UK’s ‘first multi-view stereoscopic VR CAVE’ installed at uni

ST Engineering Antycip has provided Oxford Brookes University with what it claims is the “first multi-view stereoscopic VR CAVE system” in operation in the UK.

The university’s brief to its long-term partner was to enhance its advanced, industry standard research and teaching facilities in engineering and computing.

The virtual environment comprises two modes of operation: ‘unique mode‘, whereby only the primary user’s vision is tracked and dynamically corrected to their eyes; and ‘multi-view mode’, which allows two people to be tracked and each see a different perspective-corrected image when wearing the corresponding 3D glasses.

John Mould, commercial development manager at ST Engineering Antycip, says: “We believe this is the UK’s first multi-view stereoscopic VR CAVE system in operation today. One of our biggest challenges for the CAVE was to install the highest-quality rear-projection screen substrates, which we sourced from Barco – its vertically mounted UDM laser projectors each equipped with unique folded lens optics makes this CAVE’s footprint very compact, to further aid its ability to be installed within a restrictive space.”
 
Combined with an array of high powered PC-image generators each featuring an NVIDIA Quadro RTX A6000 graphics card, the CAVE is capable of delivering high-resolution visuals at 2560×1600 pixels per face, offering 3840×2400 pixels at 120Hz.

Vicon tracking cameras and two wireless navigation devices support the simultaneous tracked dual perspectives, making this CAVE a step up from the restrictions of the past, where only one person could be afforded their corrected view. Users can visually intercept their solid or fluid dynamic models courtesy of Techviz, which is also capable of delivering any Unity-based visual datasets that the university may wish to explore.
 
The software foundation allows the university’s research into vertical wind turbines deployed as sea farms to be reviewed by combining more than one visual application displayed simultaneously using the Techviz Fusion module, which can enable CFD data overlaid with relevant CAD data, for example.
 
“This technology is moving forward every year – high-quality CAVEs of this nature are becoming more desirable and more capable than ever,” adds Mould.  
 
Gordana Collier, head of the university’s engineering, computing and mathematics school, says there has been interest in the CAVE’s capabilities among arts, architecture and health students. “The CAVE is such a great blank canvas, allowing creativity and flexibility for a broad range of users, with opportunities for many disciplines, unlike some other more customised platforms,” she adds.

“The quality is superb and we are delighted to have ways in which we can implement novel learning and improve our research. Our vision is to have an open-access approach, and to share and exchange models and libraries with universities worldwide.”