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Past imagination, present creation and the reality of tomorrow: explore the impact of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) design

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Past imagination, present creation and the reality of tomorrow: explore the impact of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) design

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Content Past Imagination, Present Creation and The Reality of Tomorrow
Copyright 2022 Mingming Liu
Explore the Impact of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) Design

by

Mingming Liu

A Thesis Presented to the
FACULTY OF THE USC ROSKI SCHOOL OF ART AND DESIGN
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
In Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree
MASTER OF FINE ART
DESIGN

May 2022

ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

Abstract iii

Introduction 1

Chapter 1: Theories of Space 5

Chapter 2: The Future of VR AR and MR 7

Chapter 3: Medium and Realization Methods 9
Principle 9
Constitute 9
Four Key Technologies 9
Platforms 11
Virtual Reality Ecosystem 11

Chapter 4: Case Studies 12
OP Art in Virtual and Physical 12
Space Fantasia 15
MasterPiece 18
Future Life 20

Chapter 5: Current Issues and Dark sides 22

Conclusion 23

Bibliography 25

iii
Abstract
I study the worlds of virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), and mixed reality (MR)
because the development of technology has a huge impact on the field of design and art. These
technologies, known as the 4th generation, span many areas from hardware, systems, platforms,
application scenarios, consumer fields, etc. to potentially vast expressive possibilities. I am interested
in exploring a world of the future where VR, AR, and MR are highly developed and commonplace,
and ordinary people's daily lives will be improved by technological progress. My design practice
utilizes AR technology to express my understanding of space, religions, and symmetrical geometric
figures. In addition, my design works have led me to test the boundaries and possibilities that these
technologies offer.

1
Introduction
Have you ever imagined that one day you could be walking down a street that seems as familiar
as usual, but the surrounding areas are full of advanced, sci-fi inspired technologies? Until recently we
have only known these experiences in film and other media such as Rupert Sanders’ Ghost in the Shell
(2017) or the even more vivid Hyper-Reality by Keiichi Matsuda (2016). However, now the
boundaries between virtual and the real are being greatly blurred by advancing technology. People can
easily immerse themselves in environments where they can interact with virtual objects. In such a
world, the original static physical environment interacts with people as if by magic.
The effect of technological advancement on modes of visual and other representation is easily
found in history. For example, in ancient times, blue was generally used in the depiction of the Virgin
Mary. The color was a sacred color largely due to the scarcity of blue pigment. Many noble colors are
admired because of how difficult they are to obtain. However, with the development of technology,
blue has become one of the most commonly used colors, playing a major role in at least two widely
used color systems — the traditional primary colors, and additive RGB. A similar process of
technological replacement is taking place with the emergence of VR, AR, and MR. What was once
only possible in the movies is increasingly becoming our (virtual) reality.
I often wonder what our future life will be like, and in what direction the future is heading?
Perhaps the answer lies in the human exploration of unknown spaces, or in the silent impact of dense
data on people's lives, or the connection of the virtual world, digital information, and people's real life.
At that place, people will get a more convenient and richer life between the virtual and the real. The
technologies and concepts related to virtual reality and immersive experience are as follows.
2
Virtual reality (VR) is a new practical technology developed in the 20th century. VR technology
realizes computer simulation virtual environments through electronic information technology,
simulation technology, wearable equipment, etc., bringing people a full range of virtual immersive
experiences of vision, hearing, and even touch. Everything people experienced in the VR world is
virtual, but the feeling is real.
1
One of the representative examples of VR games — Beat Saber (2018).
Augmented reality (AR) refers to the fusion of the real world and digital world. Different from
the immersive experience of VR technology, AR technology integrates virtual things into the real
environment. People can use wearable devices, mobile phones, etc., to intelligently capture the real
physical environment and light, process digital virtual things harmoniously into the real environment.
Simply, what people experiencing in the AR world is a combination of virtual things and the real
world, part of which is true and part of which is virtual.
2
One of the representative examples is the AR
game — Pokemon GO (2016).
Mixed Reality (MR) combines the elements of AR and VR. Technically speaking, it is the
interaction between the real world and digital objects, and it is a hybrid of the physical real world and
the virtual world. It may be difficult for people experiencing MR to distinguish between the virtual and
the real world.
3
One of the representative examples is the Mixed-reality panther crashes Carolina
Panthers game (2021).
Metaverse is a mixture of AR, VR, and the Internet. The Metaverse first appeared in Snow Crash
(1992), Neal Stephenson's sci-fi novel, this term refers to a convergence of physical, augmented, and
virtual reality in a shared online space. People immersively experience the online virtual environment.

