Workshops and Programs Will Discuss and Showcase the Innovations that Deliver Content to the Metaverse

SIGGRAPH 2022 delves into the evolution and advancements in technology for the metaverse. Several programs across the conference will explore the current state and future possibilities in this virtual universe. Conversations and workshops will be held to assist in creating content for the metaverse; while leading experts touch on the experiences, and other metaverse-related ideas, from discussions on interoperability, workshops on 3D modeling, and even tackling potential challenges in this environment. The 49th annual conference will run 8–11 August in person, with on-demand sessions available virtually 25 July–31 October 2022.

The metaverse, once considered a hypothetical virtual world, is now an immersive network of 3D worlds focused on social interaction. Advancements in technologies, including augmented and virtual reality, have made it easier to connect users in both these remote and 3D worlds. But how does an interactive experience affect one’s life in the metaverse? What will happen to how people socialize, work, learn, and play? How does it affect various industries such as art, gaming, fashion, healthcare, or movies?

At SIGGRAPH 2022, the metaverse will be the focus of many panels, courses, and hands-on workshops. Topics covered include how computer graphics deals with the mechanics of the human body, the sense of touch with physical hardware in a spatial environment, and even neural network algorithms in art. Programs including: Appy Hour, Art Papers, Birds of a Feather, Courses, Educator’s Forum, Emerging Technologies, Featured Speakers, Frontiers, Immersive Pavilion, Panels, Real-Time Live!, and Talks, will address these subjects.

“I believe SIGGRAPH 2022 is the ideal place to talk about the metaverse, discuss what is happening now, and exchange ideas as to what is possible,” said Munkhtsetseg Nandigjav, SIGGRAPH 2022 Conference Chair. “Our community is made up of creators and innovators. We want to further these discussions and promote how this experience will potentially change lives. We contribute to the variations and transformations occurring in this virtual world, and we can empower these creators to make an impact for the better.”

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Highlights that will cover the metaverse include:

[Frontiers Workshop] Challenges to Unlock the Metaverse: Haptics, Gaze, Prototyping Tools, & More!
Contributors: Pedro Lopes, University of Chicago; Michael Nebeling, University of Michigan; Shan-Yuan Teng, University of Chicago; Mark Billinghurst, Empathic Computing Lab, The University of Auckland; Yudai Tanaka, University of Chicago
Advances in augmented and virtual reality have paved the way for a new type of user interface that can connect users remotely via spatial interactions: the metaverse. This workshop will deep dive into some of the roadblocks to unlock the potential of the metaverse. These include integrating haptic sensations, integrating gaze and attention into user interfaces, and accelerating the prototyping of metaverse experiences.

[Panel] Privacy, Safety, and Wellbeing: Solutions for the Future of AR and VR
Moderator: Callie Holderman, Snap Inc.; Panelists: Eakta Jain, University of Florida; Michael Running Wolf, Northeastern University; and Liv Erickson, Mozilla
There have been many discussions about the metaverse as a construct and how it will be populated, while issues such as privacy and safety have not been brought up. This panel touches on these topics.

[Birds of a Feather] The Web3D Ecosystem and the Metaverse
Contributor: Anita Havele, Web3D Consortium
This session features a discussion on how technology contributes to the metaverse. From interactive real-time 3D to mixed reality and humanoid animation, everything done in 3D is significant to an open metaverse. See the scaling expertise in 3D, modeling and simulation, geospatial, augmented reality, and web audio toward an open, interoperable metaverse.

[Courses] Building the Open Metaverse: Part I
Contributors: Patrick Cozzi, Cesium; Marc Petit, Epic Games; Neal Stephenson, Lamina1; Rev Lebaredian, NVIDIA; Natalya Tatarchuk, Unity; Steve May, Pixar Animation Studios
This session features an introduction to the concepts and building blocks for the open metaverse, covering the current state and potential future directions, including: 3D-first computing, interoperability, game engine ecosystems, the evolution of content creation, and scaling users and worlds. The themes of openness and collaboration are woven throughout all the topics.

[Immersive Pavilion] Journal of My Journey: Seamless Interaction in Virtuality and Reality with Digital Fabrication and Sensory Feedback
Contributors: Miguel Ying Jie Then, Ching Lui, Yvone Tsai Chen, Zin Yin Lim, Ping Hsuan Han, National Taipei University of Technology
Journal of My Journey is a work that explores the possibilities of integrating seamless interactions in virtuality and reality. The choices users make in the virtual world can be output to the real world, thus enhancing the connection between reality and the virtual world.

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