Introduction (Updated)

1.0 Introduction: An Overlook to Virtual Reality 

The first thing that comes to the mind when one speaks the word virtual reality tend to conjure up images of a digital world such as those seen in a science fiction movie, or having to put on head gears or using machines to enter a different world like that portrayed in the movie The Matrix. However, there is no actual definition of what virtual reality really is as everyone has different perceptions and understandings. But in actual, virtual reality really just begins with the mind. For example, when one reads a book their mind would form a picture of the place or person described by an author, or say when one dreams, our dreams sometimes seems so real that we would experience deja vu or might even mix up our dreams with reality. These can also considered as virtual reality as it is a made believe world, and we immerse ourselves into it through our mind. The term merely means a world that exists beyond ours, an imagined or made up world. The word 'Virtual', as quoted from the Oxford dictionary, merely means 'almost or very nearly the thing described, so that any slight difference is not important'.

One of the reasons why it has been closely linked to digital or computer generated environments is because computers help realise the world for the users to view has made it easier to picture a world outside our own, and as present day, even allows the users to be immersed in it to a certain extent, and we might someday be able to be fully immersed in it.

Having computer aid helps put those thoughts to shape to let others see our point of view. The exact year that computers started being used is unknown, but it is believed to be sometimes in the 1950s. In the year 1957, Cinematography Morton Heilig first built a machine called the Sensorama, which allowed the users to watch films three dimensionally by having a stereoscopic display, fans, stereo speakers and a moving chair.

In 1961, Philco Corporate engineers produced the first Head Mounted Display (HMD) called the Headsight. It consist of a magnetic tracking system that determines the direction the head moves and is designed to be used with a closed circuit system. Though these devices contribute to the ideas for a virtual experience, the computer and image generation were yet to be incorporated.

Ivan Sutherland invented the sketchpad which is a program that he wrote in 1963 for his PhD thesis. It allows one to draw directly onto the computer screen with a pen and it revolutionized how one would interact with the computer. He also published an essay titled 'The Ultimate Display', published in 1965, whereby he wrote his thought about the future and possibilities of virtual reality which mostly became true.


2.0 Defining Virtual Architecture 

Virtual Architecture refers to the buildings that are present in a virtual dimension. They exist in an alternate virtual world and are realised through the aid of computer software to give the viewers a better comprehension of the building and surroundings. Such examples are 3D walkthrough or perspectives (Figure) used in the architectural industry to help designers convey their ideas to clients. Such walkthroughs shows the building in detail so it could be seen how it would look like in real before it is actually built. Another example is buildings portrayed in games whereby players could actually interact with the surroundings through an avatar, making the game more realistic and explorative for the players (Figure). They are also used in archaeology to help historians revive old architecture for them further understand the issue and assist them in their studies (Figure). Virtual Architecture could range from buildings dated back all the way to the prehistoric era, to the buildings presented in a sci-fi universe. They are representations of buildings from what our human mind pictures and is then transformed into visuals in order to share the thoughts with others. It is an effective platform to convey ideas to others rather than just using mere words. It opens up a whole new side to how one could view architecture. In the past, buildings were done in 2D drawings on paper (Figure & Figure) which sometimes are hard for people to fully understand what the designer is thinking or hard to picture a space in reality due to the lack of details. Programs that are typically used today are softwares such as 3Ds max, Maya, SolidWorks, Google Sketchup, etc.