Developing Virtual Reality Applications

Virtual Reality systems enable organizations to cut costs and time, maintain financial and organizational control over the development process, digitally evaluate products before having them created, and allow for greater creative exploration. In this book, VR developers Alan Craig, William Sherman, and Jeffrey Will examine a comprehensive collection of current,unique, and foundational VR applications in a multitude of fields, such as business, science, medicine, art, entertainment, and public safety among others. An insider’s view of what works, what doesn’t work, and why, Developing Virtual Reality Applications explores core technical information and background theory as well as the evolution of key applications from their genesis to their most current form. Developmental techniques are cross-referenced between different applications linking information to describe overall VR trends and fundamental best practices. This synergy, coupled with the most up to date research being conducted, provides a hands-on guide for building applications, and an enhanced, panoramic view of VR development. Developing Virtual Reality Applications is an indispensable one-stop reference for anyone working in this burgeoning field. Dozens of detailed application descriptions provide practical ideas for VR development in ALL areas of interest! Development techniques are cross referenced between different application areas, providing fundamental best practices!

Annotation Get an introduction to the technologies, tools, and techniques for programming virtual reality on the latest generation of desktop and mobile VR hardware. With this hands-on guide, you'll learn essential development and production concepts, including UI design, stereo rendering, 3D input, and programming VR applications for native desktop, mobile and the web. You don't have to be a game development wizard or have 3D graphics experience to get started. If you have basic programming skills and some familiarity with mobile development, this book will help you gain a working knowledge of virtual reality through clear and simple examples.

For the last decade, virtual reality has been utilized in diverse fields such as entertainment, medicine, and industry. Recently, virtual reality has been applied in educational settings in order to transform student learning and experiences through such methods as building prototypes using digital devices or exploring new cultures through immersive interactions. Teachers who can incorporate virtual reality into their classrooms can provide their students with more meaningful learning experiences and can witness higher engagement. Current and Prospective Applications of Virtual Reality in Higher Education is a cutting-edge academic research book that provides comprehensive research on the integration of virtual reality in education programs and establishes foundations for course design, program development, and institutional strategic planning. The book covers an overall understanding and approach to virtual reality in education, specific applications of using virtual reality in higher education, and prospects and issues of virtual reality in the future. Highlighting a wide range of topics such as gamification, teacher training, and virtual reality, this book is ideal for teachers, instructional designers, curriculum developers, academicians, program developers, administrators, educational software developers, policymakers, researchers, education professionals, and students.

Augmented Reality (AR) has many advantages that include increased engagement and interaction as well as enhanced innovation and responsiveness. AR technology has applications in almost all domains such as medical training, retail, repair and maintenance of complex equipment, interior design in architecture and construction, business logistics, tourism, and classroom education. Innovating with Augmented Reality: Applications in Education and Industry explains the concepts behind AR, explores some of its application areas, and gives an in-depth look at how this technology aligns with Education 4.0. Due to the rapid advancements in technology, future education systems must prepare students to work with the latest technologies by enabling them to learn virtually in augmented ways in varied platforms. By providing an illusion of physical objects, which takes the students to a new world of imagination, AR and Virtual Reality (VR) create virtual and interactive environments for better learning and understanding. AR applications in education are covered in four chapters of this book, including a chapter on how gamification can be made use of in the teaching and learning process. The book also covers other application areas of AR and VR. One such application area is the food and beverage industry with case studies on virtual 3D food, employee training, product–customer interaction, restaurant entertainment, restaurant tours, and product packaging. The application of AR in the healthcare sector, medical education, and related devices and software are examined in the book’s final chapter. The book also provides an overview of the game development software, Unity, a real-time development platform for 2D and 3D AR and VR, as well as the software tools and techniques used in developing AR-based apps.

