This research has been conducted as an extension of my ideas and interests, which are based from an education I received in architecture (University of Melbourne).

Why are architects designing interfaces for computers? Architects conceive, understand, create and visualise in three-dimensions. Three-dimensional or Virtual Reality type technology is the direction of new computer interface research. So it would follow that the architectural profession, which is naturally suited to producing three-dimensional space, is the one that can create the future of interface engines.

Mentor
Lex McArthur has been assigned as my mentor, his knowledge of "Creator" and other products, along with his expertise in market directions towards three-dimensional technology has helped me find inspiration to create the working prototype. Lex has been a valuable resource. Graeme Hart has provided good feedback on the interface engine at various stages through the scholarship, his critical input has been greatly appreciated.

Proposed Research
The proposal was to develop niche applications of virtual Reality based interface engines for large and/or distributed information spaces. A prototype implementation was proposed here using “Creator” as an example of an information space, to demonstrate the viability, significance and market potential of new interface technologies.

Virtual Reality is ideally suited towards Internet or Intranet based companies or institutions, and their services, products or processes. The interface engine is especially suited to companies that are dependent on a global Internet market placement. Research has shown that virtual online spaces encourage increased exploration and participation by users.

Actual Work Completed
The initial period was spent developing aims for the entire scholarship program as well as researching existing market competition. Research was then carried out to determine a user requirement specification, software development procedure, and actual design development occurred on the representation of information within space.

The initial design was then developed into a prototype interface that demonstrates some of the key ideas behind both virtual Reality technologies in general, and my research on virtual Reality interfaces specifically. The actual prototype was realised as a specific application, CreatorVR. Which was planned a possible future version of the existing product Creator.

One of the key design principles for the prototype was to abstract essential information from Reality, and our primary relations with it, giving the user effectively a virtual hyper-Reality. The selection of key associations with space and using fundamentals of epistemological information gathering helped generate the final prototype.

The resulting prototype is a structure for the visualisation of information, culminating in the realisation of an information datasphere as virtual Reality. The datasphere is then based around the core axis for representing space (3D-space system). It is this axis that then provides a constant reference point for users to orient themselves within the virtual space.

The future
Three-dimensional or Virtual Reality based interfaces are the future of computing technology. I have interests in continuing research within this field as well as establishing a practice that develops commercial applications based on the interface engine.

email me for further information: darren@vg.com.au


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