Trans Realities Lab
Transcending
A transdisciplinary approach is key to all activities in the lab. We examine how XR and Al can foster new methodologies to support collaborative practice across disciplines and geographies.
Increasing complexities in digitally mediated and hybridised realities presents both challenges and opportunities to traditional modes of user interaction and navigation. The lab supports practical and theoretical approaches to testing new roles for the designer.
Realities
In the TRL we consider diverse realities:
→ Digitally Mediated - at all points on the reality - virtuality continuum: physical, AR. AV. VR. MR.
→ Personal and fictional - those which are personally constructed (objective and intersubjective) or which may be fictional (as in the theatre or other artistic practice).
→ Distributed - hybrid realities which are unique to the perspective of each user in a system. Any combination of all other realities * perspectives (Xn).
ACTIVITIES
At present, our research is focused on the challenges of building real-time, geographically distributed, multi-user XR environments. The platforms developed in this research activity support investigations into future models for distributed research and education in the “metaverse” and intraverses.
Examples of current research activity in the TRL:
→ Inter-Institutional Networks for Collaborative XR – investigating the current barriers and potential solutions to on-demand, high-bandwidth, low-latency, jitter-free networks for real-time and immersive collaboration between academic institutions. Supported by SURF.
→ Virtual International Collaboration - implementing and testing geographically distributed student exchanges through the use of XR and immersive networked systems, around themes such as hybrid instrument design and performance, industrial design, and architecture. Multiple projects supported by the Dutch Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport.
→ Hybrid Lab – use of a distributed immersive environment between partners in three countries; supporting and testing the use of such environments in the collaborative design and fabrication of large-scale 3D printed objects. Supported by Creative Europe.
Enabling new initiatives in design education, the TRL provides students with an environment to investigate new technologies and hybrid approaches, discover design opportunities across X realities, collaborate in research, and connect with their peers globally. One of the best routes for students to engage with the TRL is through the [Digital [Hybrid, Interactive, Performative] Focus module]
FACILITIES
The TRL is continuously developing in terms of both its technical and human resource capabilities. It combines technologies, approaches to experimentation and production, that are harnessed from the fields of visual and performing arts, film/broadcast, systems integration, simulation, and games development.
→ Virtual Production - the ability to create and operate virtual environments for film and XR applications, using techniques such as green screen, projection and LED walls, in combination with games engines and professional audio/video systems.
→ Motion Capture - from simple object tracking through to full character animation. We are in the process of adding face capture technologies. We are investigating low cost AI based approaches to MoCap, also hand tracking and haptic devices.
→ Immersive Environments – creation and operation of standalone and networked immersive environments using games engines (such as Unity and Unreal) and a range of XR (AR, VR, and MR) devices for visualisation/interaction
→ Broadcast / Film Quality Video Production - video capture using professional video cameras (up to 12k resolution), PTZ video heads, switched SDI distribution network, and production consoles.
→ Audio Production – a range of audio capture, interface and processing solutions together with a flexible configuration of active speakers. We are currently improving our capacity for ambisonic recording, processing and playout in support of audio XR and other research applications.
→ Streaming – a range of audio/video mixing systems support professional live streaming of events in the lab.
→ Lighting - an Art-Net/DMX based lighting system with static and moving head fixtures, professional lighting desk, software control and application integration options.
→ Software – experience in use and application of a wide range of commercial and alternative software platforms, including: Adobe Suite, Ableton, Blender, C4D, Davinci, Houdini, Max/MSP, OBS, Resolume, Touch Designer, Unity and Unreal, and vMix.
→ High Performance Visual Computing - latest generation compute platforms coupled with high-end GPUs supporting real-time visualisation and GPU intensive computing.
→ Cloud Computing – dynamic integration and execution of networked solutions that incorporate hardware and software in the Cloud.
→ Hybrid Systems – development, assembly and test of hybrid and custom systems, including various microelectronics and sensor technologies.
→ Network – a 10Gbps switched fibre LAN supports high speed networking between computing platforms, architected to support digital audio and video protocols such as NDI and Dante. High quality global and academic peering connections are provided by the Dutch NREN (National Research and Education Network ) SURF.
→ Low Latency Networking – specialist computing platforms and expertise support ultra-low-latency networking in distributed XR, networked interaction, and performance applications.