Computer Graphics World

44 October 2008 n n n n Knowledge & Career large percentage of schools have Macs. The solution was the Unreal Engine, which Walsh de- scribes as "very stable," and its results as "very good-look- ing." It supported both Windows and Mac platforms, as well as voice chat, which was vital for the complete im- mersive experience. Participants' enthusiasm really built as voice was added, he says. Additionally, the graphics looked great. But there was a drawback. Unreal was commercial and, therefore, expensive in terms of licens- ing fees. Users couldn't modify it on an unlimited basis. So Walsh and others started looking at options, with the requirements being that whatever they chose as the next-generation immersive computing platform had to be cross-platform and open source. They wanted to cre- ate a resource from which students and educators could use ready-made applications to supplement their lessons, or customize them to fine-tune and add content. And, just about needless to say, the content had to look great. That third generation of immersive education, with development well under way now, incorporates the Edu- cation Grid and the Platform Ecosystem consisting of Croquet, Second Life, and Project Wonderland. Everything is open, and if a teacher or student is already com- fortable using Second Life, for example (the most mature of the three platforms because it has been available online for some time), he or she can still access Immersive Education environments cre- ated in Croquet. All kinds of collaboration efforts are currently in the works. "Right now, there is a multi-institutional effort under way to de- velop several applications based on the Croquet SDK," says Ju- lian Lombardi, assistant vice president of Academic Services and Technology Support for Duke University's Office of Informa- tion Technology, and one of the principal architects for Croquet. "One of these is a type of 'browser' for accessing 3D spaces over the Internet." What's to Come In practical terms, the Initiative is preparing to get the word out to educational facilities that might not yet be familiar with immersive educational tools. Institutions interested in becoming pilot schools can contact the Initiative through its Web site, Walsh says. Tools and usage are currently free of charge for nonprofits. In fact, it is part of the Institute's agenda to ensure that schools which might not have the capital equipment or the infrastructure to run these applications can do so. "It's important that we get this into the hands of students who might not be able to afford it," says Walsh. Carfora agrees, say- ing that it's vital not to ignore "the question of the digital divide." To that end, there is what Walsh calls a sustainability model for for-profit companies that want to get involved with Immersive Ed- ucation Initiative projects. "If game companies, for example, want to use the Grid, they can sustain it by putting some money into it," says Walsh, noting that the Initiative is sponsored by foundations, philanthropists, and universities, and is not commercially backed. High on the list of future features are high-resolution graphics of the caliber of those that appear on the Sony PlayStation 3 or the Microsoft Xbox 360. Progress is happening. "The quality of what I'm seeing is getting better all the time," says Carfora. "The envi- ronment is more absorbing, more realistic. And it's better in terms of the emotion, the actual sense of being there. It pulls me into the domain—it's very attractive." Walsh also says it's important that the new generation supports various shared applications, since collaborating on projects in PowerPoint or Web browsers has become the norm for students. It's not enough for students to occupy the same virtual space— they need to be able to work together there too. Walsh likes to describe immersive education at this point in time as having "traction." It's poised to catch hold due to the right con- fluence of factors: availability of mature, open-source programs, grid computing, and general acceptance—and even appetite for high-quality immersive applications that can capture the imagina- tions of students. "The whole idea is truly transformative in terms of the experi- ence," says Carfora. "We're on the precipice of a new way of teach- ing and learning." n Jenny Donelan is a contributing editor for Computer Graphics World. Based in Peterborough, NH, she can be reached at jenny.donelan@comcast.net. Imagery used in immersive education has evolved, keeping pace with technical advancements in the graphics industry, as illustrated by these avatars.

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