Research Highlight

Photo for RIT research highlight
Human Performance and Internet Avatar - Tina Chapman DaCosta wears a full body motion capture suit preparing to control the motions of an avatar on the virtual stage. The avatar in the computer image follows her motion in the performance.

Virtual Theatre: Live Performance in a Virtual Space
Imagine a live performance where, rather than having to go out to a physical theatre, you can experience the action in a virtual world. The actors are all avatars; the sets and lights are virtual; and the show is viewed on a computer screen and performed live by people located around the globe. Is it possible to enable this kind of theatrical experience, and if so, how would the experience compare to a show on a real stage? These are some of the questions that are being explored by Joe Geigel from the B. Thomas Golisano College of Computing and Information Sciences (GCCIS) and Marla Schweppe from the College of Imaging Arts and Sciences (CIAS) as part of the Virtual Theatre project, a collaborative effort between the department of computer science (GCCIS) and the School of Design (CIAS). With recent funding by a three-year grant from the National Science Foundation, Geigel, Schweppe, and their colleagues Walter Wolf and Tina Chapman DaCosta, both from GCCIS, will set out to create theatre in 3D virtual space, where actors, crew, and audience share, from different physical locations, a single theatrical experience over the Internet. A variety of virtual reality devices, including a full body motion capture system, are employed in controlling actors and stage elements on the virtual stage.

Research Highlights

Each year, RIT is involved in research projects that advance scientific and academic frontiers. Click on the handful of topics below to view a summary of what each exploration has revealed.

Scholarship and Research at RIT

Research Highlight

Research Highlights

2008

2007

2006

2005

2004

2003