VirtualReality:

HowtoExperienceandCreateAmazingVRContent

TableofContents

Introduction

Chapter1:WhatVirtualRealityMeansin2016

Chapter2:CurrentVirtualRealityDevices

Chapter3:CurrentMust-HaveVirtualRealityExperiences

Chapter4:CreatingVirtualRealityContent

Chapter5:TheFutureofVirtualReality

Conclusion

Introduction

I want to thank you and congratulate you for downloading Virtual Reality: How toExperience andCreateAmazingVRContent.Thisbookcontains all of the informationyouneedtoknowonthecurrentstateofthevirtualrealitydevelopmentsceneasitstandsatthebeginningon2016.

The virtual reality development space is poised to explode this year and the followingchapterswillprovideyouwiththeinformationyouneedtogetinonthegroundfloorofyourchosenvirtualrealitydevice.

Virtualrealityisstillanemergingtechnologysoitisimportanttotakeallofthespecificsdiscussedinthefollowingchapterswithagrainofsaltasmanyofthemarestillsubjecttochange. Likewise, until you know how your body responds to virtual experiences it isimportanttotakethingsslowuntilyouaresureyouwon’texperienceanynegativeeffects.Withthatbeingsaid,havefundandenjoythefuture!

Thanksagainfordownloadingthisbook,Ihopeyouenjoyit!

Copyright2016byMauricioDelaOrta-Allrightsreserved.

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Chapter1:WhatVirtualRealityMeansin2016

Despiteitslacklusterperformanceinthemid-90s,theappealofvirtualrealityhasalwaysbeenobvious.Strapin,turnon,dropout,outofthecity,world,evengalaxy,allwiththetouchofabutton.Despitebeinga technologicalconstruct, thepromiseofvirtual realityhasalwaysbeenmoreofanorganicprospect.Grantedwhatiscreatedisatechnologicalspace,butitisexperiencedintheorganicenvironmentinthemind.

The concept of virtual reality began being thrown around almost as soon as computingenteredtherelativelymoderneraofthe1950s.Technologywasstilllightyearsfrombeingable to produce anything but the crudest simulations of reality however and, with thenotable exception of theUnitedStates government, virtual reality creationwas on holduntilthelate1980swhenthepersonalcomputercrazefirststarted.Whilethisperiodalsomarkedthecreationofthefirstvirtualrealityarcadegames,thetechnologywasstillnotadvancedenoughtosimulateanythingremotelyapproachingrealism.

Finally, the current roundof virtual realitydevelopmentbegan in earnest in 2010whenOculus VR founder Palmer Luckey created his first prototype virtual reality headset.Whilethisinitialdeviceonlyofferedaviewoftwodimensionalimages,itofferedafull90-degreefieldofview,arangefargreater thananything thathadappearedbefore.ThefirstdemonstrationherevealedalloweduserstomovethroughacartoonversionofJerrySeinfeld’sapartmentandwhilethegraphicswerebasicitwasfluidenoughtosparkanewwaveofinterestinvirtualrealitydevices.Whilethetechnologystillhassomenaysayers,the fact thatFacebookpurchasedOculusVR for twobilliondollars in2014means thatwhateverhappensthenextfewyearswillbefullofdevicestryingtomakevirtualrealityarealityfortheaverageperson.

WhileproductsincludingtheOculusRifthavesofaronlybeenavailabletothepublicforseveralyearsintheformofdeveloperkitunits,thathasn’tstoppedthemarketplacefromalreadyreleasinganumberofproductsdesignedtoenhancethevirtualrealityexperience.These include products such as theVirtuixOmniwhich is an omnidirectional treadmilldesignedtobeusedforwalkingaroundinvirtualenvironmentsortheGloveone,apairofhapticgloves thatallowusers to interactwithvirtualenvironmentswhilealsoprovidingreal-timefeedbackandlifeliketouchsensations.

Nottobeoutdone,GoogleintroducedGoogleCardboardin2014.Whilewidelyseenbythe public as a joke, Google Cardboard headsets were designed by a pair of GoogleEngineers as a low-cost way to increase interest in development of additional virtual

realityapplications.WhiletheideawascreatedbyGooglethereisnoofficialmanufactureand several companies have taken it upon themselves to create the goggles which areavailableinawidevarietyofstylesandcolors.Whenassembled,theGoogleCardboardheadsetholdsasmartphonewhileanapplicationsplits thesignalbeforeapplyingeffectswhich generate a three-dimensional affect. In July of 2015 the company One Pluslaunched their product the OnePlus 2 with a virtual reality commercial which wascompatiblewithGoogleCardboard.

