Walkabout

(C) 2013 by Jason Leigh, Electronic Visualization Laboratory, University of Illinois at Chicago

Walkabout is a python module for Omegalib that provides ground collision and wall collisions for CAVE2 applications that have a need for users to navigate a virtual space where they can climb stairs, jump off platforms, and not walk through walls.

The demo.py file contains an example of how to use the module. It also provides a simple scene in which one can navigate the space to test Walkabout. When running on the desktop use the standard WASD keys to walk around the space and click and drag on the mouse to turn. In CAVE2 simply use the wand to navigate. You can also physically walk through the space. Walkabout will automatically adjust terrain height to create the illusion that you are walking on the geometry. Similarly attempts to walk into a wall will force the virtual world backwards to prevent you from going through. All that said it is still possible to crash through walls by simply navigating far too quickly through them.

Documentation on the API can be found HERE.

Release Notes

• 7/4/2013 - First version released
  

How Walkabout Works

Walkabout works by firing two rays into the scene. One straight down (step ray) from the "knees" (climbable level) and one "forward" and slightly downward from your head (collision ray). I say "forward" because it is actually firing the ray in the direction in which you are walking whether it's forwards, backwards, or sideways. The step ray determines how high you need to be moved up or down in the world. The collision ray determines if you have run into a wall or a relatively high object like a table. When a collision is detected Walkabout moves the CAVE2 camera back to the spot before you were before the collision. For floor collision interpolation is also used so that moving up a step or falling to a lower platform isn't done instantaneously. Rather it is done over a sequence of frames so that there is a smooth transition.

In the API it is possible to alter the height of your knee/climbable level as well as the angle for the collision ray. The knee is specified as a proportion of your head height. So for example, 0.3 means 0.3 x head height.