Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
Now, AR is in fashion because so many branches of the modern economy see po-
tential advantages in utilizing this technology. It is used in domains such as en-
gineering, science, medicine, construction, education, commerce, advertising, and
of course, entertainment (including games). The number of applications is growing
everyday.
The following figure provides a schematic presentation of uugmented virtuality:
In augmented reality, where the real environment plays a major role, some virtual
elements are only useful additions, such as
A ugmented Virtuality
(
AV
), which can
be considered as AR's antipodes. In AV, the virtual space plays the major part, but
the real objects are only a minor or functional element. Let's imagine an interactive-
surface computer system (something similar to Microsoft PixelSense) that is capable
of recognizing real objects placed on it. All computer-generated images displayed on
the screen are part of the virtual environment, but a playing dice put on the surface
is a real object. If the system would recognize the dice and read the value it would
have on its top, since we would see the AV in action. So, the system uses fragments
of reality to change virtuality. The usual example of AV is a weather forecast on TV
where the background is CGI, but the host is a real human. AR and AV both are part
of a space called
Mixed reality
(
MR
), which is an environment where real and virtual
elements are blended in various proportions.