1
Investigators at University of Victoria Report Findings in Business Research [Go Boldly! Explore Augmented
Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) for Business]. Investment Weekly News. NewsRX
LLC, 2018. 659
2
Investigators at University of Victoria Report Findings in Business Research, 661
3
Investigators at University of Victoria Report Findings in Business Research, 660

3
This virtual world exists in parallel with the real world. Just like the movie Ready Player One (2018)
was directed by Steven Spielberg. Metaverse is a kind of virtual mapping version of the human real
world. People from the real world can break the boundaries of time and space and live in it, in the form
of a digital avatar, and never go offline. The most critical thing for metaverse may not be technology,
but how to make the world operate stably like the real world, and to ensure the interests and safety of
real humans in the virtual world.
4

Digital Holographic Projection Technology combines 3D with holographic and is currently a
popular application technology in the field of digital media art. The principle is based on optical
holography for recording and reproduction. The difference is that with the development of digital
media, holographic projection combines computer image processing and other digital technologies to
make holographic projection images clearer and richer in colors. This technology is currently
commonly used in digital art museums, digital art exhibitions, etc.
5
It is often mentioned in various sci-
fi movies as well, such as Star Wars (1977) and Star Trek (2002). The disadvantage of this technology
is that the 3D objects are more like a mirage, with only have visuals, but cannot touch.
4D movie (or four-dimensional movie) is a new type of film and television product formed on the
basis of the 3D stereoscopic movie and special effects simulation of the surrounding environment, but
it is not a four-dimensional space in the geometric sense. Usually, when the 4D movie is played, it is
accompanied by vibration, blowing, water spray, etc., allowing the audience to experience the
immersive and thrilling movie plot through multiple physical senses such as sight, hearing, touch, and

4
Wiederhold, Brenda K. “Ready (or Not) Player One: Initial Musings on the Metaverse.” Cyberpsychology,
behavior and social networking (2021).
5
Liu, Yulong, Shan Wu, Qi Xu, and Hubin Liu. “Holographic Projection Technology in the Field of Digital
Media Art.” Wireless communications and mobile computing 2021 (2021): 1–12.
4
smell.
6
One of the representative examples is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter (2010) 4D movie
in Universal Studio.
Interactive projection mapping is a technology that uses technology to manipulate visual objects
and project them onto a surface. The participants can interact with the visual objects and be immersed
in the environment. The working principle of the interactive projection mapping is to capture and shoot
the participant's movement through the capture device, then systematically process the visual objects,
and combine the participant's motion data for real-time impression interaction.
7
One of the
representative examples is the creative project Catch 3D Holographic Fish At Seaside Projection
Mapping Exhibition (2014) of teamLab.
2020 was a difficult year for the whole world because of the worldwide pandemic COVID-19.
Travel restrictions, shelter in place, and curfew. People's work and daily life were negatively affected
and faced unprecedented restrictions and challenges. Students' in-person classes have become online
classes. Many workers' work modes have become remote. Conferences, friends’ meetings, and parties
have been canceled or have been moved online. Now that VR and AR technologies are very popular,
people in such situations, can use wearable devices or use holographic technology to make face-to-face
communication convenient. That is the reason that my design practice focuses on the creation of VR,
AR experimental projects. On the one hand, it's a new technology, and it's also a technology that often
appears in science fiction movies. I want to get closer to the future world through the exploration of
VR and AR immersive experiences. On the other hand, VR and AR can show people a more vivid and
brand-new world. My investigation of these technologies has shown a vast range of application

6
Terlutter, Ralf, Sandra Diehl, Isabell Koinig, and Martin K. J Waiguny. “Positive or Negative Effects of
Technology Enhancement for Brand Placements? Memory of Brand Placements in 2D, 3D, and 4D Movies.”
Media psychology 19, no. 4 (2016): 505–533.
7
Kim, Sang-Joon, Nammee Moon, Min Hong, Gooman Park, and Yoo-Joo Choi. “Design of Authoring Tool for
Static and Dynamic Projection Mapping.” Computers, materials & continua 66, no. 1 (2021): 1–16.

