Adapting Computational Creativity Support from Desktop to Virtual Reality

PhD Thesis Proposal Defence


Title: "Adapting Computational Creativity Support from Desktop to Virtual 
Reality"

by

Miss Linping YUAN


Abstract:

Virtual reality (VR) holds the promise of transforming various domains through 
immersive experiences. However, the widespread adoption of VR has been 
significantly slowed by the high barriers to content creation, which require 
both technical skills and specialized knowledge in digital arts. This thesis 
investigates how computational creativity support can lower these barriers and 
make VR content creation more accessible. Specifically, it explores whether and 
how computational approaches developed for desktop environments can be adapted 
to address the unique challenges of VR content creation, given the scarcity of 
VR-specific knowledge and data.

The thesis consists of three main parts. The first part involves understanding 
the current practices and challenges faced by VR creators. Through 
semi-structured interviews with animated VR story creators, the thesis 
identifies ten common stages in the VR creation process and highlights nine 
unique obstacles, thereby informing research directions for developing 
computational approaches tailored to VR. The second part examines the 
feasibility of leveraging desktop data and knowledge to support VR content 
creation. By focusing on time-varying stroke gestures, the study demonstrates 
how commonalities between desktop and VR environments can be used to generate 
VR data from desktop data. To extend and deepen the findings, the third part 
further investigates the development of algorithms and user interfaces for 
color design tasks in both desktop and VR environments. The research designs 
and evaluates algorithms for color extraction, recommendation, and 
personalization, and develops corresponding desktop and VR user interfaces. The 
findings offer strategies to utilize commonalities and differences for adapting 
desktop computational approaches to VR.

The contributions of this thesis include empirical insights into VR content 
creation processes and challenges, the development of algorithms that lower the 
barriers for both desktop and VR content creation, and the design of 
interactive tools tailored to the characteristics of desktop and VR 
environments. By bridging desktop and VR, these efforts can help enrich the VR 
ecosystem with diverse and compelling content, ultimately accelerating the 
adoption of VR technology.


Date:                   Wednesday, 12 June 2024

Time:                   1:30pm - 3:30pm

Venue:                  Room 3494
                        Lifts 25/26

Committee Members:      Prof. Huamin Qu (Supervisor)
                        Prof. Andrew Horner (Chairperson)
                        Prof. Pedro Sander
                        Dr. Long Chen