Mathieu Plourde has posted some nice videos of a tour of the RENCI@UNC engagement center on vimeo, check that link out to see the Social Computing Room, the Showcase Dome, and the Teleimmersion room!
The intersection of computation and the humanities is a rich area for exploration. In fields such as the arts, communication studies, music, and history, the application of computation is creating new and exciting opportunities. Examples include interactive multimedia, digital archives and retrieval systems, serious games, and new methods of capture and visualization.
The visualization spaces at the RENCI@UNC engagement center are being utilized in unique ways. The Social Computing Room can function as an interactive gallery, and is an excellent platform for exploring large amounts of rich media to compare, contrast, and explore. In the image below, many documents in an archive of ancient manuscripts (the Archimedes Palimpsest) are being viewed in the Social Computing Room. The Teleimmersion Room provides a venue to look at minute details of documents, manuscripts, photographs, fabrics, or paintings at extremely high resolution (four-times the resolution of a high-definition display).
Viewing ancient manuscripts in the Social Computing Room
The interactive multi-media installation, “Spectacular Justice“, by Joyce Rudinsky, is a fantastic example of the combination of creative media that employs visualization, a state-of-the-art environment, and sensor technology to create a unique interactive experience.
Scene from "Spectacular Justice" by Joyce Rudinsky'
Classes are using the RENCI@UNC visualization resources for innovative class projects. For example, multiple classes are utilizing still and video stereo capture to capture 3D content for display in the Teleimmersion room. RENCI has an array of photography equipment, from and HD stereo video rig and digital still photography rig, to a stereo 4K (professional, four-times HD) capture rig.
Viewing stereo (3D) photography projects in Teleimmersion
Serious applications of virtual worlds and game engine technology for research, training, teaching, and learning are an important development in the digital humanities. RENCI is experimenting in these emerging areas. The current focus is the porting of virtual world and game engine technology to the specialized visualization environments hosted at ITS-Manning.
The Showcase Dome at ITS-Manning is a powerful venue for research or learning endeavors, where you wish to immerse a subject in a synthetic environment.
RENCI@UNC is also investigating the use of the Social Computing Room for virtual world experiences. The 360-degree display, the audio/video environment, as well as the ability to integrate sensors and robotics make the Social Computing Room a natural venue for projects and experiements that merge the physical and virtual world. For example, here is a picture of a 360-degree surround Second Life client prototype in the Social Computing Room:
360-degree surround Second Life client in SCR
