This paper describes the "immersive television" which has the surrounding multi-projection displays. Since conventional display can only provide a limited angle of the visual field, people can not obtain enough feeling of presence in the visual image space. However, since "immersive television" has four screens around the user, people can easily get sensations as if they actually are in a virtual space. For this system, we have prepared several softwares which include a live video transmission, a recorded view, and a kind of interactive computer graphics. When this system was tested in the national children hospital, it was quite effective for improving the hospitalized children's amenities.

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To enhance the reality of virtual world, it is necessary to render not only the general topology of an object surface but the detailed texture on a surface characterizing the object. We have developed a method to synthesize virtual textures to be mapped on the surface using inverse Discrete Fourier Transform. The method disposes some spectra on the frequency plane estimating generated texture images in terms of contrast and correlation which are calculated from the co-occurrence matrix of the image. The textures are selected from randomly initiated spectrum dispositions in two ways of estimation process.

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Virtual interface technology offers potential to enhance human perception and understanding of the real world. An augmented reality systems with a see-through Head-Mounted Display (HMD), for example, may enable a doctor to view the unborn baby in the mother' s abdomen, by combining images of the real world and the image acquired by medical ultrasound echography scanners. Exploration of such systems, however, has been limited by the computational capabilities available. This paper explores the possibility of augmented reality for a particular application, real-space, real-time display of 3D medical echography images, by removing some of the limitations of current computational capabilities. Combined with our previous experience, such exploration have identified issues important to determine future direction of such augmented reality systems.

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The sensation of acceleration is an essential factor to passengers of vehicles in motion for purposes of movement recognition. A three-dimensional motion simulator is often used for purposes of generating this sensation of acceleration in virtual environments. However, the realistic artificial generation of this acceleration is limited by the fixed location of the motion simulator itself. Hence, long durations of acceleration cannot be easily realized. In this paper, the design and implementation of an algorithm to convert a given acceleration input into a time-series positional output from the motion simulator is discussed Using this method, attempted alterations were made to better simulate and control the motion simulator. The obtained experimental results are discussd along with areas for future research and improvement. The integration of visual information and sensations of acceleration are also discussed.

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When two users work in virtual space, they will be able to do more creative work if they can manipulate same object simultaneously. Most of virtual reality system however, have no force feedback mechanism. Unless force is fed back, special efforts are required to manipulate same object simultaneously. In this research, we developed a system that enable two users to work simultaneously in virtual environment with force feedback. The system provides force to bind two user's hand. This function assists teaching task in common virtual environment. Through experiment to defom virtual object with force feedback, effectiveness of force feedback in cooperative work is tested.

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Virtual Reality(VR) technology is applied to entertainment, layout evaluation, and so on. We have been developing VIGOR (V__-irtual Environment for Visual Engineering and O__-pation) system, which is used for design, presentation, and training consistently. Using a virtual operation room which is composed CG models, engineers and users can evaluate layout alternatives together. In this paper, Virtual Training Simulator is presented. A virtual training simulator is realized to link a virtual operation room and a dynamic power plant simulator.

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At the Tokyo Electric Power Company(TEPCO), a research of 3-D sound for Virtual Reality(VR) enviroment is underway. The software visualization tool using VR technology for user-machine interface was developed(SVSS;Software Visualizatlon Support Space). Furthermore, we are designing a VR application to remote monitoring. In this paper, we describe how 3-D sound was added to SVSS and remote monitoring.

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This paper presents a unified muscle and skin layer model for articulated figures, allowing the application of Implicit Function and Brep (Boundary Representation) based animation techniques. Human figures are represented using a layered approach. The realistic modeling and animation of a muscle and skin layer over a skeletal structure involves issues such as ensuring smooth connectivity between the animated segments of the virtual human, modeling the formation of creases, bulges and contact deformation on collisions. Solutions using Implicit functions to solve problems resulting due to the animation of the human figure are presented. The application of the above models and ideas to enhancing the realism in a virtual space teleconferencing system is then discussed.

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This paper is to describe a series of algorithms which enables 3D image data look like Cel animation images. Technique of making Cel animation, although it has been one of major techniques of film making, has not been changed basically from when movies were invented. It has been a typical hand industry which requires piece by piece hand drawing, painting, compositing and recording frame by frame on film. The industry of Cel animation had disappcared in the 1970s in the USA and in Japan in the 1980s because of labor cost. A production method called Digital Ink and paint was introduced to the industry to computerize cel painting and recording. It has not taken over the conventional production mcthodology in Japan because it is not enough cost effective for the industry to change. This rsearch started by using market available 3D image generation sortware to maximize the use of computer to creatc chcaper in cost and better in quality Cel animation touch images by adding a series of algorithms.

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The image generation technology using digital computer has been improved so rapid that these days and it has been applied to many fields of entertainment area, such as making movies, television program, image video and games and many kinds of visualization area in science, engineering and medical fields. In near future, these image generation technologies will become essential means in these fields. In my lecture ,I will introduce the latest digital image technologies adopted for making movies released in 1993 in America.

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