Welcome to the Visualisation Lab at Science Park!

The Visualisation Lab is situated in the LAB42 building, at Science Park 900, room L0.03. To access the lab, your UvA pass must be registered:

• Send a photograph of your UvA pass to Rob Belleman. Make sure the number in the lower-left corner is readable.
• When you receive confirmation, you need to “update” your pass. Hold your pass in front of one of the grey card readers which are situated next to the elevators or the doors to the stairwells. If you did this successfully, the LED of the lab’s doorknob should flash green when you hold your pass in front of it. Turn the knob clockwise to unlock when it does (counter-clockwise to lock).
• Lock the door when you’re the last one to leave, even if it’s just for a minute!
• The lights in the lab do not turn on automatically: press the up arrow on the box on the wall to the left of the lockers. Please switch off the lights when you’re the last one to leave.

To avoid disappointment with others using the lab, please register your visits ahead of time, including what equipment you intend to use:

• We use a Google Calendar for that: “Visualisation Lab at Science Park“. We need your Google email address so that you can add entries to that calendar: send an email to Rob Belleman with your Google email address.
• Register in the calendar when you plan on going to the lab and what you will use: include your name and use the description field to “reserve” what you want to use, i.e. “Anna – Hololens and White”. (“White” is the name of a workstation: see the next item for the names of the workstations in the lab).

• There are currently four Windows graphics workstations in the lab:
  • • “Alien 1” and “Alien 2”: two Alienware PCs, AMD Ryzen 9 5950X@3.4GHz CPU, 64GB RAM, and NVIDIA RTX3080Ti GPUs
  • • “White”: Intel i7-7700K@4.2GHz CPU, 32GB RAM, and NVIDIA GTX1080 GPU
  • “Black“: Intel i7-5930K@3.5GHz CPU, 16GB RAM, and NVIDIA GTX1080 GPU
• You’re welcome to use these. Please create an account for yourself by first logging in with the same username and password as is used for the wireless in the lab: see the note on the wall in the lab. If needed, give yourself “Administrator” rights so that you will be able to install software.
• If you want to install your own data or programs; go ahead. Please use the D: drive for that. The C: drive is faster but smaller and we want to reserve that for system software.
• The workstations do not have shared file systems: all data and programs you install will only be available on that workstation.
• Please remove your data and programs when you’re done with your project.
• Please respect the data and programs of others with an account on the same PC.

VR is fun and exciting, but not without risk for everyone. Make sure you understand that. Never subject people to a VR experience without warning them of the possible side effects:

1. Use of the headset may cause loss of balance.
2. Remember that the objects you see in the virtual environment do not exist in the real environment, so don’t sit or stand on them or use them for support.
3. Serious injuries can occur from tripping, running into or striking walls, furniture or other objects, so clear an area for safe use before using the headset.
4. Take special care to ensure that you are not near other people, objects, stairs, balconies, open doorways, windows, furniture, open flames, ceiling fans or light fixtures or other items that you can bump into or knock down when using—or immediately after using—the headset.
5. Remove any tripping hazards from the area before using the headset.
6. Remember that while using the headset you may be unaware that people may enter your immediate area.
7. Do not handle sharp or otherwise dangerous objects while using the headset.
8. Never wear the headset in situations that require attention, such as walking, bicycling, or driving.
9. Make sure the headset is level and secured comfortably on your head, and that you see a single, clear image.
10. Make sure any cables if used are not tripping hazards.
11. Ease into the use of the headset to allow your body to adjust; use for only a few minutes at a time at first, and only increase the amount of time using the headset gradually as you grow accustomed to virtual reality. Looking around when first entering virtual reality can help you adjust to any small differences between your real-world movements and the resulting virtual reality experience.
12. Do not use the headset while in a moving vehicle such as a car, bus, or train, as this can increase your susceptibility to adverse symptoms.
13. Take at least a 10 to 15 minute break every 30 minutes, even if you don’t think you need it. Each person is different, so take more frequent and longer breaks if you feel discomfort. You should decide what works best for you.
14. If using headphones, listening to sound at high volumes can cause irreparable damage to your hearing. Background noise, as well as continued exposure to high volume levels, can make sounds seem quieter than they actually are. Due to the immersive nature of the virtual reality experience, do not use the headset with the sound at a high volume so that you can maintain awareness of your surroundings and reduce the risk of hearing damage.

The 3D printers in the lab are available to anyone who wishes to experiment with it. Filament is stored in the lockers, the code to which is available from Rob Belleman. If you want to know more, go to this page.