TMU Library Immersion Studio
Immersion Studio Overview
The Immersion Studio is a resource located in the TMU Library for faculty and students to create research and teaching projects using collaborative virtual reality (VR) experiences and immersive media. The space is a full 360° projection cylinder that is 6 meters in diameter and 2.3 meters tall that utilizes 5 ceiling mounted projectors to stitch images together to create a seamless 360 image. Because the Immersion Studio is an open space that does not require the use of any peripherals or headgear to interact with the content, it is an attractive alternative for faculty and students wishing to create and experience 360° and VR content. The Immersion Studio can accommodate people who are either standing or seated, and can accommodate up to 10 people.
The Immersion Studio is designed for students and faculty looking to explore new forms of collaborative, immersive experiences whether that be simulations, visualizations or immersive exhibitions. Although traditional VR headsets may be considered more accessible due to headset availability, the Immersion Studio enables collaborative, immersive, and shared VR applications that can be experienced by multiple people at the same time. Certain drawbacks of traditional VR headsets include an isolating individual experience, eye strain from HMD lenses, and frequent cleaning for safe use between multiple people. The Immersion Studio provides a more attractive alternative for viewing VR content in these specific areas, making it a more viable solution for research projects related to collaborative/ shared VR, 360° media, or immersive installations.
The most common forms of content creation for the Immersion Studio are 360 images, 360 video/audio, and 3D applications developed in Unity or Unreal. Below are the optimum file requirements for each type of media.
- 360 Photos: 8000px x 1000px (Jpeg or PNG)360
- Video: 4k (3840 × 2160) 360° Video (Either as Mp4 or Youtube link)
- VR/3D Content: Packaged Unity OR Unreal Projects
For more information on the Immersion Studio, you can visit the TMU Library website here: Immersion Studio Website
Immersion Studio Hardware Specifications
Immersion Studio Layout
| Immersion Studio | AV System |
|---|---|
| Full 360° projection
6 meters in diameter Wireless control via Parsec application Maximum occupancy: 15 Image aspect ratio = 8:1 Curved, lockable door to complete 360º fabric screen Dartex blackout cap with integrated HVAC ducts for AC Unit |
5 x full HD (1920 X 1080) 3500 lumen ceiling mounted projectors
7.1 surround sound speaker system with 5 JBL speakers and 1 subwoofer Windows 10 PC media server with 2 NVIDIA Quadro RTX-5000 Graphics Cards Apple iPad (8th Generation) for wireless control of 360 images and video 2 HTC Vive Base Stations (1.0) + 2 Vive Controllers & Steam Controller for VR and motion controls Microsoft Kinect V2 for hand and body tracking |