Assignment 3 Report

Introduction/Overview

This application seeks to provide exposure therapy to people who have Pyrophobia (Fear of fire), with the use of virtual reality and simulations to create real world situations.

Description of Application

This application is designed to display three different scenes of varying levels of exposure to fire. The first scene is designed with a low level of exposure to fire, the scene consists of a room with furniture and a fireplace in the wall. The fireplace has a small fire that gives off an orange flickering light to simulate the flame effect. The second scene is designed to be a medium level of exposure to fire, this scene consists of a forest area with a clearing, in the centre of the clearing is a bonfire structure which also gives off an orange light along with particles of fire and smoke. The third scene is designed to simulate a high level of exposure to fire, the scene consists of a large forest of dead trees, many of the trees are on fire giving off smoke and fire effects. The user can walk around all three of these scenes to experience the environment. Each scene has its own sound effects based on the intensity of the fire and the ambient environment. Exposure therapy is a treatment used is phycology to treat certain fears, the purpose of it is to safely expose patients to the cause of their fear with the intention that over time they will become desensitised to the cause and therefore reduce avoidance of situations. Exposure therapy is often expensive as it requires psychologists to prepare and set up real life situations, which limits the scenarios which can be used. Virtual reality has become increasingly popular in psychology to expose people to their fears. One of the benefits of using virtual reality is the flexibility that it gives the psychologist, allowing them to design scenes tailored to the patient’s specific fears, it also ensures that the patient remains in a safe environment while the treatment takes place (Hirai, L. Vernon & Cochran 2007). Pyrophobia is the fear of fire, this fear is difficult to construct traditional means of exposure therapy for while keeping the patient safe. The use of this application allows the patient to step into a virtual environment free of the dangers of being burnt.

Interaction Design

The interactions within this application allow the user to change the scene to suit the level of exposure necessary, this includes a low-level exposure scene, medium level exposure scene, and a high level exposure scene. This is a requirement for an application like this as some users may need different levels of exposure to other users, and this interaction accommodates for that. Another interaction in the application is the ability to light wooden sticks on fire, this lets the user pick up the fire and hold it in close proximity providing the user a more interactive experience.

Technical Development

This application utilises a motion tracked virtual reality headset and controllers, the Oculus quest/quest 2. When using the application, the user wears the headset and holds a controller in each hand, the headset displays to the user the virtual environment while the controllers allow the user to interact with the environment. When the start button is pressed on the left-hand controller, a menu appears with the option to select the level of exposure therapy ranging from Low to High. Once a level is selected the start button can be pressed, this transports the player into the scene selected. This can be repeated to change between the three levels.

To pick up sticks and light them on fire, the user must approach a stick with the toggle and using the grab button on either of the controllers point their hand at the stick and grab it. To light the stick on fire the stick must then be placed on either the fireplace (low exposure) or bonfire (medium exposure).

Disclaimer: Due to the intense graphical requirement of the particle systems, this application work best in oculus link mode.

Descriptions of 3D Models and references

Unity (1) was used in combination with the Oculus integration pack (2). The assets (3) and (4) were used in all three scenes as sound effects and skybox respectively. Assets (5-10) were used to build the terrain in the forest and bonfire scene as well as the environment in the fireplace scene. Asset (11) was used to make the firelight flicker for realism. The video (12) was used to create the fire particle effect for all of the scenes.

1. https://unity.com/ Unity

2. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/integration/oculus-integration-82022 

3. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/audio/ambient/nature/nature-essentials-208... 

4. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/sky/10-skyboxes-pack... 

5. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/nature-starter-kit-2-52977 

6. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/environments/landscapes/terrain-sample-...

7. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/props/furniture/furniture-free-pack-192...

8. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/props/furniture/medieval-tavern-pack-11...

9. https://www.cgtrader.com/free-3d-models/exterior/landscape/campfire-03629b01-7d0...

10. https://www.turbosquid.com/3d-models/wooden-sticks-obj-free/1125124

11. https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/particles-effects/flickering-light-e...

References

Hirai, M, L. Vernon, L & Cochran, H 2007, 'Chapter 11 - Exposure therapy for phobias', in DCS Richard & D Lauterbach (eds), Handbook of Exposure Therapies, Academic Press, Burlington, pp. 247-270, DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-012587421-2/50012-0, <https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780125874212500120>.