Hitchhiker's Guide to Virtual Reality

This book is a two-part guide to the science, technology, mathematics, and practical implementation of virtual reality. Part 1 contains an explanation of what virtual reality (VR) is (and what it is not!) and what lies inside the hardware components of a VR system. It also details the theory of many technically challenging aspects of VR in a very coherent manner. These include stereoscopy, computer vision, image-based rendering, and inverse kinematics, all of which are central to creating an immersive and interactive VR system. Part 2 of the book concentrates on the actual implementation of a practical VR system. The accompanying CD is a complement to Part 2, providing over 30 projects and associated software that can be used to implement many aspects of a VR system.