Université Du Québec Treating Phobias in Virtual Reality with 3DVIA Virtools and Microsoft

DS PLM SUCCESS STORY Université du Québec Treating phobias in virtual reality with 3DVIA Virtools and Microsoft Overview Challenge Helping patients face their fears head-mounted displays (HMD). Everywhere Université du Québec cyberpsychology virtually the patient looks, the environment surrounds researchers needed technology to Patients with anxiety disorders must face them, changing as they react to the scenarios quickly and easily create and deploy their fears to conquer them. But putting – much as a video game changes based on effective treatment scenarios in patients in close proximity to what they fear the choices players make. The applications virtual reality. can be difficult. Patients who fear flying, for are being utilized to treat patients with example, cannot change their minds about conditions ranging from phobias and Solution a flight once the plane is airborne – unless Alzheimer’s disease to addictions. The The team chose 3DVIA Virtools on their experience is a virtual one. success rate with virtual reality is equivalent to Microsoft®.NET Framework and the that for traditional treatments – around 75%. Windows® Operating system for its That is why researchers in the user-friendliness, speed of development Cyberpsychology Lab and the Canada “With 3DVIA Virtools operating on the and effective translation of applications Research Chair in Clinical Microsoft platform, our researchers can into VR environments. Cyberpsychpology at the Université du focus on developing applications, rather Québec en Outaouais (UQO) in Gatineau, than trying to figure out how to develop Canada, are leveraging virtual reality (VR) them, and can do so quickly and connect Benefits environments developed with Dassault easily with a VR environment,” says The combination of 3DVIA Virtools and Systèmes’ 3DVIA Virtools on Windows XP Dr. Stephane Bouchard, director of the Microsoft has allowed university staff Professional and the 64-bit edition of Canada Research Chair in Clinical and students to quickly develop stable, Windows Vista and customized with Cyberpsychology at UQO. reliable virtual environments and use Microsoft® Visual Studio® to help patients them effectively in treating patients. with anxiety disorders face and manage In addition to treating patients, the their fears in a safe, controlled environment. environments can be used to research anxiety disorders. UQO researchers also Immersive treatment conditions are created are working to commercialize the by projecting the virtual environments on the environments, making them available to walls, floor and ceiling of a “CAVE-like” room, clinical psychologists worldwide for state-of- or by using special 3D goggles referred to as the-art, localized patient treatment. “With 3DVIA Virtools, we knew we would be able to quickly and easily create any virtual environment and have it work on any multiple display system.” Dr. Stephane Bouchard, Director, Canada Research Chair in Clinical Cyberpsychology, Université du Québec Seamless and realistic VR environments don’t have to be flawless Although phobias and anxiety disorders can to be effective in treating patients. But be treated effectively using traditional Bouchard says a high degree of realism approaches, virtual reality environments helps convince both funding agencies and offer a more practical approach in a clinical psychologists of the technology’s setting. It may not be possible for every effectiveness, which helps build on existing clinic to keep spiders, snakes, high places, research and create acceptance of VR “If we did everything from tight spaces and other common fear- among therapists as a treatment option. scratch, it would take many inducers on hand to treat patients – but they years to get to the level that can all be made available in VR. Virtools: out-of-the-box ease 3DVIA Virtools gives us right With a grant for infrastructure development, out of the box.” With limited funds for development, Dr. the team finally acquired the development Bouchard’s researchers initially modified solution it had wanted from the start: 3DVIA computer games to help patients deal with Virtools, which gives life to 3D objects and Christian Villemaire, Computer Section Team Leader, Cyberpsychology Lab, phobias such as fear of heights and allows control in real time. 3DVIA Virtools Université du Québec enclosed spaces. But getting the source was the best choice, Dr. Bouchard said, code needed to modify the games for use in because it is quick and easy to learn, more complex anxiety disorder simulations supports rapid development of new proved difficult and expensive. environments, and allows us to use our environments both on the CAVE-like and The team then tried software developed HMD platforms. specifically for creating virtual environments, but found it difficult to build “Implementing 3DVIA Virtools has enabled scenarios quickly due to the tools’ our team to rapidly create virtual complexity. The challenges became even environments that can be deployed either in greater when the team tried to synchronize the six-sided room or with the HMD