This paper investigates the impact of contradictory emotional content on people's ability to identify the emotion expressed on avatar faces as compared to human faces. Participants saw emotional faces (human or avatar) coupled with emotional texts. The face and text could either display the same or different emotions. Participants were asked to identify the emotion on the face and in the text. While they correctly identified the emotion on human faces more often than on avatar faces, this difference was mostly due to the neutral avatar face. People were no better at identifying a facial expression when emotional information coming from two sources was the same than when it was different, regardless of whether the facial expression was displayed on a human face or on an avatar face. Finally, people were more sensitive to context when trying to identify the emotion in the accompanying text.

No abstract

Typically virtual environments are created with visual and auditory stimuli. Less often, haptic stimulation is included as well, usually in the form of force-feedback and tactile manipulators. Another possible source of haptic stimulation is moving air. In order to generate a breeze in a virtual environment, we created a breeze cannon from readily-available components. We compared four conditions: no breeze, self-generated breeze, object-generated breeze and nature-generated breeze. Participants reported feeling more immersed in the virtual environment when the breeze was caused by their own movement. Anecdotal results also suggest that moving air may help decrease simulator sickness.

The VRML and X3D Standards have achieved success as a method for not only 3D Model Interchange, but also for creation of complex synthesized 3D worlds. Shortcomings in VRML and X3D exist in the areas of manipulation of aural soundscapes, and interaction via intuitive devices.Cognitive and Computer Scientists at the Communications Research Centre, Canada, have embarked on a process of exploration to resolve these shortcomings by binding leading edge audio control software to VRML/X3D, thus using de facto standards to extend I/O control and audio data manipulation. This paper will outline the direction of these experiments.

X3D is an ISO standard for real time 3D graphics. It is the successor to the Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML)The specification is available at the Web3D Consortium web site.The Web3D Consortium sponsors the creation of the X3D ISO standards, and releases these standards to the Internet community free of charge. The Consortium, however, requires that X3D Browsers successfully complete a testing process before a certification of compliance is granted. To enable the Web3D accreditation program to proceed, the first author has led the process of creating the conformance testing suite for the X3D "Interchange" profile for the Web3D Consortium. This paper will focus on: 1. The trials and pitfalls of creating a conformance testing suite for the X3D "Interchange" profile; 2. Verification of the open source X3D Browser (FreeWRL) to verify the test suite and to provide images for the documentation process; 3. "Lessons learned" about standards writing by highlighting both successful techniques and pitfalls/omissions found in the X3D ISO standards.