5
scenarios in the industrial field, no matter in the creative field, film and television field, medical field,
or design field.
Chapter 1: Theories of Space
Regarding VR and AR, before diving into the technical things, the first concept that has to be
explored is space. No matter VR or AR are all meanly the matter is regards to the relationship between
virtual space and real space. However, space is not a concept that only includes the virtual and real, it
is a very broad concept that can be interpreted from different angles. A deeper understanding of space
will help us explore these technologies.
From the perspective of physics, mathematics, and geometry, human beings live in a 3D (three-
dimensional) space.
In the field of mathematics and geometry, the point is in zero dimension, line is in 1D (one
dimension), surface is in 2D (two dimensions), volume is in 3D (three dimensions), and tesseract is in
4D (four dimensions). Since the 2D world has no thickness and volume, therefore, only the x-axis and
y-axis are required for measurement. For the 3D world, there are three axes in three dimensions: x, y,
and z. Generally speaking, the x-axis represents left and right space or movement; the y axis represents
up and down space or movement; and the z axis represents front and back space or forward and
backward movement. These three axes of x, y, and z form the 3D perception of human vision.
8
The
experience of 3D space is the talent and instinct that almost every normal human being can experience
from birth. If people want to simulate virtual things closer to the real world, then the virtual objects or
world must be 3D. Another fact is people live in the 3D world, and it is easy to understand 1D, 2D, and

8
Wen, Xiao-Dong, Thomas J Cahill, and Roald Hoffmann. “Exploring Group 14 Structures: 1D to 2D to 3D.”
Chemistry: a European journal 16, no. 22 (2010): 6555–6566.
6
3D. However, it is very difficult to understand the 4D world. As described in the TV series The Orville
— Escaping 2D Space (2017). Creatures stand in a higher enough dimension; it will be very easy to
look at the level of dimension below one's own dimension, vice versa.
From the perspective of literature, psychology, or religion, the concept of space is likely to be
abstract.
In the field of literature, there is a famous saying "There are a thousand Hamlets in a thousand
people's eyes." Since literature uses words to express ideas and content, all pictures of space required
the imagination of readers’ minds to shape. Especially in poetry, when readers imagine the space in
poetry, they are likely to imagine fragmented spaces. From a psychological point of view, in Freud’s
The Interpretation of Dreams (1899), the space in the dream is the space within the consciousness
structure, which may come from real space, or a space that is a mixture of abstraction and reality, or a
surreal space.
9
For example, in the movie Inception (2010), the road can be folded, and space can be
distorted. In religion, especially in the field of architecture, the space integrates daily public functions
and temporary religious functions. Humans believe that they can communicate with gods, supernatural
forces, or immortal beings in such spaces, such as chapels, temples, and abbeys.
From the field of design and art, space is more widely used.
In Moholy-Nagy's article Advancing Bauhaus Pedagogy, a series of descriptions of space are
listed, and he pointed out that the biological basis of space experience is the endowment of each
person, just like the experience of color or tone. Through practice and proper practice, this ability can
be developed, and individuals can obtain spatial experience, even in its rich and complex form.
10
In the
foundation of design and painting, we often use the basic concepts of point, line, surface, and volume

9
Bloom, Harold. Sigmund Freud’s The Interpretation of Dreams New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 1987.)
10
Lerner, Fern. “Foundations for Design Education: Continuing the Bauhaus Vorkurs Vision.” Studies in art
education 46, no. 3 (2005): 211–226.

7
for artistic creation. Among the concrete works of art created some of the artworks come with specific
and abstract spaces, some of them are loop, infinite, and capable of creating the illusion of space. In the
field of art, there are some works that allow viewers to experience visual illusions and spatial
paradoxes. For example, artworks by Dutch graphic artist Maurits Cornelis Escher, Necker cube,
Penrose triangle and stairs, psychedelic fractal illusion, Op art, etc.
Combining the different types of space forms above-mentioned, the space of the virtual world is
diverse. It can be a three-dimensional which completely simulates the real world; it can also be
creative, or two-dimensional elements with zero thickness; it can be abstract as well, spaces or objects
that are difficult to simulate in the real world.
Chapter 2: The Future of VR AR and MR
What is the biggest advantage of VR, AR and MR? Simply put immersive, interactive, and
imagination.
11
Based on these three basic features, various application scenarios can be derived.
Immersive means that the boundary between the virtual and the real world is likely to be blurred.
People’s perception of virtual world from their instinct five senses of sight, hearing, touch, and smell
makes them completely involved in the virtual environment; or through ideal virtual objects as
supplementary forms in the real world make the subjects easier to be understand, such as AR or MR
forms. The application fields derived by this feature can be film and television, education, games,
architectural design and other fields.
Interactive is reflected in the fact that users can not only see and hear virtual objects, but can even
interact with them by touching, moving, etc. Moreover, this operation and the feedback obtained are

