Virtual environment for on-campus orientation

This paper presents details of the specification, design and functionality of the virtual UNR campus software (in short, VCampus), an interactive virtual environment that allows users to explore the 3D representation of the University of Nevada, Reno. VCampus provides a realistic-rendering of the university and allows users to obtain useful information such as building names and directories, university historical and statistical data, events scheduled to take place on campus, and area maps centered on specified locations. The users can navigate through the 3D representation of the campus by adopting either a first or a third person view and by selecting either a walking or a flying exploration mode. Various graphical objects can be accessed in the environment to obtain orientation data and general information, a guided tour is available, and communication and collaboration with peers is supported by a multi-user, multi-character real-time interaction facility. The paper also includes a comparison of VCampus with similar projects, a discussion of the environment's advantages and limitations, and a set of pointers to future research and development work.