Explore the latest features of Unity and build VR experiences including first-person interactions, audio fireball games, 360-degree media, art gallery tours, and VR storytelling Key FeaturesDiscover step-by-step instructions and best practices to begin your VR development journeyExplore Unity features such as URP rendering, XR Interaction Toolkit, and ProBuilderBuild impressive VR-based apps and games that can be experienced using modern devices like Oculus Rift and Oculus QuestBook Description This third edition of the Unity Virtual Reality (VR) development guide is updated to cover the latest features of Unity 2019.4 or later versions - the leading platform for building VR games, applications, and immersive experiences for contemporary VR devices. Enhanced with more focus on growing components, such as Universal Render Pipeline (URP), extended reality (XR) plugins, the XR Interaction Toolkit package, and the latest VR devices, this edition will help you to get up to date with the current state of VR. With its practical and project-based approach, this book covers the specifics of virtual reality development in Unity. You'll learn how to build VR apps that can be experienced with modern devices from Oculus, VIVE, and others. This virtual reality book presents lighting and rendering strategies to help you build cutting-edge graphics, and explains URP and rendering concepts that will enable you to achieve realism for your apps. You'll build real-world VR experiences using world space user interface canvases, locomotion and teleportation, 360-degree media, and timeline animation, as well as learn about important VR development concepts, best practices, and performance optimization and user experience strategies. By the end of this Unity book, you'll be fully equipped to use Unity to develop rich, interactive virtual reality experiences. What you will learnUnderstand the current state of virtual reality and VR consumer productsGet started with Unity by building a simple diorama scene using Unity Editor and imported assetsConfigure your Unity VR projects to run on VR platforms such as Oculus, SteamVR, and Windows immersive MRDesign and build a VR storytelling animation with a soundtrack and timelinesImplement an audio fireball game using game physics and particle systemsUse various software patterns to design Unity events and interactable componentsDiscover best practices for lighting, rendering, and post-processingWho this book is for Whether you're a non-programmer unfamiliar with 3D computer graphics or experienced in both but new to virtual reality, if you're interested in building your own VR games or applications, this Unity book is for you. Any experience in Unity will be useful but is not necessary.

Written by experts from the world’s leading institutions in the field, this is the only book to cover virtual and augmented reality in manufacturing from a manufacturing perspective, rather than a computer science angle. It details applications of state-of-the-art technologies in real industrial situations.

Create amazing 360 and virtual reality content that runs directly in your browsers with JavaScript and React VR 2.0 About This Book A practical guide to developing virtual reality experiences targeting web and mobile browsers Create customized 3D graphics for your virtual reality experiences with Three.js Explore the ReactVR library to create objects that seem real and see how they move in the Virtual world Import free models into VR and include those in your code Who This Book Is For This book is for web developers who want to use their existing skill set of HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create virtual reality experiences. What You Will Learn Use Blender 2.79 to make virtual reality objects for Web VR. Import free models into VR and how to include those in your code Build a Virtual Museum with interactive art pieces Create your first VR App and customizing it Build animations by procedurally changing an object's position, using timers and Animated APIs Incorporate React Native code and JavaScript code in your VR world In Detail This book takes you on a journey to create intuitive and interactive Virtual Reality experiences by creating your first VR application using React VR 2.0.0. It starts by getting you up to speed with Virtual Reality (VR) and React VR components. It teaches you what Virtual Reality (VR) really is, why it works, how to describe 3D objects, the installation of Node.js (version 9.2.0) and WebVR browser. You will learn 3D polygon modeling, texturing, animating virtual objects and adding sound to your VR world. You will also discover ways to extend React VR with new features and native Three.js. You will learn how to include existing high-performance web code into your VR app. This book will also take you through upgrading and publishing your app. By the end of this book, you'll have a deep knowledge of Virtual Reality and a full-fledged working VR app to add to your profile! Style and approach A step-by-step practical guide to help readers build their first VR application.

Just a few years ago, virtual reality was regarded as more a toy than a tool. Today, however, it is becoming the enabling technology for man-machine communications. The rapid development of graphics hardware and soft ware makes its application possible. Besides building walkthroughs and landscape fly-overs with very realistic visual effects, we can recognize the trend toward industrial applications. This is because of the emerging need for tools for rapid product development. Especially in the aeronautical and automotive industries, companies have began to investigate and develop virtual reality tools for their own needs in co-operation with research or ganizations. In co-operation with the Fraunhofer Institute for Computer Graphics (IGD), the Computer Graphics Center (ZGDV) in Darmstadt established the German working group on virtual reality in 1993 as a forum for infor mation exchange between industry and research. German researchers, system developers, and industrial users have met several times in Darm stadt at the Computer Graphics Center. In these meetings they discussed the essential issues inherent in applying virtual reality to industrial appli cations and exchanged their latest research results and experiences.