11
Mills, Kathy A, and Alinta Brown. “Immersive Virtual Reality (VR) for Digital Media Making:
Transmediation Is Key.” Learning, media and technology (2021): 1–22.
8
real-time. Based on this feature, the extension areas can be coaching books, interactive toys, street
view guidance, virtual shopping experience, etc.
Imagination is the most easily understood and extended feature. In the future virtual world,
people can have what they want and achieve, and what people want can be obtained at least in the
virtual form. At this time, other aspects such as technology and money may no longer be a problem,
and imagination is the main factor that promotes the progress of this virtual world.
In addition to the application of the features of VR, AR, and MR, combine with other
technologies can help to derive more complex application scenarios. For example, combining with the
Internet of Things (IOT), or combining with Artificial Intelligence (AI). The scenarios that can be
extended include scientific research and experiments
12
, future virtual office scenarios, renewable
environments, smart home systems, etc.
With the improvement of virtual reality infrastructure, more and more diversified application
scenarios will flourish. In addition to bringing people a more convenient life, emerging technologies
will also bring a variety of new opportunities to all walks of life, including jobs. The space that
designers can explore in the virtual reality field is very wage. The renewal and iteration of the
community and environment will also bring more inspiration and experience in new design directions.
As a designer, I want to stand at the forefront, imagine, research and experiment in the field of virtual
reality. Perhaps the current attempt is immature, but at least it is a small step forward.

12
Hsieh, Min-Chai, and Yu-Hsuan Lin. “VR and AR Applications in Medical Practice and Education.” Hu li za
zhi 64, no. 6 (2017): 12–18.

9
Chapter 3: Medium and Realization Methods
Since my main research direction in the graduate level is VR, AR and MR, I will only elaborate
on the relevant media and implementation methods of VR, AR and MR.
Principle
Since the concepts of VR, AR and MR have been introduced in the previous Introduction, it
would not be repeated here. The biggest difference between VR, AR and MR is VR gives users a
purely virtual world; AR is based on the real environment to construct virtual objects or trigger the
display of virtual objects; MR is equivalent to the advanced version of AR, based on the real world
while add virtual objects, or replace the original environment or objects in the real world with virtual
objects. Based on the differences of VR, AR and MR, from an application point of view, VR is suitable
for entertainment experiences such as games or movies; AR is suitable for map navigation, book
education, interior design and other virtual content expansion experience; MR can be applied to many
projects’ operation assistance. The commonality of these three technologies is that, whether it is AR,
VR, and MR, the virtual elements always involved, whether it is 2D or 3D.
Constitute
VR, AR and MR are mainly composed of virtual elements or objects, which simulate a real-time
dynamic environment; the experience and the feelings method of real space like the five human senses;
the reactions of the natural limbs of the experience; and interactive sensing platforms or equipment.
Four Key Technologies
1. 3D Virtual Elements (3D Objects)
Adding virtual elements to the real world is similar as adding effects to movies, as well as video
games. All 3D software and game engines can help become the realization tools of virtual 3D objects.
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Virtual elements such as 3D modeling can be completed using software in two-dimensional screens
equipment such as Maya, Cinema 4D, Blender, etc., or can be completed by using software in the VR
equipment like Oculus Quill, Leap Motion, Google Blocks, etc. In addition, Unity and Unreal Engine
are also good real-time development platforms that can be used to develop VR, AR, MR game apps.
The biggest difference between those two is that Unity's programming language is C#, C++, and
Unreal Engine's programming language is C++.
2. Panorama Technology vs. VR
Panorama technologies such as 360° panoramic pictures and panoramic videos are a branch of
VR technology, but VR not equal to panoramic technologies.
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Panoramic technology allows users to
look around. VR technology can not only look around, but also shuttle between virtual environments
and objects.
3. USDZ Format
USDZ stands for "Universal Scene Description", which is a format of 3D models for AR. It was
developed by Pixar and Apple and announced at the 2018 Apple Worldwide Developers Conference
(WWDC). The USDZ format can be viewed and shared using iOS 12 or above through iPhone and
iPad.
14
Reality Composer is the application developed by Apple that can view USDZ files, as well as
edit, save, and convert them to other 3D formats.

4. Motion Capture

13
Mullins, Michael. “INTERPRETATION OF SIMULATIONS IN INTERACTIVE VR ENVIRONMENTS:
DEPTH PERCEPTION IN CAVE AND PANORAMA.” Journal of architectural and planning research 23, no.
4 (2006): 328–340.
14
“Universal Scene Description.” Computer Graphics World, no. 2 (2020): 1–8.

