Phil's Mining VR is a portfolio website for past mine site virtual reality projects and a resource for new ISO-Standards-based experiences.
The Mining VR projects were originally developed for the coal mining industry in New South Wales and expanded out into the wider industry. The first modules modules were built in the early 2000s using the University of Nottingham's AIMS Safe-VR software. As the projects progressed the software changed to Virtools but unfortunately, as the projects became larger, licencing issues became unmanageable and projects ported over to Unity.
A recurring issue found with virtual reality was the lack of interoperability between software vendors and suppliers and the constant need to update applications and licence subscriptions. The aim of mining VR was to make it accessible to all, from individuals at a mine site or office, to large organisations, that could leverage modern VR technologies for mine planning and decision making.
Recently, the Metaverse has come into the forefront of technologies, with VR headsets and advanced computer visualisation facilities being commonplace. The need for standards in VR, AR, MR, XR etc., etc. cannot be underestimated as this technology matures. Hence, this site aims to develop and present some examples of mine site environments using the ISO-ratified 3D standards and X3D-Edit.