VR Engine - Structural Engineers 3D VR Training Environment for Post-Hazard Assessment
By: Khanh Nguyen, Prathiba Ramesh, Purva Zinjarde, Steffi Win
Department: Computer Science
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Jenna Wong, Dr. Shahrukh Humayoun
The mission of the San Francisco State University (SFSU) Virtual Reality Engineering (VR Engine) Project is to use virtual reality (VR) technology to increase safety and improve resilient design in the structural engineering field, as well as to educate the broader community about STEM. Collaboration between SFSU’s Department of Computer Science and Department of Civil Engineering, industry, and field experts, this project builds modules and exercises that educate and train engineers and serve as a vehicle for communicating with the broader community about engineering and work-based experiences. The project provides the training to understand the damages in building structures through development of a 3D virtual reality environment, where trainers get the chance to go around the structure and learn about the structural damages. The target audience for VR Engine’s work are undergraduate/graduate students and practicing engineers with opportunities to expand to a larger user base outside engineering.