[SML] Anyone use VR in the (technical theatre) classroom?

[Joe D]

 "Jon Ares" <jonares at arescreative.com> wrote;
> So my school has some VR stuff (Vive, for those that
> know what this stuff is) -
> We've got some small ideas for curricular application in 
> the advanced Tech Theatre  class.... try "building" set 
> pieces, full-scale, etc,...

I work in the industrial refrigeration industry, and have been investigating the possibility of using VR to allow an engineer to virtually visit a job site as we start to prepare a preliminary quote.  So far, my impression has been that the technology to get the content into the VR headset cheaply, and easily, is not ready for prime time.  But, I do think this will eventually be a killer-app for industry.  It is like tele-presence, except that the data is not being collected real-time.

When I worked at a very large theater, I recall taking many pictures around the catwalks and other areas that were harder to access.  I commonly went to those photos to remind myself of the structures there. This was 15 years ago, and VR was not even a possibility. But, I can see the value to the students, of giving a VR guided tour of multiple theaters. This is adding something that you would have a hard-time doing without VR.

As for building stuff, I really doubt the benefit of a VR headset.  A set can be virtualized, but since an audience member is seated and viewing the set from only 1 position, there is not a significant benefit to bringing that into the VR world. A 2D monitor is even better than a VR headset, since it can be higher resolution and provide a wider display than a VR headset. Also, the user interface of a CAD system just does not work well in a 3D VR headset. People have been playing with some ideas to change that for many years.  But it is far from being viable yet.

-Joe