Babes-Bolyai University of Cluj-Napoca
Faculty of Mathematics and Computer Science
Study Cycle: Master

SUBJECT

Code
Subject
MID1018 Advanced Techniques in Distributed Virtual Environments
Section
Semester
Hours: C+S+L
Category
Type
Database
3
2+0+2
speciality
optional
Distributive Systems in Internet
3
2+0+2
speciality
optional
Formal Methods in Programing
3
2+0+2
speciality
optional
Modeling and Simulation
3
2+0+2
speciality
optional
Teaching Staff in Charge
Lect. BOIAN Rares Florin, Ph.D.,  rarescs.ubbcluj.ro
Aims
Study distributed architectures for collaborative virtual environments. Present distributed approaches to virtual environment rendering. Study methods of implementing force-feedback across the network and present solutions for addressing latency.
Content
• Lecture 1: Distributed VEs introduction and examples [1 chapter 9] [10 chapters 43, 44 ]
• Lecture 2: Introduction to OpenGL and the OpenSceneGraph library [8]
• Lecture 3: Present base distributed VE architecture to be used during the course [1 chapter 9]
• Lecture 4: Collaborative virtual environments. Distributed Interactive Simulation (DIS). Dead reckoning. [4 chapter 7]
• Lecture 5: Distributed games. P2P network architectures [1 chapter 9] [5 chapter 1]
• Lecture 6: Real-time network communication. Concepts of delay and jitter. Protocol comparison: UDP vs TCP. [4][11]
• Lecture 7: Multicasting concepts and algorithms [9]
• Lecture 8: Introduction to the Real-Time Protocol (RTP) [11]
• Lecture 9: Force feedback rendering [2]
• Lecture 10: Distributed force rendering. Stability aspects. [4]
• Lecture 11: Volume graphics concepts and ray casting algorithm [6]
• Lecture 12: Parallel and distributed ray casting [3 chapter 3]
• Lecture 13: Coherent distributed ray casting [3 chapter 5]
• Lecture 14: Concepts of physical based modeling [7 chapter 2]
References
1. BOIAN R.F. Robotic Mobility Rehabilitation System Using Virtual Reality. ProQuest, 2005
2. BURDEA G.C. Force and Touch Feedback for Virtual Reality, Wiley-Interscience, 1996
3. CHALMERS A., DAVIS T.A., REINHARD E. Practical Parallel Rendering. AK Peters, 2002
4. FUJIMOTO R., Parallel and Distributed Simulation Systems. Wiley-Interscience, 2001
5. GRADECKI J.D., Mastering JXTA: Building Java Peer-to-Peer Applications, 2001
6. HADWIGER M., KNISS J.M., REZK-SALAMA C., WEISKOPF D., ENGEL K. Real-time Volume Graphics. A K Peters, 2006
7. HUEBNER K.H., DEWHIRST D.L., SMITH D.E., BYROM T.G., The Finite Element Method for Engineers. Wiley-Interscience, 2001
8. OPENGL ARCHITECTURE REVIEW BOARD, SHREINER D., WOO M., NEIDER J., DAVIS T. OpenGL Programming Guide, Addison-Wesley Professional, 2005
9. PAUL S. Multicasting on the Internet and its Applications. Springer, 2003
10. STANNEY K. Handbook of Virtual Environments: Design, Implementation, and Applications. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates 2002
11. STEVENS W.R., FENNER B., RUDOFF A.M. UNIX Network Programming. The Sockets Networking API. Addison-Wesley, 2004
Assessment
The activity ends with a written final exam. During the semester, the students will have to implement several software projects in the topic.
Final grade consists of:
• Final written exam: 50%
• Projects 50%
Links: Syllabus for all subjects
Romanian version for this subject
Rtf format for this subject