The first edition of VRDAYS will take place on 29 and 30 September 2018 in Hall 622 in Zurich Oerlikon. VRDAYS Zurich will showcase all facets of VR and AR (virtual reality and augmented reality). In addition to an exhibition, visitors will gain an insight into the development and research of VR projects and can try out various applications themselves. There are also various workshops for beginners and professionals.
We are very pleased to announce the workshops of VRDAYS Zurich:
The workshop schedule is as follows:
Saturday 29.9.
10:00 Basics and advanced knowledge about VR/AR
11:00 Use of VR for companies
13:15 Masterpiece VR - Creating a dragon
14:30 Consumer VR retrospective
15:30 Basics and advanced knowledge about binaural audio
17:45 Immersive learning - learning in and with VR/AR
Sunday 30.9.
12:00 Basics and advanced knowledge about VR/AR
14:15 Google Tilt Brush: Introduction and application tips
16:30 VR in the sports environment
17:30 Navigation in VR
Cost: Individual workshop CHF 20 / workshop pass for both days CHF 140
The workshops in detail:
Basic and advanced knowledge of VR/AR
Speaker: Eric Schärrer, Game Designer
This workshop offers an introduction to the topic of virtual reality: what is VR, a look behind the scenes to help you better understand this technology and how to make it your own.
New technologies are developing rapidly, including virtual reality. Whether this fascinating technology has been honed for decades and only in recent years has it received a new echo in the media with the premise of finally becoming suitable for the masses. However, it will still be a while before it has really arrived in all households, which is precisely why this workshop offers a good all-round insight into virtual reality in order to familiarise yourself with this technology safely and expertly.
VR is not just about gaming and entertainment, but is used in all kinds of sectors. In the first part, basic knowledge about virtual reality is imparted, in the second part, real hands-on experience is given and exciting VR projects are introduced, because you can only understand VR if you have experienced it.
Contents:
- What is virtual reality?
- Preparation and benefits of VR
- Application examples
- Explanation of terms and differences between the VR/AR/MR/360° technologies
- Present and future of immersive technologies
- Try out various VR applications
Use of VR for companies
Speaker: Andreas Büttner, Owner Virtual Industries
VR and AR are technologies that need to be experienced in order to be understood. Understanding what VR/AR is and how it will shape the future almost always starts with the first "first steps" in the virtual world. With accompanying theory, the focus here is on trying things out.
Due to the rapid development in the field of VR/AR, there are now countless complementary technologies such as finger tracking, eye tracking, wireless VR, etc. Each of these complementary technologies in turn often offers its own "aha effect": only with a proper understanding of these technologies can areas of application for your own company be recognised more easily and decisions for the future be made more effectively.
Masterpiece VR - Creation of a dragon
Speaker: Anna Zhilyaeva / French-Russian artist known for her unique drawing style in VR
MasterpieceVR is a collaborative sculpting and painting tool that allows users to easily create 3D content in virtual reality. Learn the first steps to create a monster or dragon in MasterpieceVR. Discover the interface and possibilities of this wonderful sculpting application.
Consumer VR retrospective
Speaker: Maxim Lysak, Senior Software Engineer IBM Zurich Research
"We are experiencing day one of VR!" But is that really the case? What happened in this space in the past, or more interestingly, what happened in the consumer space? In this workshop, we will briefly look at a history of virtual reality technology in the pre-Oculus and pre-Vive era. How it came about and where the name came from.
We will also look at some of the first examples of consumer-ready VR systems from the past. We will explore the possibilities and limitations of such systems and compare them to the current state of the art consumer computing and real-time rendering capabilities.
We will look critically at the modern HMD specification race: field of view, resolution and tracking fidelity and see how these issues have been addressed in the past and what the outcomes and design considerations were. How specifications can be managed and how the outcome affects the overall ability to deliver a particular experience to the user.
Several generations of vintage VR hardware will be presented and compared, such as "Liquid Image MRG 2.2", "Forte VFX1", "Vuzix iWear" and "P5 Data Glove", we hope that some of them can be run, while other VR artefacts can be examined by the participants on site.
