SPUR Project

2011 winner (20 of 20)

An Investigation of Workflow and Methods for the Creation of Virtual Reality and Computer Game Worlds Utilising Point Cloud Data from 3D Laser Scanning

Supervisor: Mr James Lewis (Computing and Technology)

Student: Tim Leader

The research involved a collaborative project with the University of Nottingham as part of the Nottingham Cave survey project, http://nottinghamcavessurvey.org.uk/. The laser scanners used by that project had recorded the details of the historic caves beneath Nottingham in intricate detail, however the format of the data required specialised hardware and software in order to visualise it. An opportunity had arisen to access the raw data with a view to processing it into a form which could be more publicly accessible. The project investigated whether the UDK computer game development toolkit used by current undergraduates provides a suitable platform for the display of this data. Student tasks included research into published algorithms to assess suitability for the project, evaluation and cataloguing of open source software or code to understand the limitations of currently available solutions, and application of the most suitable potential solutions found to the data set(s) supplied to produce some demonstration/ proof of concept software which can support future funding bids. Additionally the student investigated and defined an appropriate workflow to process the raw “point cloud” data into a format suitable for rendering in real time using computer game technology. The student assisted with writing up and reporting.