SimVR-Trei: A framework for developing vr-enhanced training

There has been an increasing interest in using VR and serious games that mock real scenarios and allow professionals to perform operations that previously would only be possible in a real environment. In this kind of VR-enhanced training application, it is possible to identify aspects that are crucial to the quality of the system, which were taken into account in the framework we propose in this paper: SimVR-Trei. The most noticeable, to the enduser, are the user interface (UI) and the 3D navigation/interaction systems, which are key to establishing a valuable experience. Two other crucial aspects in such kind of application are the rules system, paired with the environment simulation, which are responsible for creating a veritable world and enhancing the sense of presence. The rules system is the aspect that relates to the training procedures, in other words, it defines the game logic. The environment simulation creates the behavior of the world in response to the users’ actions, which, in some cases, may be provided by an external simulator. Finally, the immersion support system deals with the VR-related issues, such as support for multiple display setups. The challenges imposed by these aspects have been faced during the development of two industrial training applications, leading to the creation of SimVR-Trei framework, which seeks to facilitate the development and the reuse of solutions for common issues in different applications.