A basic Virtual Reality setup includes a stereoscopic headset that the user wears in order to perceive a 3D view, and some form of navigat ional input device such as a spaceball, mouse, or joystick. More elaborate setups can include a tracking system which enables the user to look around in the virtual world freely by simply turning their head, and a glove for selecting and manipulating obje cts or for navigation. For this project a powerful computer with a large amount of memory and disk space is required. The rendering engine is a Silicon Graphics Indy, a high end graphics system based on the MIPS R4400 processor. The VR color headset is manufactured by Virtual Research which actually contains two monochrome CRT screens and RGB color wheels to produce 24bit color.
Software coordinates all the sensors and makes the experience interactive.
In this application, entitled MOON Demo, the spaceball is configured as the device used to control the user's body, allowing him or her to move around the virtual world freely. The data from the Polhemus sensor rotates the viewpoint to correspond with the direction the user is looking, and the mouse is used as an extra input device to click and select objects in the 3D world. With the integration of all these sensors the user is ca pable of reproducing nearly all interactions. Due to recent advances in manufacturing, smaller and faster hard disks can now store more data. This enables Virtual Reality developers to store more audio and graphics data helps to generate a more realistic environment.