images on six surfaces to create a (Head-Mounted Display) without investing seamless, CAVE-like environment that the time that other software packages would appear realistic to patients. require to move from one to the other,” Bouchard says. “Our goal is not to develop “With the development software we tried to our own software. It’s to build virtual use initially, it took forever to make the environments that help patients and environments,” Bouchard says. “And it was advance cyberpsychology research and very cumbersome to align the projections development. The fact we can do all that in where the edges of the walls meet. We had a familiar and cost-effective 64-bit Microsoft gaps or overlaps, and both of those Windows environment only adds to our interfere with creating a realistic, believable productivity.” environment.” To create virtual reality environments, the “If we did everything from scratch, it would first step is to develop assets or 3D objects take many years to get to the level that “With 3DVIA Virtools operating in a specialized DCC (digital content 3DVIA Virtools gives us right out of the box,” on the Microsoft platform, creation) or CAD software. Once models says Christian Villemaire, programmer and our researchers can focus on are optimized for 3D Real Time, they are computer section team leader for developing applications, rather imported into 3DVIA Virtools to create a full Bouchard’s research group. than trying to figure out how to real-time 3D application. Finally, with the develop them, and can do so 3DVIA Virtools VR library, users can easily Customization with Microsoft quickly and connect easily with a publish applications in different types of Villemaire says 3DVIA Virtools was chosen Virtual Reality environments. 3DVIA for its ease of use, and it has not VR environment.” Virtools’ use of VRPN, an open source disappointed. “3DVIA Virtools is flexible, protocol, allows its environments to be allowing the team to use the building Dr. Stephane Bouchard, Director, projected or displayed using virtually any blocks section for adding more functions Canada Research Chair in Clinical hardware on the market. and creating new building blocks,” Cyberpsychology, Université du Québec Villemaire says. “Or we use Microsoft’s “3DVIA Virtools allowed us to buy the huge Visual Studio.NET to alter the code of amount of hardware we needed and to existing building blocks in 3DVIA Virtools.” know we would be able to create any virtual Visual Studio.NET gives the lab the power environment and have it work on any to modify standard blocks of source code in multiple display system,” Bouchard says. 3DVIA Virtools to create customized objects “All of the hardware is already compatible quickly and easily. Blocks can be written in with 3DVIA Virtools, so we can just buy a popular C++ code, compiled and debugged piece of equipment and plug it in. The to modify the properties of objects or create building blocks are already done.” new ones. The VR Library component of 3DVIA The lab runs 3DVIA Virtools on the popular Virtools links between the application Microsoft Windows XP Professional running on the “master” PC and the cluster operating system, which Villemaire says of six computers that project images to the makes it easy to find technical workers cave-like VR environment, ensuring the skilled in its maintenance. The team’s new image is seamless where different surfaces development workstations feature Windows meet. Once the geometry of the room has Vista 64-bit technology, which delivers the been inputted into the system, 3DVIA high levels of random access memory Virtools makes all of the necessary (RAM) needed to create more powerful adjustments. With perspective matrixes, scenarios, launch multiple applications 3DVIA Virtools changes the point of view or simultaneously, and handle large VR stretches the image to show it properly as environments. The Cyberpsychology Lab images are distributed on the surfaces of also uses the 2007 Microsoft Office® the room, saving months during design. System for documentation and basic administrative tasks. With 3DVIA Virtools operating on the Villemaire agrees and says 3DVIA Virtools’ Microsoft platform, Bouchard says his ease of use is one of its big strengths. “It “Our new development researchers can focus on developing allows small teams to achieve big things workstations feature Windows applications rather than trying to learn and gives them incredible capabilities and Vista 64-bit technology, which complex software. Applications also can be advantages.” delivers the high levels of developed quickly, and 3DVIA Virtools and random access memory Microsoft make it quick and easy to connect Bouchard says 3DVIA Virtools is the dream needed to create more with a wide variety of VR environments. solution for a research environment. “We’re the ninth cave-like environment in the world powerful scenarios and handle Speed and dependability and the only one dedicated to mental large VR environments.” “Because we are funded by research health, and it’s because we’re using 3DVIA grants, if we needed to spend three years Virtools,” he says.

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