Lecture

This post covers the full content of my final locomotion presentation, organized into three parts: scenario and design goals, system mechanisms, and user evaluation. Scenario & Challenges The project scenario is a fixed VR parkour course: a timed race track where you collect coins along the way. The course has multiple checkpoints, continuous curves, and some coins floating above ground level. The final section of the course is particularly important: several coins sit visibly above the ground, making pure horizontal locomotion insufficient. This constraint directly shaped the locomotion design, which must include some form of vertical movement. ...

The goal of HW3 is to run a small-scale user evaluation of my locomotion technique. I recruited two participants and joined as the third myself. Each of us ran the parkour course for three full rounds, recording objective performance data and subjective ratings to see how the system holds up in real users’ hands. Evaluation Design Why Evaluate at All As the developer, I know the system too well. I know every parameter, the optimal entry angle for each curve, what swing cadence maps to what speed. But all of that was accumulated over dozens of iterative test sessions. A first-time user’s experience could be entirely different. ...

The goal of this homework is to design a locomotion technique that fits the provided VR parkour scene better than the default. The level is a fixed route with banner timing checkpoints and lots of collectible coins. The key twist is that not all coins are on the ground—some are floating slightly above it. So it’s not just about moving fast. You also need to stop on demand, make small position corrections, and occasionally perform a small vertical action to reach elevated coins. ...

Lecture Homework 1: Three VR Locomotion Designs Scenario: A Modern Art Museum Tour Imagine visiting a VR recreation of a modern art museum. The exhibition space does not need to be large, but it should create a clear motivation to move around. The task is straightforward: you will visit many exhibits in sequence. In front of each exhibit there is an “optimal viewing spot”, indicated by a subtle circular marker on the floor. Once you step into the marker and stand still, you read or listen to an explanation of about 15 seconds, then move on to the next exhibit, and finally reach the exit to complete the tour. ...