Virtual Reality Centre

The Virtual Reality Centre is an advanced visualization centre, housing some of the world’s most state-of-the-art technology.

Users of the Virtual Reality Centre, direct their attention to a huge 10′ high X 24′ wide, theatre display system. The Virtual Reality Centre comfortably seats 20 occupants, which participate in the review and analysis of the data.
The Hardware Configuration

SGI Onyx 3200
4 – 400 MHz processors
6 Gb memory
1 Infinite Reality Graphics Pipe
4 Raster Managers

Mechdyne MD Flex System
Reconfigurable 10′ X 24′ display
2 Barco 909 Reality edge matched CRT projectors
1 Barco 6300 LCD projector

Interactive / Navigational Devices
Fakespace NeoWand
Flock-of-Birds Tracking System
BG Flybox
Stereographics CrystalEyes Stereo Glasses

Other
Dolby 5.1 Stereo Audio

Virtual Reality and advanced visualization technology can be applied to just about anything.In addition to supporting areas such as Product Design, AEC, and Urban Planning the Virtual Reality Centre is supporting industry in other areas.

Factory Planning and Manufacturing Simulation

The virtual factory environments allow manufacturers to model the factory layout, in order to see how a facility would function using a proposed process. This approach helps eliminate potential problems prior to actual implementation. Such simulations can be performed at a high-level overview or detailed discrete process levels.
Heritage and the Arts

The Virtual Reality Centre is able to develop elaborate environments for the Heritage and Arts sector. Advanced visualization technology can be used to reconstruct and capture the past, allowing users to experience unknown surroundings. This technology can also define the future art forms, allowing creative minds to explore and generate new approaches and trends.
Geographic Information Systems
The Virtual Reality Centre can develop environments that could be explored in either a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional way, allowing the user to fly-over or navigate large or small areas of interest.

Other areas such as:
Science and Medicine
Film and Entertainment
Research and Development
Insurance modeling

Let us know what your area of interest is.

Urban Planning consists of large quantities of complex datasets, representing future plans for change. Advanced visualization and virtual reality are changing the way urban centres are addressing and planning their future. Visionaries, Planners, Architects and Engineers now collect and interact with various 2D and 3D, immersive geometric datasets, from multiple sources and formats, to plan the future.

Virtual reality technology is an excellent tool for visualizing complex urban plans and property developments. The Virtual Reality Centre is also used to convey and convert ideas, sketches, photographs and plans into realistic 3D environments. These environments can be used as part of a community consultation process, allowing public feedback that could help the development and further redefinition of master plans.

Plan and manage:

Urban sprawl

Traffic routes

Downtown revitalization

Property development

The Virtual Reality Centre can make your urban plans come to life.

The Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) communities are coming together like never before. Advanced visualization and virtual reality are changing the way projects come to life. Architects and Engineers now interact with the various 2D and 3D, immersive geometric datasets, from multiple sources and formats, for project assessment and review.

The Virtual Reality Centre uses some of the worlds most advanced visualization tools to provide up to 20 participants with the opportunity to collaborate with each other in a comfortable, large scale environment, which provides un-paralleled realism, without having to commence the project for real. Such capabilities are allowing architects and engineers to work together, in an effort to overcome the possibility of concept collisions. It allows the architects and engineers to see and be aware of each others requirements and how they may interact within the scope of the project. Such collaboration minimizes and potentially eliminates the possibility of systems clashing with structure. AEC teams are uncovering possible conflicts in the virtual environment, resolving them before proceeding to the real project. Such efforts are an attempt to minimize challenges, delays, costs, risk and frustration during the project construction phase.

Design teams are able to assess a virtually completed project in a virtual environment. Imagine taking a walk through the proposed project, as if it was already completed. Being able to completely understand the project, inside and out, before committing to the physical commencement of it. Project teams are able to convey and deliver concepts and plans to decision makers and other stakeholders in a way that is clearly understood by all. All this being accomplished by using real engineered and architected data.

Advanced visualization can be used to demonstrate the sequenced construction of the project, as well as a project management tool. By conveying geometry representing the various components that are to be constructed, a visual representation of project status is displayed. Also, the upcoming project elements could be shown to constructors, which allows familiarization with what is next.

