Extending an Existing VR Software Framework to support AR Applications - With an Example from Physics Classes

Abstract

We present our approach to extend a Virtual Reality software framework towards the use for Augmented
Reality applications. Although VR and AR applications have very similar requirements in terms of abstract components
(like 6DOF input, stereoscopic output, simulation engines), the requirements in terms of hardware and software vary
considerably. In this article we would like to share the experience gained from adapting our VR software framework for
AR applications. We will address design issues for this task. The result is a VR/AR basic software that allows us to
implement interactive applications without fixing their type (VR or AR) beforehand. Switching from VR to AR is a matter
of changing the configuration file of the application. We also give an example of the use of the extended framework:
Augmenting the magnetic field of bar magnets in physics classes. We describe the setup of the system and the realtime
calculation of the magnetic field, using a GPU.