Development of Virtual Reality environments: some real projects and a study of the locomotion problem

Abstract

Virtual Reality is a technology that promise innovative immersive experiences. It is an old technology, that reemerged only recently to the public. The objectives of this thesis are two-fold. First, this thesis presents the projects that have been made in the context of the research group Teaching with VR. Those projects fit in the global scope of promotion of the University and the province of Liège. It was also an opportunity to produce innovative teaching materials for students. Secondly, while virtual reality have been extensively researched, one problem has not been completely solved and it is the problem of moving in a virtual environment. For this reason, in the writing of this thesis, I also undertook the process of conducting a comparative study of three locomotion methods. The objectives of this study are to find the most appropriate method to use for applications when the user is asked to explore a large environment.