The allosphere: a large-scale immersive surround-view instrument

Abstract

We present the design of the Allosphere and initial experiences from its ongoing implementation. The UCSB Allosphere is a novel large-scale instrument for immersive visualization and simulation, which in its full realization will be one of the world's largest immersive environments. The three-story high cubical space comprises an anechoic chamber with a spherical display screen, ten meters in diameter, surrounding from one to thirty users standing on a bridge structure. The Allosphere is differentiated from conventional virtual reality environments by its size and focus on collaborative experiences, its seamless surround-view capabilities and its focus on multiple sensory modalities and interaction. The Allosphere is being equipped with high-resolution active stereo projectors, a complete 3D sound system with hundreds of speakers, and interaction technology. In this paper we will give an overview of the purpose of the instrument as well as the systems that are being put into place in order to equip it. We also review the first results and experiences in developing and using the Allosphere in several prototype projects.