Visualization Studio

Virtual reality is a completely digital immersive experience. This sometimes takes the form of a head-mounted display, where the user wears a pair of goggles that occlude their vision of the real world. In this format, users are unable to see their real body in the context of the digital environment but can sometimes also see digital avatars of themselves and often have their movements tracked and relayed onto these avatars.

To view your stream from the VR headsets in the Visualization Studio, visit University of Michigan VR Stream and enter the 6-digit streaming code visible in your headset.

Note: In order to use the Meta Quest Pro headsets in the Visualization Studio you will need to Create a Meta Account.

Devices Available

META QUEST PRO (Walk-in Only)

The Meta Quest Pro is a mixed reality headset with full color passthrough. It features outward facing cameras for tracking, pancake lenses rendering 1800 x 1920 pixels per eye, adjustable ergonomic headband, and touch controllers.

META QUEST 2 & 3

The Meta Quest is a virtual reality headset that can be used as a standalone device or connected to a computer via USB-C. Operating as a standalone device, it has a similar graphics limitation as a mobile phone. It features two six-degrees-of-freedom controllers.

Request

Augmented reality devices aim to enhance the real world by populating it with additional digital content that blends seamlessly into our environment. With augmented reality, your vision of the world around you is not obstructed by a head mounted display like it is with Virtual Reality, where your view obscured by an entirely digital environment. Because of this, augmented reality offers many benefits as a platform for interactive collaborative learning as well as methods for supplementing the world around us with additional information.

Devices Available

META QUEST PRO (Walk-in Only)

The Meta Quest Pro is a mixed reality headset with full color passthrough. It features outward facing cameras for tracking, pancake lenses rendering 1800 x 1920 pixels per eye, adjustable ergonomic headband, and touch controllers.

MICROSOFT HOLOLENS

Hololens 1 and Hololens 2 are glasses capable of accentuating the real world with digital content, running the Windows Mixed Reality platform. Available by request for testing or development.

Request

iPAD PRO + PENCIL

Our iPad Pro come with an Apple Pencil to give access to a writable surface for classes. Equipped with forward and rear facing cameras for XR/VR development use.

Request

The Vicon Motion Capture technology available through the Visualization Studio is the same system used by major Hollywood productions like Avatar or Planet of the Apes to translate realistic motion onto digital characters. We offer an 8 camera system suitable for capturing the movement of people, robotics, and other objects. This technology is available through reservation, and involves scheduling a capturing session with the Duderstadt Center’s Motion Capture expert. After a session is complete, the resulting motion data is available in *.FBX, *.BVH or *.TRC formats.

To schedule a Vicon motion capture session, we will need a description of what you are looking to capture & the number of subjects involved. After a capture session, you will be responsible for cleaning the resulting data within the Shogun software (instruction will be provided).

Devices Available

AZURE KINECT

Azure Kinect is a cutting-edge spatial computing developer kit with sophisticated computer vision and speech models, advanced AI sensors, and a range of powerful SDKs that connect to Azure AI Services.

Request

VICON

Our 8 camera Vicon motion capture system is the same system used by major Hollywood productions suitable for capturing the full body movement of people, robotics, and other objects.

Request

Rokoko Mocap Suit

This full body motion tracking suit relies on accelerometers and gyroscopes to track movement.

Request

360 Video is the process of recording video footage with a special camera that films in 360 degrees. These cameras utilize multiple lenses for capturing footage or images simultaneously in different directions, with the footage or images being stitched together in post, similar to how panoramas are constructed. This footage can be easily ported to web-based platforms that support 360, such as Facebook or Youtube, but can also be viewed from within a virtual reality headset, making the experience more immersive.

Many of these devices can be paired to a user’s phone via an app for remote recording – this feature helps keep the user out of the shot. Monopods to elevate the camera are also available.

