthetic environment. Visitors finished their trip
in a space station showing various technical oriented applications.
Vali Lalioti was involved in the technical work for interactive
scenario and behavior building for this experience. This included
programming behaviors of virtual objects and connecting them to
triggering events, which were activated when visitors were interacting
with the virtual environment. |
Cultural Interactive
Environments
|
|