11
Motion capture is one of the key technics to set up trackers and interactive with virtual objects.
Leap Motion Controller is one of the solutions on the current market to use for interacting with digital
content by capturing gestures.
15

Platforms
The related devices on the market are VR headset, AR glasses, AR/MR head-mounted,
touch/handheld controllers or gloves, smart phones, tablets, etc. YouTube is one of the platforms
where user can upload VR videos. If user don’t have a VR headset, the Google Cardboard can be a
basic VR headset tool to watch some VR videos or VR, MR websites.
Virtual Reality Ecosystem
16

As any new technology needs time to build infrastructure and environment from its emergence,
development to prosperity, and then more and more in-depth expansion and application appear. The
infrastructure determines the superstructure. Just as when the digital keyboard mobile phone is
transformed into the current popular smart touch screen mobile phone, the smart glasses, VR headsets
and relevant equipment as infrastructure. When most people start to use virtual reality equipment, after
the virtual reality environment is formed, all kinds of VR, AR and MR applications will naturally
appear and flourished. After that the virtual reality market scale expands, and the research and
development cost are shared, and the price will gradually drop, thus forming a positive cycle.
17
When
market prospects are definitely there, but still need time.

15
Lecon, Carsten, Benjamin Engel, and Lukas Schneider. “VR Live Motion Capture.” In 2021 16th
International Conference on Computer Science & Education (ICCSE), 144–149. Piscataway: IEEE, 2021.
16
Digital Domain Taps Greater China’s VR Market to Build a Complete Visual Effects Ecosystem.
Entertainment Newsweekly. NewsRX LLC, 2016.
17
Wedel, Michel, Enrique Bigné, and Jie Zhang. “Virtual and Augmented Reality: Advancing Research in
Consumer Marketing.” International journal of research in marketing 37, no. 3 (2020): 443–465.
12
Briefly, VR AR and MR is developing in a vigorous and positive direction, and the future can be
expected. The development of VR, AR and MR will surely drive the development of next-generation
design technologies.
Chapter 4: Case Studies
Based on my exploration of VR, AR in the field of design and art, and combining the existing
AR and VR technologies, I have designed a series of related design works.
OP Art in Virtual and Physical
1. Concept Brief
My first art and design work related to AR was born when I was exploring experimental design
and art. The work is inspired by abstract art, OP Art and visual deviation, the effect of vision on human
emotions, religions and symmetrical geometric figures, the relationship between the visual nerve and
religious fantasy areas in the human brain, the relationship between vision and religious fantasy and
other related research and experiments.
2. Tools and Software
Two-dimensional objects design tools: Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, After Effects.
Three-dimensional objects design tools: Maya, Blender.
Augmented Reality design and display tools: Adobe Aero, Reality Composer.
3. Background
My reason for choosing to make an OP art-related artwork is that know that OP art originated
from illusion and distortion. And therefore, it is a good way to express such a sense - it is difficult to
distinguish between seeing, thinking, feeling, and remembering. Mc Escher’s illusions and Penroise's
triangle are all very classic examples. The British movie - The Brain Hack (2015) also inspired me at
some points. This movie put forward many interesting concepts such as religions and symmetrical

13
geometric figures, the relationship between the visual nerve and religious fantasy areas in the human
brain, and the relationship between vision and religious fantasy. This movie argued that in many
ancient religious-related paintings and architecture there often appears various kinds of patterns created
based on mathematics and geometry. The protagonist in the movie believes that the purpose of using
these patterns is to create hallucinations for the audience and ultimately lead viewers to see “God” in
their mind. It would be a very interesting challenge to create some experimental designs that lead
people to fantasize or produce some kind of crazy illusion through vision manipulation. Among the
known visual art forms, OP Art may be a good breakthrough for me to create some related
experimental designs to prove my ideas.
4. Details
My design narrative is The Growing.
I designed six doors. They may represent birth, elementary school, high school, university, work,
and death. We need to experience a lot to be able to grow, but even when we grow, we are still
confused about life. So, in my initial design, people would go through one door after another and
finally arrive in front of the final sculpture. Then they would ask themselves: after I have gone through
so many doors and bumps, will I be shocked or confused about what I experienced. What will happen
in the future is still a mystery worth thinking about. Of course, what I want to see is that each person
will give it meaning based on their own perceptions. Figure 1 outlines two-dimensional graphic design
of The Six Doors, and the three-dimensional model of punctuation marks Question and Exclamation.
14

Figure 1: 2D of The Six Doors (left) and 3D of Question and Exclamation (right).
Following The Six Doors project, I made a live AR exhibition show version of OP Art in Virtual
and Physical, and relevant AR commemorative card. When the audience scans The Six Doors in the
commemorative card, the display of the virtual object Question and Exclamation will be triggered and
appear. See Figure 2 for details. When the audience puts on the AR headset or uses the AR viewing
application in the iPhone or iPad, they will see the corresponding AR content.

