Multi-Objective Optimization on Flexible Spaces

Abstract: Virtual Reality is a growing sector with applications in cybertherapy, video games, and entertainment. There exist several locomotion techniques that al low movement in the virtual environment. A joystick, treadmill, or gestures that mimic walking are some techniques used. However, none of these approaches are as intuitive and immersive as real walking in Virtual Reality. How far a user can walk in Virtual Reality is limited by ones’ surroundings. The virtual environments need to fit inside the Tracked Space in which the trackers of the VR-headset reach. Impossible Spaces introduced the concept of overlap ping layouts. A side effect of using overlapping layouts is that users perceive the Tracked Space to be larger. Flexible Spaces is a procedural approach for redirection as it generates walkable corridors inside the virtual environment. The corridors are randomly generated and connect rooms inside the virtual environment. The features of the corridors impact the users’ sensation of space inside the Tracked Space. This research investigates the properties of Flexi ble Spaces and examines if it is advantageous to extend it with multi-objective optimization. It does so by giving designers the ability to have preferences over the corridors concerning length and amount of corners and optimize to decrease the overlap perception. It was evaluated with rectangular and com plex layouts. Initial findings suggest that Flexible Spaces are appropriate to extend with multi-objective optimization. The generated corridors for the testing environment decreased overlapping close to doors and lied within the given preferences. In an unoptimized state, it was able to produce more than 25 optimal, or near-optimal corridors in a second. Extending Flexible Spaces with multi-objective optimization shows potential as it restricts the randomness of the generated corridors. However, it is important to understand what the algorithm is optimizing towards, and the trade-offs of the objectives concerning spatial perception on overlapping layouts.