ARCHIVED: Virtual Reality Theater at IUPUI

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System overview

The Virtual Reality Theater (VRT) is a UITS Advanced Visualization Lab (AVL) system located on the IUPUI campus in IT 403. The VRT is a bright, high-resolution, immersive virtual reality technology that is suitable for individual and group use. It is reconfigurable, and driven by workstation computers running either Windows or Linux.

System configuration
Machine type Dell workstation(s)
Operating system Windows 7 x64 and Fedora Linux x64 systems
Memory model Local
Processor cores 8 per CPU
CPUs 1
Nodes 1
RAM 6 GB
Network 1 Gbps
Local storage 250 GB
Storage information
File systems NTFS local
Total disk space 250 GB
Total scratch space 100 GB adaptable
Availability scope With help from AVL staff, available to all IU faculty, staff, and students
Quotas None; per visualization project
Backup and purge policies None; recommend UITS storage services
Visualization systems information
Display or acquisition device Display
For display devices:
   Type of display device 4-screen, active stereoscopic 3D display
   Display technology 6000 Lumen DLP projectors
   Resolution 1400 x 1050 per screen, 5600 x 1050 total
   Interface mechanism Keyboard, mouse, ART user tracking with Flystick II controllers

System access

Access to all visualization systems is physical (i.e., you must be in the room with the device to use it). At this time, no remote access or virtual desktop support is available. To request physical access to visualization devices, email the AVL. An AVL staff member will be assigned to you; that person will meet with you to discuss your project and proposed usage scenario. Once your use is approved, your assigned AVL staff member will provide an orientation and proper training to get you started using the system. Most visualization systems have 24/7 access via keycards. Calendaring and scheduling options will be discussed during your orientation.

Computing environment

All visualization systems are on the IU ADS domain, so you authenticate using your IU Network ID. This means your desktop is your own environment. By default, you will not receive administrative privileges. If you feel you need administrative privileges, you should discuss it with your AVL contact.

Development and running applications

The AVL provides a variety of APIs and software frameworks appropriate for a wide variety of visualization-related tasks. No one solution will work for every situation. During your orientation you can discuss your specific visualization needs with your AVL contact, who can direct you to the most appropriate software and, if needed, help you download and install new or custom software.

Working with data

All visualization systems have local storage areas, but they are not backed up and are purged regularly. Before each working session, you must import all data and program files from a long-term storage medium, and transfer them back to long-term storage when you're finished. All visualization systems have USB support and are connected to the IU network, so you can use long-term storage media, such as USB (flash or magnetic) drives, and network-enabled storage services, such as the IU Scholarly Data Archive (SDA).

Support

Direct all questions to your assigned AVL contact, or email the AVL.

This is document bcpb in the Knowledge Base.
Last modified on 2018-01-18 17:17:37.