This workshop will give you an insight into VR history and give you some food for thought. Or, at the very least, spark some fun discussions while you get to look at some cool tech artefacts that are several decades old.
Basics and advanced knowledge of binaural audio
Johannes Kares / Audio Experience Designer | Sennheiser AMBEO
Binaural audio has become increasingly popular in recent months and years, especially for VR applications. It gives you a very natural and intimate sound experience, very similar to a real concert. Nowadays, the technical limitations are less of an issue and major companies such as Facebook and Youtube now deliver dynamic binaural audio as part of their smartphone apps that include a 360-degree video player. Basically, everyone now has 3D audio in their pocket.
This presentation will guide you through the basics of binaural audio, extend this knowledge to the convertible Ambisonics format and show ways to apply these concepts in real-time live streaming situations. We will mainly focus on demonstrating the workflow using music examples, as high fidelity is required here.
Immersive learning - learning in and with VR/AR
Speaker: Thorsten Fell / Member of the Board - First German Professional Association for Virtual Reality
Everyone is talking about virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). These technologies are also playing an increasingly important role in corporate learning. The first projects are being implemented and pilot applications are being used in companies. Whether in medicine, industry, service providers or in the insurance/banking sector.
In future, these technologies will be integrated into business processes everywhere. In the learning environment, this opens up new possibilities for bringing products and processes to life. Situations can be experienced and tested "in real life" in the virtual learning world. The experience makes it possible to discover and immerse oneself in the virtual learning world. The learner perceives this as their current reality. But what does the market look like at the moment, which providers are there, what do practical examples look like and how are the experiences and limits of the technology to be assessed? The trade association offers a comprehensive and independent perspective on the topic. Practical examples from the company and its members show that although it is a technology of the future for many, for some it is increasingly becoming part of everyday life. This area of tension goes hand in hand with the perception in society and the sometimes incorrect interpretation of terms and technologies. These are explained and presented in the context of the topic of learning.
- Which types of implementation are suitable for which learning processes and target groups?
- Which providers are there?
- Which service offerings are placed on the market by the providers?
- What do current implementations look like + what priorities are being realised here?
- What developments can we expect in the coming months?
VR in the sports environment
Speaker: Thorsten Fell / Member of the Board - First German Professional Association for Virtual Reality
Virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) are considered the "next big thing" for the media and entertainment industry. To what extent have these trends already arrived in sport?
VR technology will have a huge impact on the sports industry.
We will take a closer look at four key topics:
- Improving the fan experience, virtual sponsorship opportunities/new types of campaigns,
- Training and performance optimisation, e-sports - new opportunities and sports
- Where are the possibilities for use in sport?
- Where are the limits for sport?
- What needs to be taken into account during implementation?
Google Tilt Brush: Introduction and application tips
Speaker: Anna Zhilyaeva / French-Russian artist known for her unique drawing style in VR
Tilt Brush is a free 3D software from Google that allows you to draw and paint in virtual reality.
Discover Tilt Brush from beginner to advanced level in just a few steps. Experience the artistic possibilities and styles. You will also receive tips on how to realise your ideas.
Navigation in VR: simple, customer-friendly solutions are needed, whether for engineers, property clients or gamers
Speakers: Dr Patrik Künzler, CEO Limbic Life AG, Mark van Raai, Head of VR Experience Limbic Life AG
With the entry of VR into the professional world, new challenges arise. In contrast to entertainment consumers, professionals who use VR have higher demands in terms of output and convenience.
For engineers, architects, designers and property clients, it is important that the VR space can be properly explored. VR is often pointless if the viewer cannot move freely and fully explore the rooms and objects presented.
We show different navigation options, including a hands-free, chair-based tool that is safe, intuitive and fast. We developed it based on neuroscience at the MIT Media Lab in Massachusetts.
If you can't fly: Why VR?
