Hang Glider Simulator
Flying high in NZ.
Hang Glider Simulator was a University of Otago summer bursary project that combined real-time computer graphics, physical interaction and projection to create an immersive hang-gliding experience.
About Hang Glider Simulator
A closer look.
Suspenseful. The user is suspended in a harness attached to a large steel frame. A simulated environment is displayed to the user using a large hemispherical domed screen and a projector system.
Flying high. Users are tracked by a small Firewire camera and interact with the system by shifting along a bar. Movements are translated to yaw, pitch and roll in real-time.
Technical delivery. The project was built for macOS using C++, OpenGL and Cocoa. A heightmapped terrain and skybox create an immersive experience of Queenstown, New Zealand.
Research. The project builds on existing postgraduate work. The fulldome projection technique is based on research by Paul Bourke, who later featured the project in his 2011 fulldome activity report and installation gallery.
Recognition. The project was later featured in AUC's Wheels for the Mind magazine. Members of the public got to experience the simulator at the International Science Festival 2010 and the ASPAC 2010 Conference in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Apple University Consortium
AUC Student Developer Scholarship (2010)
I was awarded a scholarship which included an Apple MacBook Pro, a 1-year Apple Developer Program Membership, attendance at Apple's WWDC conference in San Francisco and AUC /dev/world in Melbourne.
AUC
Apple University Consortium.
AUC's Wheels for the Mind magazine featured the Hang Glider Simulator, a University of Otago summer bursary project.
- Collaborations
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- Role
- Summer Bursary Developer
- Category
- Simulation
- Completed
- February 2010
- Website
- otago.ac.nz
- Skills
- macOS, Cocoa, Carbon
- C++, OpenGL
- Projection, Camera tracking, Physical interaction