The Virtual Reality Centre is able to compile realistic environments of interior and exterior models. These environments will help you visualize spatial relationships, design features, design schemes, lighting and general appeal.

Virtual prototyping, advanced visualization and virtual reality are changing the way products come to market. Design and engineering teams can now compile 3D, immersive geometric datasets, from multiple sources and formats, for design, marketing and product reviews.
The Virtual Reality Centre uses some of the worlds most advanced visualization tools to provide up to 20 participants with the opportunity to collaborate with each other in a comfortable, large scale environment, which provides un-paralleled realism, without having to fabricate even one physical model or prototype. Such capabilities are allowing designers and manufactures alike, the competitive edge required to get their products to market faster and cheaper than the competition.

Design teams are able to assess form and aesthetic appeal, perform digital assembly, as well as validate part fit and function. The ability to do this reduces the need for costly and time-consuming physical mock-ups.

The Virtual Reality Centre, a cooperative joint effort supported by the Government of Canada and the Province of Manitoba. This state-of-the-art facility houses some of the most advanced visualization hardware and software available in the world today.
The Virtual Reality Centre is a multi-disciplinary modeling, simulation and visualization centre.

The Virtual Reality Centre is a unique facility, providing industry, academia and government, easy access to and application of modeling and simulation tools, to support enterprise decision making. The Virtual Reality Centre works with manufacturing and other industry sectors such as civil, architectural, urban planning, aerospace and defence, design, life science and medical, to visualize complex datasets within a virtual model or immersive environment.

Our Mission
“To be a recognized leader in providing advanced visualization services and virtual reality technology to industry, academia, and government. Provide interested parties with the opportunity to explore, exploit and further develop visualization and virtual reality technology in a cooperative and collaborative environment, which supports regional economic growth.”

Areas of Activity

Product Design

The Global economy coupled together with global competition is requiring manufactures to become more competitive. Manufacturers recognize that they need to become more innovative in how they conduct their business processes. Advanced technologies such as visualization are being used to gain this competitiveness.

Architecture / Engineering / Construction (AEC)

The design and construction of a project requires many different experts to work together regardless of the tools they use. The ability to communicate the various plans and datasets to each other is most often overwhelming. Advanced visualization technology allows large volumes of various data formats to come together in a common environment, allowing the team to understand the interaction and relationship of independent plans as part of a unified project.

Take a walk through your projects before constructing it. You will be amazed at what you see!

Urban Planning
urban plansurban plans
Urban plans are typically presented using architects plans. However, many of the stakeholders have difficulty in visualizing a complex 3D space from 2D drawings. Virtual reality and advanced visualization is used to deliver concepts and plans in a commonly understood format to decision makers. Everyone sees it the same way.

Plan and see your community’s future, today.

What Else Does the Virtual Reality Centre Do?

In addition to supporting Product Design, AEC, and Urban Planning the Virtual Reality Centre is supporting other areas.

Life Sciences

Providing researchers with advanced visualization tools to help them understand complex data. Whether it is molecular structures, volumetric scan data, or bio-medical devices, the Virtual Reality Centre can support your goals.

Factory Planning and Manufacturing Simulation

The virtual factory environments allow manufacturers to model the factory layout, in order to see how a facility would function using a proposed process. This approach helps eliminate potential problems prior to actual implementation. Such simulations can be performed at a high-level overview or detailed discrete process levels.

Aerospace, Defense and Security Simulation and Training

Simulation has long been used to enhance training. Modeling and simulation is now being used to support all phases of a project. When done in a synthetic environment, modeling and simulation helps reduce the overall cost and risk associated with Security and Defense projects.

Heritage and the Arts

The Virtual Reality Centre is able to develop elaborate environments for the Heritage and Arts sector. Advanced visualization technology can be used to reconstruct and capture the past, allowing users to experience unknown surroundings. This technology can also define future art forms, allowing creative minds to explore and generate new approaches and trends.

Geographic Information SystemsGeographic Information Systems
The Virtual Reality Centre can develop environments that could be explored in either a 2-dimensional or 3-dimensional way, allowing the user to fly-over or navigate large or small areas of interest.

Other areas such as:
Science and Astronomy
Film and Entertainment
Research and Development

Let us know what your area of interest is.