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Putting the reality into virtual environments requires much more than outstanding 3D computer graphics and effective human computer interaction. To be "real", elements of the virtual environment must not only look realistic and provide natural interaction, they must move correctly, behave believably, and approximate the complexity of the real world. Individual computer systems cannot provide the necessary degree of complexity, scale, and fidelity, and probably never will. Achieving a representation of an environment that looks accurate and is accurate in its details requires multiple computer systems and distributed virtual environment (DVE) technology. The article provides an introduction to the major components of DVEs and the issues related to assembling large scale DVEs. DVE technology permits real time human interaction with complex environments based on 3D graphical descriptions that interact and move using models of real world physical constraints.
Martin R. Stytz (Wed,) studied this question.