The design and implementation of Kyongju VR theatre

摘要

Recently we have built the largest Virtual Reality (VR) theatre in the world for the Kyongju World Culture EXPO 2000. Unlike single user VR systems, the VR theatre is characterized by a single shared screen and controlled by several hundreds of people in the audience. The large computer-generated stereo images displayed by the huge cylindrical screen provide the feeling of immersion into 3D virtual environment that is augmented by the physical theatre space. In addition to the visual immersion, the theatre provides 3D audio, vibration and olfactory display as well as keypads for each and everyone in the audience in their seats interactively control the virtual environment. This paper introduces the issues raised and addressed during the design of making the VR theatre, production process and presentation techniques using the versatile display and interaction capabilities of the theatre.