Dear all,
Please find enclosed a description of the NVRCAD project at Coventry,
Teesside and Plymouth Universities.
I hope that you can make use of our centres and I appologise to those of
you who have recieved this mail more than once.
Yours Liam
+++ Networked Virtual Reality +++
+++ Resource Centres +++
+++ for Art & Design +++
+++ (NVRCADs) +++
Many people working in Art & Design are now familiar with the World
Wide Web (www) and its ability to transmit text and images using
formats such as HTML and JPEG. Some are aware that there is also a
format for describing three-dimensional objects and environments
(VRML), and that additional features can be added by writing scripts
in Java. These developments are potentially very exciting for Art &
Design as they open up the possibility of new forms of creative work
and greater collaboration between individuals and institutions.
The Networked Virtual Reality Resource Centres for Art & Design
(NVRCADs) have been set up to assist staff and students in gaining
greater competence in using these technologies and to generally
encourage their appropriate use within Art & Design. They will do
this by offering an advice service, arranging local visits and
tutorials, running workshops, maintaining three central web sites,
producing a list of activists, and facilitating cooperation between
different institutions.
The Centres are based at the Universities of Coventry, Plymouth &
Teesside. They will be concerned solely with the evolution of
technologies for 3D representation, animation and interactivity over
computer networks. Currently, the most significant of these
technologies are VRML (Virtual Reality Modelling Language) and the
language Java. It is possible that, over the next few years, new
standards for representation and interactivity will emerge and the
Centres will attempt to monitor these and keep practitioners up to
date on developments.
++ Services offered by the Centres
+ Advice
Any of the Centres may be contacted for advice on VRML, Java or
related technologies including the hardware and software needed to
support them. Anyone studying or teaching art & design in the UK may
contact a Centre by phone, email or fax, or can make arrangements to
visit one of us. Where possible, staff in the Centres will provide
the advice themselves. If this is not possible they will endeavour to
refer you to a source of expertise.
+ Web sites
Each Centre has a web site on which you will find useful information,
on-line tutorials, example files, and links to other useful sites.
Staff and students at any institution may place their own work on one
of these servers if they so wish, or we can include a link to their
own site. The URLs are:
http://www.csad.coventry.ac.uk/NVRCAD
http://www.esad.plym.ac.uk/NVRCAD
http://www.tees.ac.uk/design/dsr04/nvrcad.htm
+ Visits & Tutorials
Staff at the Centres will be happy to visit your institution, either
for an informal discussion or to make a formal presentation to staff
and/or students. This presentation could last anything from 1 hour to
a whole day. It is preferable if this can be done on your own
equipment but, by special arrangement, the Centre staff will bring a
computer and projection equipment with them. We will not charge for
our time, but we ask colleges to pay for travelling costs and any
other additional expenses. We will let you know what these are in
advance. If you would like to make use of this service contact your
nearest Centre and discuss your requirements with them.
+ Workshops
The Centres will be holding three one-day workshops during the next
year specifically for staff and students in Art & Design. The fee for
attending a workshop will be #50 (to cover the costs involved).
Tuesday 23rd September 1997
at the University of Coventry
'Applications of VRML & Java in Art & Design'
A look at what it is possible to do with VRML & Java within a range of
art & design sub-disciplines.
Tuesday 16th December 1997
at the Exeter School of Arts & Design, University of Plymouth
'Technologies of VRML & Java for Art & Design purposes'
Technical issues concerning the setting up of servers for VRML, the
writing of Java applets, and the range of client end browsers
available.
Tuesday 31st March 1998
at the University of Teesside, Middlesbrough
VRML & Java in Art & Design Education
A look at how the use of VRML & Java can be integrated into the
learning process: what do students need to be taught, and what of
value do they learn?
To find out more about a workshop, contact the Centre that will be
running it.
+ Collaborative teaching projects
The Centres are keen to facilitate and organise collaborative teaching
and learning projects between groups of students in different
institutions. This could be an arrangement to look at each other's
work on the web and to pass back critical comments, or it could be a
fuller programme of collaboration through which students at two or
more institutions work on the same project. Contact us if you would
like to participate in such a project.
+ Special Interest Group
The Centres will maintain a list of all those individuals who are
working with these technologies in Art & Design in the UK. Each entry
will contain the person's name, a paragraph on what their interests
are, and details of how they may be contacted. This list will appear
on our web sites.
There is also a mailbase discussion group. If you would like your name
included, then send an email to: mailbase@mailbase.ac.uk which contains
as the only content: join nvrcad <your first name> <your last name> e.g.
join nvrcad Colin Beardon
+ Off-line resources
We are aware that not everyone finds it easy to access a computer
network whenever they need to, so we will be providing a range of
printed reports and disks which contain relevant information from our
web site. Please contact us and let us know if you require a postal
service as you do not have regular access to network services.
++ How to contact us
The NVRCADs are supported for three years by a grant from the Joint
Information Systems Committee (JISC) Technology Applications Programme
(JTAP). Each Centre will provide basic advice and tutorials on any
aspect of these technologies and will be responsible for a
geographical area of the country. In addition, each Centre has its
own particular field of interest within art and design.
University of Coventry
Director: Professor Clive Richards
Advisor: Liam Birtles
Specialisation: Computing in product/automotive/information/craft
design and sculpture. VRML and Java in collaborative multiuser design
environments.
Region: North Wales, North West England, the Midlands (incl. N. London).
Address: NVRCAD, VIDe, Coventry School of Art & Design,
Coventry University, Priory Street, Coventry CV1 5FB
Tel: 01203 838522
Fax: 01203 838667
Email: liam@vide.coventry.ac.uk
URL: http://www.csad.coventry.ac.uk/NVRCAD
University of Plymouth
Director: Professor Colin Beardon
Advisor: Ben Salem
Specialisation: VRML & Java in art and the theatre
Region: South-West England, South Wales, Southern England
(incl. W. & E.London).
Address: NVRCAD, Exeter School of Arts & Design, University of Plymouth,
Earl Richards Road North, Exeter EX2 6AS.
Tel: 01392 475028
Fax: 01392 475012
Email: NVRCAD@plym.ac.uk
URL: http://www.esad.plym.ac.uk/NVRCAD
University of Teesside
Director: Mrs Janice Webster
Advisor: Rachael Edgar
Specialisation: VRML, 3-Dimensional Space and Environment Design
Region: Scotland, Northern Ireland, Eastern England (incl. East Anglia)
Address: NVRCAD, Institute of Design, University of Teesside, Borough Road,
Middlesbrough TS1 3BA
Tel: 0802 344827
Fax: 01642 342376
Email: r.edgar@tees.ac.uk
URL: http://vr3.tees.ac.uk/rachael/
--
Liam Birtles:(NVRCAD), Visual Information Design (VIDe),
Coventry University, Priory Street, CV1 5FB.
mail: liam@vide.coventry.ac.uk tel: 01203 838046