Representatives from the Computational Media Innovation Centre (CMIS) of New Zealand’s Victoria University of Wellington recently showcased their latest Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) works at a conference in Tokyo.
Considered as one of the top international conferences on computer graphics and interactive techniques, it brought together close to 10,000 technical and creative experts from over 59 countries for exhibitions, talks, live presentations, and VR/AR demonstrations.
According to a recent report, the group gave two technical presentations, ran a booth as part of the VR/AR demonstrations, and took part in the ‘Real-Time Live!’ program.
The ‘Real-Time Live!’ program is an exciting opportunity for eight international teams to demonstrate their cutting-edge interactive technology to an audience of nearly 1,500 people.
Their performance showcased a technology called MR360 Live, which creates immersive and interactive mixed reality experiences for use in various areas including film, interior design, and live broadcasting.
A mixed reality experience is a combination of reality and virtual reality.
MR360 Live blends 3D virtual objects into live-streamed videos in real-time. This creates the illusion that the user of the technology is interacting with the 3D virtual objects.
The object is adjusted to fit in with the real-life scenario, including the complicated task of matching light and shadow on the computer-generated object to the real world around it.
The team also manned a booth and gave two different technical demonstrations during the conference.
The booth gave attendees the opportunity to try out a VR headset and interact with virtual characters in a real-world scenario, and the demonstrations further showcased their work in mixed reality.
The first demonstration was a collaboration with one of their partners, which is best known for creating the Pokémon movies and TV shows.
Using the VR technology developed by the University, they created a mixed reality experience where users can interact with life-sized Pokémon in a virtual reality environment.
They were given the chance to battle Pokémon against each other just like in the TV show.
The second demonstration was a further look into the MR360 Live technology.
During the demonstration, visitors could interact with virtual fish blended into a live-streamed real environment that are captured in 360-degree panoramic videos.
These demonstrations were awarded 2nd place in the Best VR/AR Technology award during the conference.
The event provided an opportunity to promote Victoria University of Wellington’s research potential and capability in computer graphics and virtual reality or augmented reality (VR/AR) technologies.
It also showed robust implementation of these technologies to the industry standard by the staff.
Three Professors from the University were also involved in organising the conference held in Tokyo.
