The study of human-computer interaction within immersive virtual environments requires us to balance what we have learned from the design and use of desktop interfaces with novel approaches to allow us to work effectively in three dimensions. While some researchers have called for revolutionary interfaces for these new environments, devoid of two-dimensional (2D) desktop widgets, others have ta...

The Second Life platform unites various technologies: 3D virtual environments, virtual reality, Internet connection between participants and the possibility of customization of the three-dimensional content. It is a virtual collaborative environment that allows users to explore digital worlds and interact with others in real time. Increasingly, new peripherals to interact with virtual environme...

Procedural modelling is an attractive alternative to cut down the costs of manual content creation for virtual worlds. We discuss our declarative modelling approach to the creation of 3D virtual worlds, which integrates a variety of procedural techniques in order to enable a non-specialist user to interactively create a complete 3D virtual world in minutes. In particular, we introduce procedura...

3D virtual worlds are recognized as collaborative learning environments. However, the underlying technology is not sufficiently mature and the virtual worlds look cartoonish, unlinked to reality. Thus, it is important to enrich them with elements from the real world to enhance student engagement in learning activities. Our approach is to build learning environments where participants can either...

The goal of this paper is to define the field of “Real Virtual Worlds,” and to reveal its potential through visions in virtual Physical Therapy, Schools, Concerts, Shopping and Races. It is my assumption that the field of Real Virtual Worlds is destined to become a major force in 5-10 years. Much like the Internet, Real Virtual Worlds, will change, enhance, but inevitably sometimes hamper how w...

Game-like three-dimensional (3D) virtual worlds have become popular venues for youth to explore and interact with friends. To bring vital financial literacy education to them in places they frequent, a multidisciplinary team of computer scientists, educators, and financial experts developed a youth-oriented financial literacy education game in the Second Life 3D online virtual world. This paper...

The “Wissenheim Worlds” project provides an interactive virtual 3D world initially designed to host educational material for computer science students. All participants are represented as avatars and perceive a rich multimedia experience. This includes animated lecture material, interactive content, meeting opportunities, games and fun. The current aim of the project is to present the often ver...

In this paper we propose the use of Virtual Worlds as a 3D social interface for Electronic Institutions. It is shown how the two metaphors, Virtual Worlds and Electronic Institutions are combined into a single metaphor, 3D Electronic Institutions, while retaining the features and advantages of both. Its essence is to open Electronic Institutions to human users. The strong methodology and powerf...

Thanks to the technological advances in the last ten years, the recreation of 3D virtual worlds is becoming increasingly popular in several application fields. Desktop virtual reality is one of the best ways of reaching a good number of users through this technology. With the aim of improving the development of desktop virtual reality applications and increasing the relevance of the virtual exp...