VEGETATION REALISTIC VISUALIZATION IN VIRTUAL REALITY SCENARIOS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17770/etr2025vol2.8584Keywords:
performance optimization, standalone virtual reality, vegetation visualization, virtual realityAbstract
This paper focuses on optimizing realistic 3D vegetation models for standalone virtual reality experiences considering the visualization of the plant growth over time. Most of the existing solutions are focusing on personal computer based virtual reality utilization, which allows for more computational power, yet it restricts the movement of the user. Experiences meant for standalone virtual reality headsets mainly feature low-poly and unrealistic plant representations. Since plants, especially trees, can be rather complex structures it is important to find a balance between realistic depiction and performance. By achieving this it would allow the headset user to have better immersion in the virtual world and would reduce the risks of cybersickness. To test and find out the most appropriate solution we created a 3D model of an apple tree and its growth animation in SpeedTree software and then created a scene of varying numbers of trees using Unreal Engine 5.3 and tested framerate count using Meta Quest 2 and OVR Metrics tool. Tests were split into two big groups – static mesh tests, where we observed the changes in framerate before and after optimizing and skeletal mesh tests, where framerate changes were noted as the tree growth animation was running. The results of the tests showcased that it might be difficult to visualize growth process of the plants by using animated models, since their performance was way below the target rate for the headset, while using static meshes and swapping the models over time to simulate growth yielded a better framerate.
References
M. Slater, “Immersion and the illusion of presence in virtual reality,” British Journal of Psychology, vol. 109, no. 3, pp. 431–433, 2018, doi: https://doi.org/10.1111/bjop.12305.
K. Gerling, P. Dickinson, K. Hicks, L. Mason, A. L. Simeone, and K. Spiel, “Virtual Reality Games for People Using Wheelchairs”, in Proceedings of the 2020 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, Honolulu, HI, USA, 2020, pp.1–11 https://doi.org/10.1145/3313831.3376265.
Indiana University, “Understand measures of supercomputer performance and storage system capacity-IUKB,” 2016. [Online] Available: https://servicenow.iu.edu/kb?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0023145 [Accessed: November 22, 2024]
Lenovo, “The Importance of FLOPS and its Impact on Your PC’s Speed and Efficiency | Lenovo US,” 2021. [Online] Available: https://www.lenovo.com/us/en/glossary/flops/ [Accessed: November 22, 2024]
T. Alsop, “VR headset unit sales worldwide 2024,” Statista, 2021. [Online] Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/677096/vr-headsets-worldwide/ [Accessed: November 22, 2024]
D. Heaney, “So Just How Powerful Is Oculus Quest 2, Really?,” UploadVR, 2020. [Online] Available: https://www.uploadvr.com/oculus-quest-2-benchmarks/ [Accessed: November 22, 2024]
A. Bradley, “The best graphics card in 2019,” PCgamer, 2019. [Online] Available: https://www.pcgamer.com/the-best-graphics-cards/ [Accessed: December 1, 2024]
Q.-L. Zhang and M.-Y. Pang, “A Survey of Modeling and Rendering Trees,” Lecture Notes in Computer Science, pp. 757–764, 2008, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-69736-7_80.
G. Papanastasiou, A. Drigas, C. Skianis, M. Lytras, and E. Papanastasiou, “Virtual and augmented reality effects on K-12, higher and tertiary education students’ twenty-first century skills,” Virtual Reality, vol. 23, no. 4, Aug. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-018-0363-2.
S. H. M. Chan, L. Qiu, G. Esposito, K. P. Mai, K.-P. Tam, and J. Cui, “Nature in virtual reality improves mood and reduces stress: evidence from young adults and senior citizens,” Virtual Reality, vol. 27, Nov. 2021, doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10055-021-00604-4.
J. M. Vogt, S. L. Watkins, S. K. Mincey, M. S. Patterson, and B. C. Fischer, “Explaining planted-tree survival and growth in urban neighborhoods: A social–ecological approach to studying recently-planted trees in Indianapolis,” Landscape and Urban Planning, vol. 136, pp. 130–143, Apr. 2015, doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.landurbplan.2014.11.021.
