October 15

October 16

October 17

October 18

• Tim Dashwood, Dashwood Cinema Solutions

360° video post production can be tricky. Stereoscopic 360° post is even trickier. Understanding stereoscopic vision and the correct ways to post stereo 360° video is essential to immersive, yet comfortable VR video. In this session Tim Dashwood will teach some basics of stereoscopic acquisition, and demonstrate easy methods for positioning 2D or stereoscopic elements in 3D spherical space and adjusting interaxial and convergence for natural immersive stereoscopic experiences.

• Enrique Molano, CTO/Partner, Molanis VR

This in-depth presentation discusses the entire 360° workflow including but not limited to comparative 360° camera rigs, file organization and video preview, stitching, post production, and distribution.

• Dr. Jason Jerald, Principal Consultant, NextGen Interactions

The most important part of VR interaction is the person doing the interacting. Human-centered interaction design focuses on the human side of communication between user and machine: the interface from the user’s perspective. Focusing on users is more important for VR than for any other medium. When VR is done well, interactions can be brilliant and pleasurable, but when done badly, they can result in frustration, fatigue, and sickness. Many causes of bad VR are centered on a lack of understanding of human perception, intuitive interaction, design principles, and real users. Quality interactions enhance user understanding of what has just occurred, what is happening, what can be done, and how to do it. For optimal VR experiences, goals and needs must be efficiently achieved, and the experiences must be engaging and enjoyable.

• Neil Schneider. The Immersive Technology Alliance

• Daryl Sartain, Director and Worldwide Head of Virtual Reality & Displays, Advanced Micro Devices
• ITA Virtual Reality Council Chairman

AMD’s graphics processors are core to consoles likes the Sony PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.  They are also one of the leading graphics card and CPU manufacturers.

Immersive solutions coming to market are an early glimpse of what is yet to come. Key enhancements in computing hardware and components over the coming decade will deliver improvements to immersive solutions in all market segments. VR and AR are being positioned to radically change industries from entertainment to education to healthcare and beyond. An era of innovation is coming – in silicon, systems and software.

• Ana Serrano, Canadian Film Centre

• Michael Page, OCAD

The future of autostereoscopic imaging is probably not holographic, it will likely be a hybrid of technologies involving holography. This presentation will explore possible future applications of holographic and hybrid technologies along with historical projections of holographic technology (science fiction’s proposed applications). Graduate students at OCAD University have imagined applications for synthetic reality ranging from medical to environmental and architectural uses.

• Kevin Carbotte, Tom’s Hardware
• Bertrand Nepveu, VRvana
• Brent Jentzsch, Idealens
• Gord Harris, Christie Digital
• Dave Doucette, Fast Motion Studios

Virtual and augmented reality represents a continual upgrade of technology and innovation. Panelists will discuss their latest work in desktop, mobile, and professional space as well as the efforts needed to rate them to make sure they are up to spec.

• Colonel Kevin Mastin (Retired), AO&A

Immersive technologies have been used in theme parks and outdoor recreational exhibitions for decades. Colonel Mastin will discuss the efforts taken to make theme rides fully immersive before visitors actually step in.

• Patrice Roulet Fontani, Immervision

While a great camera rig is important for 360 video capture, it’s equally if not more important to have the right lenses capturing the experience. ImmerVision will share case studies of different VR-related camera solutions and how the lens made all the difference.

• James Stewart, Geneva Film Company
• Tim Dashwood, Dashwood Cinema Solutions
• Ryan Jackson, Full Circle Visuals
• Dylan Pearce, Lucas Talent

This panel discusses the unique challenges and solutions for creating impressive 360 content.

• Tom Curtin, Dimension Technologies Inc. (DTI3D)

DTI3D specializes in glasses-free stereoscopic 3D displays. They will be highlighting the use of glasses-free 3D technology being used in aerospace and automotive as a way to improve overall safety through increased pilot and driver situational awareness. According to NASA studies, 3D visualization of critical information can increase pilot situational awareness by 18% compared to traditional 2D visualization. Tom will discuss this meaningful difference and things being done to achieve this benefit.

• Kharis O’Connell, Head of Product, Archiact

Archiact is a fast-growing game development company based in Vancouver, BC. Over 100 employees strong, they are dedicated to developing immersive content.

This session will discuss their latest work featuring collaborative immersive environments.