Footage from these cameras can be edited just like any other video footage in a video editing software. Adobe Premiere and Final Cut Pro both allow users to toggle between panoramic and 360 view while working with 360 footage in their editors (an immersive 360 view is visible within the Oculus if editing on a Visualization Studio workstation).

Devices Available

RICOH THETA Z1

The Ricoh Theta Z1 records 360° images using approx. 23MP (6720 x 3360, 7K) still image shooting and spherical video at 4K (3840 x 1920, 29.97 fps) quality. It also supports 360° live streaming in 4K resolution.

Request

MANFROTTO PIXI EVO MONOPOD

The Manfrotto PIXI EVO is designed to support small 360° cameras. Max Height: 56.3 in. ONLY compatible with the Ricoh Theta Z1 360 Camera.

Request

The Duderstadt Center has an in-house render farm intended to expedite your rendering efforts, be they large format renders intended for print, or frame-by-frame renders for animation.

Our render farm is accessible to you once an account has been created, through the Deadline client software available in GroundWorks and the Visualization Studio.

Interested in rendering your own file? Check our Render Farm Webpage for further information.

Steps to get your file rendered

1. Complete the sign-up process on the Visualization Studio Sign-up Page to request Render Farm access.
2. Review the Instructions Page to learn how to submit your content through Deadline Monitor.
3. Once receiving the confirmation email, compete the Render Submission Form to upload your scene files.

For a complete list of available titles, please visit Visualization Studio Software Webpage.

Software installed locally can be accessed through the Start menu on Visualization Studio workstations. Additional applications are available through the CAEN Software application via Cloudpaging. For the full Cloudpaging catalog, see the CAEN CLSE Software Listing.

Software request deadlines for CAEN CLSE:

Summer Term Deadline: March 1

Fall Term Deadline: May 15

Winter Term Deadline: October 14

All 31 of the Visualization Studio workstations are configured for XR development with the following specifications:

• Dell Precision 3660
• 13th Generation Intel Core i5-13600K
• Nvidia GeForce RTX 4090
• 64GB DDR5 up to 4400MHz memory
• Windows 11

Reservations are non-exclusive, meaning patrons with MCard access are still welcome to come into the Visualization Studio and use any available workstations.

Note: You must be logged into a University of Michigan Google account in order to view the scheduling calendar.

The Duderstadt Center’s M.I.D.E.N. is a 10 × 10 × 10-foot immersive VR environment with 3D stereoscopic projection on four surfaces: left, front, right, and floor. The system tracks users’ positions in real time, adjusting the simulation to match their perspective and creating a highly immersive “inside the data” experience. Upgraded for Fall 2023, it now features four Christie Digital 4K RGB laser projectors and rare multi-view capability that allows two users to interact simultaneously. Users can move naturally within the space or navigate larger virtual environments with a game controller.

For the detailed information, please visit the Visualization Studio MIDEN Webpage.

Note: You must be logged into a University of Michigan Google account in order to view the scheduling calendar.

Do I need to provide a proposal?
Not required, but helpful. A proposal clarifies your project goals and funding needs. If you don’t have one, we may ask for reference images, flow diagrams, or storyboards to define scope before moving forward.

How do you prioritize and vet projects?
Each project is reviewed individually based on scope, timeline, and our development capacity. We prioritize projects that support teaching and innovative research.

How long does XR development take?
Timelines vary by project. After reviewing your materials, we can provide a more accurate estimate. Most XR projects are completed within one or two semesters.

What does it cost?
There is no charge for XR tools developed for classroom use. For funded research projects, we may ask to be included in the proposal budget to cover development time. Hardware costs are not included, but we can help estimate and source needed equipment.

When can you get started?
We typically recommend at least one semester of lead time for planning, testing, and hardware setup. Reaching out early—especially during the brainstorming phase—is encouraged.

If there isn’t enough time, what are the alternatives?
We may be able to scale the project into a smaller prototype or proof of concept. If not, we can suggest existing tools, connect you with student talent, or recommend external development partners.