NMC Campus Observer

Coming Tomorrow! Demo and Free Copy of Virtual Reality Room for Educational use

CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine) : Jan 14, 2008 10:18pm

If you were an educator, wouldn’t you dream of taking your students on exciting field trips but the location is across the country, or even across the ocean? How about a holodeck in a virtual world where, with the click of a mouse, you can be in New York, Chicago, or visiting Chateau Villandry on the Loire river?

Second Life Virtual Reality Room- exploring the forest.

Thanks to the partnership between the New Media Consortium, the Info Island Archipelago, the Commonwealth Islands for not-for-profits, and Stephane Desnault (aka Stephane Zugzwang in SL) educators and not-for-profits will be able to obtain free, fully functional Virtual Reality Rooms at the new Learning sim on January 15.

Join us tomorrow, Tuesday, January 15 at 10:00am PST (check for local time) when Stephane will provide a live demo and give the first access to this valuable tool.

UPDATE: See the summary photos, recorded audio, and additional information!

This will take place on a new, in process of being redesigned sim on NMC Campus called Learning which will soon house many more educational resources. Join us on the elevated VRR platform at Learning (128, 128, 131). Please note: To access this NMC location, you must first join the NMC Guests in world group.

The Virtual Reality Room is an immersive, photo-realistic environment that brings an unprecedented level of realism to Second Life.

Second Life Virtual Reality Room- earth images

There are a variety of scenes available including starscapes, New York, Chicago, Paris and more. With the new version, VRR owners can add their own scenes. It’s one of the most exciting aspects of the partnership: Educators and universities are well equipped to create new scenes, either from photographic panoramas or computer-generated 3D models, and they’re getting the best available technology to use and distribute them in Second Life. Once a scene is created, it can be shared and used by others. (Panoramas are completely compatible with QuickTime VR– QTVR cubic projections.) The NMC will be compiling a collection of educational scenes that will be freely available.

Larry Pixel (aka Dr. Larry Johnson, CEO of the NMC) and Stephane Zugzwang are launching this exciting partnership.

Stephane Zugzwang, creator of the Virtual Reality Room

Stephane Zugzwang, will introduce the latest version of the Virtual Reality room, and demonstrate its new features, especially how users can now incorporate their own scenes. He will also introduce LOOV, a new initiative designed to foster communication and collaboration in Second Life.

Second Life Virtual Reality Room- New York amphitheater scene

About the Virtual Reality Room

Stephane Zugzwang introduced the Virtual Reality Room in Second Life at the end of 2006. It quickly gained acceptance as one of the cleanest and easiest way to bridge the real and virtual worlds, by immersing Second Life residents in crystal-clear, photo-realistic environments. More than a thousand rooms have already been sold, serving a diverse group of club owners, individual residents and corporations like IBM.

The collection of panoramas available with the Virtual Reality Room is steadily growing: Stephane shoots many pictures himself, while staying on the lookout for original, third party content sold at the VRR shop with the rooms themselves. Yet, says Stephane:

The VRR is not living up to the incredible potential of Second Life: It could do much more to educate and serve the needs of the many non-profit causes that have found a home in SecondLife. The Virtual Reality Room is an easy, cost effective tool to bring reality inside our dream world. This initiative with Info Island is meant to make it useful where it matters most.

Second Life Virtual Reality Room- river side scenery

Contact Information

For the Virtual Reality Room and LOOV: Stephane Zugzwang (stephane.zugzwang@gmail.com)

For the New Media Consortium: Larry Pixel (dr.larry.pixel@gmail.com)

Story filed under: Campus Headlines,Resources & Information,What's Happening
Tags: vrr
See all stories by CDB Barkley (aka Alan Levine)