EMPATHIC AVATARS IN VRML FOR CULTURAL HERITAGE
STANEK S. · Kluwer Academic Publishers eBooks · 2006
Abstract We introduce medium precision avatars in VRML worlds for cultural heritage presented on-line9. Avatars are integration of UI or they appear in the cyber city on the places where interesting stories can be told to the user9. Avatars in medium distance communication use empathy for better delivering of message7. We propose a new “delayed mirror” metaphor for empathic communication in virtual reality for cultural heritage8,9. It combines level of detail, real-time interaction and digital storytelling. Avatar’s face structure is based on minimal Perlin’s face2. This precision is intended for outdoor scenes and medium distance communication. However, the facial expressions of a virtual tourist can be captured by a cheap hardware set-up consisting from a pair of web cams7, and employed for improving the empathy. For body motions and deformations in VRML we use H-Anim standard5.