P. Prusinkiewicz and A. Lindenmayer, The algorithmic beauty of plants. Berlin, Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag, 1990.
A. Runions, B. Lane, and P. Prusinkiewicz, Modeling Trees with a Space Colonization Algorithm. The Eurographics Association, 2025. [Online].Available: https://doi.org/10.2312/NPH/NPH07/063-070 [Accessed: December 1, 2024]
H. Nuic and Z. Mihajlovic, “Algorithms for procedural generation and display of trees,” 2019 42nd International Convention on Information and Communication Technology, Electronics and Microelectronics (MIPRO), pp. 230–235, May 2019,doi: https://doi.org/10.23919/mipro.2019.8757140.
J. Kim, “Modeling and Optimization of a Tree Based on Virtual Reality for Immersive Virtual Landscape Generation,” Symmetry, vol. 8, no. 9, p. 93, Sep. 2016, doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/sym8090093 .
Z. Liu et al., “Interactive Modeling of Trees Using VR Devices,” 2019 International Conference on Virtual Reality and Visualization (ICVRV), pp. 69–75, Nov. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/icvrv47840.2019.00020.
M. Steiner, “Sketch based L-systems for tree modeling in virtual reality” M.S. thesis. Vienna University of Technology, Vienna, 2023.
R. Leskovsky, E. Kucera, O. Haffner, Jakub Matisak, D. Rosinová, and E. Stark, “A Contribution to Workplace Ergonomics Evaluation Using Multimedia Tools and Virtual Reality,” Federated Conference on Computer Science and Information Systems, Sep. 2019, doi: https://doi.org/10.15439/2019f292.
Meta. “Meta Developers,” 2024. [Online] Available: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/unity-perf/ [Accessed: January 19, 2025]
D. V. Nguyen, T. T. Hien, and T. T. Huong, “A Subjective Quality Evaluation of 3D Mesh With Dynamic Level of Detail in Virtual Reality,” 2024 IEEE International Conference on Image Processing (ICIP), pp. 1225–1231, Oct. 2024, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/icip51287.2024.10647962.
Meta. “Meta Developers,” 2024. [Online] Available: https://developers.meta.com/horizon/documentation/unity/po-draw-call-analysis/ [Accessed: January 28, 2025]
Y. S. Sadek Hosny, M. A.-M. Salem, and A. Wahby, “Performance Optimization for Standalone Virtual Reality Headsets,” 2020 IEEE Graphics and Multimedia (GAME), Nov. 2020, doi: https://doi.org/10.1109/game50158.2020.9315059.
M. Niu and C.-H. Lo, “Effects of Roughness and Texture on Surface Material Perception in Virtuļa Environments: The Psychophysics Approach,” International Conference on Computational & Experimental Engineering and Sciences, vol. 24, no. 1, pp. 1–3, 2022, doi: https://doi.org/10.32604/icces.2022.08669.
S. Sukaridhoto, A. L. Haz, E. D. Fajrianti, and R. P. N. Budiarti, “Comparative Study of 3D Assets Optimization of Virtual Reality Application on VR Standalone Device,” International Journal on Advanced Science, Engineering and Information Technology, vol. 13, no. 3, pp. 999–1008, Jun. 2023, doi: https://doi.org/10.18517/ijaseit.13.3.18375.
M. Oksanen, M. “3D interior environment optimization for VR” B.S. thesis. Turku University of Applied Sciences, Turku, 2022.
Focus on Fun Games. Potioneer: The VR Gardening Simulator [VR game], 2016.
Meta. Project Flowerbed [WebXR game], 2022.
J. Carline. Nature Treks VR. [VR game]. Greener Games, 2018.
Epic Games. “Instanced Static Mesh Component in Unreal Engine | Unreal Engine 5.5 Documentation | Epic Developer Community,” Epic Games Developer, 2025. [Online] Available: https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/en-us/unreal-engine/instanced-static-mesh-component-in-unreal-engine [Accessed: February 5, 2025]
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Laura Ozoliņa, Arnis Cīrulis, Lauris Taube
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