Figure 2: The live AR exhibition show (left) and the AR commemorative card (right).

15
Space Fantasia
1. Concept Brief
Space Fantasia is a space journal made as a response after I deeply thought about the concept of
space. My space journal incorporates the redesign of the four seasons of Chinese idioms characters'
elements, three-dimensional virtual furniture, and my understanding of nature and space in the living
environment. The virtual furniture design elements are then placed back into the real natural
environment or living environment using the AR version. This is the audience can re-understand and
feel the design and space.
2. Method
Space Fantasia is a booklet that can be printed out. In the booklet, I have written related design
concepts, details, and the final appearance of AR furniture for each theme. At the same time, it also
contains AR cards specially used to identify, trigger, and display virtual furniture content. When a user
uses an iOS device to scan the image on the card with Reality Composer or uses Adobe Aero to scan
the corresponding QR code, the AR furniture corresponding to the card will appear (see Figure3). The
content may be static or dynamic.

Figure 3: Watch AR furniture through Adobe Aero (left) or Reality Composer (right).

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3. Tools and Software
Two-dimensional space journal design tools: Adobe Illustrator.
Three-dimensional furniture design tools: Maya, C4D, Blender.
Augmented Reality design and display tools: Adobe Aero, Reality Composer.
4. Details
Chūn nuǎn huā kāi (see Figure4) is the first page of the journal, when the virtual vase is
triggered to appear, the text content on the vase will rotate forward along the middle of the vase, and
the flowers in the vase will automatically open. Chūn nuǎn huā kāi comes from the Chinese idiom,
which means that in spring, the weather gradually becomes warmer, and all kinds of flowers will rush
to bloom at this time. I would like to use this word to express spring.

Figure 4: The journal page of Chūn nuǎn huā kāi.
Rè bú kě nài (see Figure5) is one of the idioms used to describe summer. It is used to describe
the state where the weather is very hot, and people cannot bear it.

Figure 5: The journal page of Rè bú kě nài.

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Zhōng qiū yuè yuán (see Figure6) in China refers to the Mid-Autumn Festival, August 15 of the
lunar calendar. According to tradition, this day is a day when a family gathers together for reunion.
The moon is round and symbolizes reunion.

Figure 6: The journal page of Zhōng qiū yuè yuán.
Xuě huā fēi wǔ (see Figure7) refers to the magnificence and beauty of snowflakes flying in the
wind in winter.

Figure 7: The journal page of Xuě huā fēi wǔ.
Hǎi kuò tiān kōng (see Figure 8) mean the vastness of the sea and the openness of the blue sky. I
think this is a wonderful idiom to describe space. It reminds me of a famous scenic spot in Hainan,
China - Tiān yá hǎi jiǎo, which means the end of the sky and the sea. There is also a famous spot in
India using the same name. I think it is a very romantic place, even as a tourist, I could only see a
stone, with Tianya written on the front and Haijiao on the back. Moreover, there is one idiom at the
bottom of Tianya, that is - Hǎi kuò tiān kōng.
18

Figure 8: The journal page of Hǎi kuò tiān kōng.
MasterPiece
1. Concept Brief
MasterPiece is the third AR work I designed. It is an AR logo design. This work is inspired by
artist, sculptor Michael Murphy, and his perceptual art. The interesting part of Mr. Murphy's sculptures
is not only reflected in the various media and materials used but also requires the interaction of the
audience. The audience sees from different positions of the artwork, the result is different. When the
audience stands in a specific and precise position, they can see the sculpture's theme and discover its
meaning.
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It may be a portrait or a word. It is the form of artistic creation that considers the audience's
feelings extends the value and significance of art.
2. Background
The main reason why I am obsessed with making an AR version of the sculpture is to pursue the
ultimate live experience. Here is a story about my personal experience. When I was an undergraduate
in China, one of our textbooks is History of Chinese Art (2013). This book mentioned a bronze - Lotus
and Crane Square Pot. The picture in the textbook is the size of a postage stamp, I used to think it was
bronze ware as big as a textbook that could be placed on a table. However, when I saw it in real life
when I was in high school, I found it is very huge, with a height of 117 cm. Its craftsmanship is

18
“The Lexus of Love Letters: Perceptual Artist Michael Murphy Transforms 2,000 Customer Thank You
Letters into Art Installation Celebrating Lexus Guest Experience.” PR Newswire. New York: PR Newswire
Association LLC, 2018.