• Moderator – Ajay Fry, Innerspace, Space Channel
• Daryl Sartain, Advanced Micro Devices
• Kim Davidson, SideFX
• James Rodgers, PETA
• Manuel R. Gutierrez Novelo, ImmersiON-VRelia
• Olga Nabatova, Award Winning Artist

Technology, story telling, empathy, and business sense. These are the building blocks for the ultimate immersive technology experience. Each will share their views on why immersive technologies like virtual reality are so important for the market at large, and how we are going to see this industry unfold. Moderated by an expert in science fiction, panelists will piece together the reality that will build up to our wildest fantasies.

• Charlie Morrow, Morrow Sound
  

Morrow Sound features some of the top audio expertise in the world, and their founder, Charlie Morrow, got into the audio business with thanks to some encouragement from the likes of Paul Simon.

This presentation will talk about Morrow Sound’s latest work in the realm of immersive audio for virtual reality and other technologies.

• John Schrag, Autodesk

Autodesk software has been a cornerstone of digital FX and game design for decades. But Autodesk is a much bigger player in the world of architecture, construction, and manufacturing. Taking VR and AR game tech into the world of building and manufacturing opens new opportunities and possibilities for design, collaboration, construction, automotive design, worker safety, energy conservation, and building maintenance.

John Schrag will talk about some of the work and experiments that Autodesk is doing in this space, and how VR and AR is helping designers imagine, design, and create a better world.

• Vijay Ravindran, Floreo

Having been impacted by autism at a family level, Vijay Ravindran saw an opportunity to create a VR platform for delivering interactive content to support various forms of autism therapy. Vijay will highlight his startup, Floreo, and the potential of VR to be a powerful new medium in delivering therapy.

• Ramtin Attar, Autodesk

From immersive technologies and IoT to ever-increasing computational power and 3D printing, we are at the brink of a new wave of how we will design, make and use our environment. These technology trends also entail both a set of challenges and opportunities that require deep explorations, unique collaborations, and new measures. Ramtin Attar will present a number of projects from Autodesk Research that range from immersive technologies for city planning, to connected devices and new design methods which enable designers to achieve new levels of performance.

• Nigel Newton, INDE

INDE uses augmented reality take ordinary locations and bring them to life with full sized interactive experiences. Nigel will highlight Canadian installations the continually wow crowds and make for wonderful educational experiences

• James Rodgers, Director of Innovation PETA

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) started their Innovations Department when James Rodgers joined the organization and took on the role and title of Man of Action for Animals.

With a mission to develop empathy using emerging technology, PETA built Ellie, the life-sized animatronic elephant that explains to children why they shouldn’t attend circuses that use animals. They have also developed two virtual reality experiences including I, Chicken and I, Orca so users can appreciate the animal’s perspective.

James will be sharing PETA’s experiences of using virtual reality and other emerging technologies for social change and empathy development.

• Saleem Khan, JOVRNALISM

With the advent of 360 and virtual reality recreations of real life, there is a growing opportunity for a new class of journalism. Saleem Khan will discuss what these technologies mean for modern media and the new responsibilities to be considered.

• Luc Beaulieu, CTO, FRIMA Studio
• Jean-Philippe Doiron, Technology Director, FRIMA Studio

With today’s new technologies (HoloLens, smart toys, VR headsets) and innovations (haptic suit, cloud computing, eye tracking, computer vision), we see that digital entertainment will soon merge with the physical world to create a new canvas to express our creativity and imagination. Frima will share their vision and let you glance at the future of play.

• Derick Downey, CEO, Immersion Arcade
• Brian Jesse, CTO, Immersion Arcade

Immersion Arcade is the first HTC Vive-based virtual reality arcade to open in the United States. Their Founders will reflect upon the problems and opportunities of the emerging VR arcade industry. They will also speak about their newest venture VR League — the industry’s first competitive virtual reality gaming community.

• Manuel R. Gutierrez Novelo, CEO, ImmersiON-VRelia

Manuel will discuss the available monetization paths for immersive content and the clear need for content to be agnostic, ubiquitous, and platform independent so it can overcome all the quality and standardization challenges. In particular, Manuel will discuss where we are now and where the market is ultimately going.

• Justin Cooney, OSVR (Razer)

Open Source VR (OSVR) is designed to allow everyone to contribute to the growth and experience of the virtual reality market by not being locked down to any single product. Justin will detail how this mindset benefits consumers, developers, and manufacturers alike while ensuring “inclusivity for all” to allow for maximum market growth.