Virtual Experiment Research Based On Virtual Reality

The virtual experiment as an important component of the modern distance education plays an irreplaceable role in ensuring the teaching results, and has already obtained more and more people's favor. However, it develops relatively late, and it is still very immature technically. Most present virtual experiment systems are simple two-dimensional experiment systems just for demonstration, which differ greatly from the true experiments in such aspects as sense of reality and interaction, and can't meet the demand of experiment teaching. In recent years, the appearance of virtual reality technology has brought the new life for the development of the virtual experiment. Because having 3D digitization technology, multi-sensing interactive technology and scientific visualization technology with high-resolution display, it can produce realistic three-dimensional virtual scene, and can enable one to sense and operate various kinds of virtual targets, to interact with the scene real-timly and mutually. Therefore it can offer better performance and better teaching results than the existing virtual experiments. In this paper, the virtual experiment and virtual reality technology are analysed, further it is researched how to use virtual reality technology and Web technology to build a new-type virtual experiment system on the Internet. In system designing and realizating course, because of the characteristics of present distance teaching system, the desktop-type virtual reality system is adopted.Thus the users only need a mouse and a keyboard to interact with the virtual scene. The main research work of the paper includes: 1) Analysing deficiencies of virtual experiment systems in existence and the characteristics of virtual reality technology, then stating the advantages that using virtual reality technology to develop virtual experiment systems. 2) Researching on the modeling technology of virtual experiment based on virtual reality.Combining the characteristics of distance education and the virtual experiment, the virtual reality model language VRML (Virtual Reality Modeling Language) is adopted to establish the three-dimension virtual experiment scene, and to realize visit to the three-dimensional virtual instrument models 3) Researching on the realization techniques of interactive functions, and choosing the SAI method which uses Java/JavaScript combined with VRML technology to realize objects interactive functions, which makes up for the limited interactive ability of VRML itself. 4) Proposing a virtual experiment system architecture based on virtual reality technology, and designing each module and function in detail separately. 5) Having realized a computer network virtual experiment system based on virtual reality. In developing course, the developing approach and realizing technology of virtual experiment system based on virtual reality are practised and tested. Especially, the key problems in developing course are analysed and summarized. In the paper, the methods of how to use the virtual reality technology to develop a virtual experiment is studied and expounded. It is also designed and realized a computer network virtual experiment system based on virtual reality. The constructing methods and realization techniques adopted in the system developing course can apply to develop general virtual experiment systems. So it offers a feasible way to use virtual reality technology to enhance the sense of reality of virtual experiments and to improve the teaching results.