19
exquisite, and unforgettable. From then on, I started visiting museums in person and learning about the
cultural characteristics of the area while strolling around. There is an old Chinese saying: "It is better to
travel ten thousand miles than to read ten thousand books." Nowadays, although the Internet is very
developed, people could visit museums online instead of in person. But the sense of on-site experience
is always difficult to simulate at this time. This kind of on-site experience is different from just
reading. If AR technology can be used to simulate this kind of on-site, immersive experience, and
bring it to people's daily life, then no matter where people are, they can still feel deeply and
empathetic. It is one of the reasons why I think VR, AR, and MR will definitely be promising
technology.
3. Tools and Software
Three-dimensional sculpture design tools: C4D, Blender.
Augmented Reality design and display tools: Adobe Aero, Reality Composer.
4. Detail
MasterPiece (see Figure 9 and Figure 10) is such an AR artwork. When the audience passes by,
they may only think that it is a mess of black stones. Once the audience reaches the correct position,
they will discover its secrets step by step. In addition to the AR version, I also designed a
corresponding promotional poster. When the audience scans the poster, they can also see the entire
logo, with "Master" on the front and "Piece" on the side at a 90° angle.

20
Figure 9: MasterPiece in the space.

Figure 10: MasterPiece from different angles, Poster AR version.
Future Life
Comparing the above AR-related design and artworks, Future Life has a strong storyline, explain
a first-person perspective how AR and MR technologies will affect a person’s daily life in the future.
This work uses 360° panoramic rendering technology, presented in the form of video, and the audience
can watch it in 360°.
Chapter 5: Current Issues and Dark sides
The current VR, AR and MR technologies are still in the development stage, and there are still
many issues and challenges that must be solved and faced. Moreover, the impact of these technologies
on people's lives is likely to contain some potential risks and dark sides. This chapter discusses some
drawbacks of the current technical level, and their dark side based on some possible hypothetical
scenarios.

21
One of the disadvantages of current VR technology is the heavyweight of VR headsets, which
easily makes people feel uncomfortable when worn for too long.
19
In addition, VR can easily cause
users' dizziness - just like a newborn baby who needs to be tightly wrapped in a swaddle after birth to
sleep peacefully. Human beings have some unconscious physical instincts. For instance, people with
healthy vision can watch real-life pictures uninterrupted. However, in the VR world, picture delays,
jams, and other phenomena may occur. When a person moves, the environment being watched also
moves to follow the movement. If the environment is moving, but the person does not move, the
signals received by the brain will not be equal, it is the reason why this leads to dizziness. This kind of
dizziness is common in motion sickness and seasickness. Similarly, in the virtual environment of VR,
when the environment moves or changes quickly, or the picture is delayed, it is likely to cause users to
dizzy.
20

The current shortcomings of AR technology, combined with my actual operation and official
reports, are summarized as follows. The first problem is the limited polygons of the 3D models. Apple
recommends the limit of polygons is 100,000.
21
The maximum average number of vertices is 100,000
for Unity.
22
If it exceeds, many polygons may not be displayed normally. It means that if a very
complex model is established, some of its faces of it may be lost. The second issue comes from
materials, such as glass material. The refractive index of glass material is 1.517, but the current AR

19
Grogorick, Steve, Jan‐Philipp Tauscher, Nikkel Heesen, Susana Castillo, and Marcus Magnor. “Stereo Inverse
Brightness Modulation for Guidance in Dynamic Panorama Videos in Virtual Reality.” Computer graphics
forum 39, no. 6 (2020): 542–553.
20
Cui, Tianyi, Yu Yang, and Yunhai Guo. “Evaluation of Height and Speed Effects on the Comfort of VR
Motion Picture Display.” In 2021 International Conference on Culture-Oriented Science & Technology
(ICCST), 426–430. Piscataway: IEEE, 2021.
21
“Adding Visual Effects in AR Quick Look and RealityKit.” Apple Developer Documentation, 2018.
https://developer.apple.com/documentation/arkit/adding_visual_effects_in_ar_quick_look_and_realitykit.
22
Jairo-Hernando Quintero-Madroñero, Silvia-Margarita Baldiris-Navarro, Jhoni-Ricardo Cerón-Cháves, Daniel
Burgos, Yerson Muñoz-Erazo, Luis-Carlos Jurado-Ortega, and Edinson-José Meneses-Díaz. “Photogrammetry
for Augmented Reality, A Low-Cost Method Applied to 3D Modeling in Secondary Schools.” Revista FI-UPTC
30, no. 57 (2021): 1–19.
22
technology cannot simulate glass material. I have done some relevant tests, and the effect is shown in
Figure 11. The reflective material of the glass cannot be simulated in the real environment at the
current stage. The third issue is animation. There are many ways to realize 3D animation in the video,
such as inverse kinematics, fluid simulation, and 3D skeletal animation, etc. But the best performance
of the current AR animation format is some simple animation settings and frame-by-frame animation.
Take 3D skeletal animation as an example, it is easy to report errors or loss of animation during format
conversion. Finally, at times, AR software fails to track objects and experiences system delays, causing
the display to fail. When I operated some of the existing AR editing and viewing tools. I have
encountered these issues, such as location tracking failing, and the location point being lost. As a
result, the display of AR objects is intermittently stuck.