Lecture and hands-on demos
The speakers
Anna Zhilyaeva
Anna Zhilyaeva is a French-Russian artist known for her unique style of painting in virtual reality. Her strong involvement in this new technology has taken her around the globe. She has shown her art live in large companies and mystical places such as the Louvre Museum. After graduating from the art academy, Anna worked as a designer, illustrator and art director in a publishing house, but never stopped learning. During her professional career, she attended various universities in Russia and France, studying fine arts, architecture, filmmaking, sculpture and educating people. Her work now focusses almost exclusively on virtual reality.
Thorsten Fell
With 20 years of experience, he is a seasoned expert in the fields of corporate learning, digital transformation and immersive experience. He supports companies through change and reorganisation. Over the past 20 years, he has held management responsibility in the areas of business transformation, corporate learning and innovation in a wide range of companies and industries. As a speaker, lecturer and author, he is happy to pass on his knowledge in a wide variety of formats. Today, he is a member of the board of the "First German Professional Association for Virtual Reality
Maxim Lysak
Artist and writer who loves the boundless expanse of the sky and the hidden secrets of the ocean. Aviation enthusiast, tech enthusiast, software engineer, cyberpunk. Programmed his first game when he was 10 years old on an old ZX Spectrum computer in Laser Basic, since then he has been involved in human-machine interaction, user interfaces (2D and 3D), real-time graphics and data visualisation. Makes digital art 2D and 3D, tinkers with 3D printing. Born in Ukraine, he graduated from the National Technical University of Ukraine "Igor Sikorsky Kyiv Polytechnic Institute" with a specialised diploma in computer science, also received an art school degree, moved to Switzerland and currently works as a Senior Software Engineer at IBM Research in Rüschlikon.
Eric Schärrer
When the opportunity to design his own game presented itself, Eric Schärrer jumped at the chance. Since then, his life has revolved around developing interactive worlds and captivating people digitally. During his studies in Game Design (Zurich University of the Arts), but also on the side, he created numerous projects, from commercial to artistic, always in search of something new, something surprising. In this search, Eric came across virtual reality, a fascination that has led, among other things, to collaboration on VR exhibitions at an internationally renowned film festival and mixed reality bird flights in the Swiss Alps and which, like the medium of virtual reality itself, can only grow in the future.
Dr Patrik Künzler
Dr Patrik Künzler, a medical doctor at the University of Zurich, conducted his doctoral thesis on the limbic system at the laboratory of Nobel Prize winner Dr Susumu Tonegawa. His focus was on how emotional states influence memory, thought and decision-making processes in the brain. At the MIT Media Lab, Patrik focussed on how our body can influence emotional states and mental performance through the limbic system in everyday devices and how the body can be used as an input device in the most natural way possible. Back in Switzerland, he founded Limbic Life to produce and market products developed using this new neuroscientific approach.
Johannes Kares
Johannes Kares is a sound engineer based in Vienna. He joined Sennheiser in October 2015 and is now working on the development of immersive audio experiences as part of the Sennheiser AMBEO core team. During his studies, Johannes worked as a freelance sound engineer and audio engineer, both in the field of audiovisual content production and in music production, where he was able to record in famous halls such as the Musikverein or the Vienna Konzerthaus. Johannes is co-founder of Treehouse Studios, a recording studio in Vienna, where he can define and test new applications. He also has experience in software development and led the development of DAW plug-ins such as the Sennheiser AMBEO Orbit and contributed to the development of a binaural rendering engine.
Festival info:
Date: Saturday, 29 and Sunday, 30 September 2018
Venue: Hall 622, Zurich Oerlikon
Opening hours: Saturday 10.00 - 19.00 / Sunday 12:00 - 18:00
Admission price: 1 day CHF 19.- / 2 days CHF 25.-
Advance booking offices: Starticket and Ticketcorner
Partners: PlayStation, Blick, Ticketcorner, VRROOM.ch, Games.ch, World VR Forum, Zurich Tourism
Organiser: MAAG Music & Arts AG
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