Figure 11: The glass material of the virtual vase in the real environment.
Therefore, the current AR technology cannot perfectly simulate virtual objects like the effect in
3D videos. Even in the 3D video, it often occurs that during the rendering process, the complex 3D
scene or models usually take a long time to render. Equally, AR directly packs virtual objects into the
real environment. Many issues may easily occur, such as the file size is too large causing the AR
application to crash, or the virtual objects cannot be displayed perfectly. AR technology still has a long
way to go.

23
Regarding the dark side of AR and MR technology, the easiest appear and most likely scenarios
are personal privacy leakage and simulating crime.
23

Perhaps in the future, people's imagination and manipulation of virtual spaces will be the same as
social media today, which will eventually lead to excessive entertainment, and it will be easier to peep
into other people's privacy. Imagine such a future scenario. You are dating a person. The moment you
see this person, you quietly learn all the information about he/her, educational background, work, and
friends, family, and so on through AI image recognition and AR technology. He/she may doesn't know
you have already gained all his/her personal information. Imagine this scenario further. This person
sitting opposite you and dating you may not be a real human at all, but a virtual human. The
information he/she shows is artificially set. But after dating, through virtual reality and AI
technologies, as well as interviews and other methods, he/she has fully grasped your real information.
Using virtual reality technology to simulate crime is easy to understand. Imagine such a crime
scene where one person intends to murder another one but does not want to bear the legal responsibility
after the murder. To create a perfect opportunity for murder, he/she uses the virtual environment to
prepare and simulate. He/she uses a program to judge the possibility of a successful murder, and
practice again and again. After this series of practice and planning, it is naturally possible to greatly
increase the probability of successful murder.
Conclusion
In conclusion, VR, AR and MR open the door to new worlds for people and will greatly change
people's lives in the future. The scenes in science fiction movies and novels will likely become a reality
soon because of this technology. At the same time, VR, AR and MR technologies will bring the next

23
Wassom, Brian. Augmented Reality Law, Privacy, and Ethics: Law, Society, and Emerging AR Technologies.
Rockland, MA: Elsevier Science & Technology Books, 2014.
24
revolution to the design field, and new designs and art forms will be born. Designers keep current with
the times to test new technologies, which will ultimately bring additional inspiration to both the design
and art fields. In addition, being a designer in this field and learning those technologies, is not only
helps a designer add skillsets in future career development but also helps s/he choose suitable methods
to utilize VR and AR in the industry. The new era is coming. In principle, VR, AR and MR are to let
virtual environments and objects join the real environment, to deal with the issue of space and people's
participation. It is true that the current VR, AR condition, including my AR, VR works, seem to be the
initial stage of expression of VR and AR. But I believe that with the development of technology, many
problems will be overcome one day, and the virtual world will be more concrete and vivid. The
imagination of the past, the creation of the present, those efforts will let the world of the future. The
road to glory will be rocky but fulfilling.

25
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27
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Daniel Burgos, Yerson Muñoz-Erazo, Luis-Carlos Jurado-Ortega, and Edinson-José Meneses-
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Technologies. Rockland, MA: Elsevier Science & Technology Books, 2014.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Liu, Mingming (author)

Core Title Past imagination, present creation and the reality of tomorrow: explore the impact of Augmented Reality (AR), Virtual Reality (VR), and Mixed Reality (MR) design

School Roski School of Art and Design

Degree Master of Fine Arts

Degree Program Design

Degree Conferral Date 2022-05

Publication Date 02/02/2022

Defense Date 02/02/2022

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag abstract art,augmented reality (AR),Design,immersive experience,mixed reality (MR),OAI-PMH Harvest,Op art,space,virtual reality (VR)

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Wojciak, Ewa (committee chair), Ellenburg, Jason (committee member), Greiman, April (committee member), O'Connell, Brian (committee member)

Creator Email liumingm@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-oUC110618317

Unique identifier UC110618317

Legacy Identifier etd-LiuMingmin-10373

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Source 20220207-usctheses-batch-911 (batch), University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

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