After years of hype and speculation 2016 does indeed seem to be the year that virtualrealityhitstheconsumermarketinabigwaywiththeOculusRiftlaunchinginMarchtoahighdemanddespitetherelativelyhigh$600askingprice.WiththeValve-backHTCViveandtheSonyVRdeviceforthePlayStation4launchinglaterintheyear.Inadditiontothebigthree,thereareanumberofotherproductsbeingworkedonbysmallerteamswhicharesuretoshakethespaceupaswell.

Perhaps more compellingly, the Open Source Virtual Reality open-source communitywhich connects likeminded companies interested in developing for a virtual space hasaddedatleastoneneworganizationeverydaysinceitslaunchinearly2015andalreadycounts notable companies like Ubisoft and Intel among its ranks. This community isdedicated to the goal that there should be a realistic virtual reality experience forconsumers at a wide variety of price points, not just for those who can afford a $600OculusRiftontopofacomputerpowerfulenoughtorunitproperly.

This in turn, the community believes,will allow for the broad-scalemarket penetrationthat virtual reality needs to not only survive but thrive in away that it determines thefutureofdigitaldesigninabigway.Marketpenetrationiskeyasthe3Dcrazeoftheearly10sshowed,ifenoughpeopledon’tjumponthenewtechnologyatafastenoughratethenit is liable to die on the vine. Virtual reality designers seem to be learning from 3Dsmistakeshoweverandarelookingtoengagewithconsumersinawidevarietyofways.

EducationandTraining

While still a nascent state, the possibilities for virtual reality in education and trainingsimulations is almost endless. Virtual reality already plays an active role in trainingsoldiers for military engagements where it is useful for the completely immersive andrelatively realistic experience it provides. The military is already used mobile head-mounted displays, data suits, virtual-reality augmented weapons and haptic gloves toallow soldiers to experience everything from jumping out of an airplane to crawlingthroughthedesert.

Entertainment

Currently the greatest strides in virtual reality programing have been made in theentertainment sectorwith the firstconsumerversionsbeing released in thebeginningof2016with software to follow.Eachof thecurrentgenerationofvirtual realityhardwareincludesaheadsettetheredtoacurvedlenswhichsitsdirectlyinfrontofeacheye.Eachvirtualrealitydeviceoffersadifferentlevelofcontrolwithsometrackingeyemovement,othersfavoringa traditionalcontroller inputmethodandstillothersallowingtheuser towalkaroundinasimulatedworldandinteractwithitusingcontrollerswhichareamixofthestandardgamepadandalaserpointer.

Medicine

Virtualrealitydeviceshavegainedpopularityinrecentyearsastherapyforsoldierswhohave developed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. This form of therapy uses specificallycreatedscenariosthatletpatientsworkthroughtheirissuesinanenvironmentthatisatthesametimerealenoughtohelpthemworkthroughtheirissueswhilestillbeinggeneratedinsuchawaythatitdoesn’tseemsorealthattheycan’tdisassociatethemselvesfromtheeventsunfoldingbefore them. It is alsoeffectiveathelpingpatientswhohavenotbeenotherwiseabletoopenupthroughtraditionaltherapy.

Telepresence

Withcommercialvirtualrealityequipmentnotyetareality,virtualtelepresencetoolsarenotcurrently inuseoutsideof testcases.Programs thatutilizecomplete3Dsimulationswhile providing real time feedback are already in development at several majorproductivity software companies including Microsoft who is currently working on theHoloLenswhich,whilenotavirtualrealitydevice,isanaugmentedrealitydevicewhichcouldeasilyprovideameetingsworthofpeoplewiththesameimagesatthesametime.MicrosoftisalsocurrentlyworkingonaproductcalledtheAnybotwhichisdesignedtotaketeleconferencingtothenextlevel.

Architecture

TherearealreadyfunctionalversionsofsoftwareavailableonlinethatallowusersoftheOculus Rift to upload blueprints to create a functional model that an architect and hisclients can then virtualwalk-through and critique themodel from the inside. There arealsosimilarprogramsavailableforcityplannerswhichallowthemtoviewaparticularlytrickydevelopmentissuefromliterallyalloftheangles.Itisagainimportanttonotethatthis level of design and interaction is available in a world without commercial virtual

realitydevices,whichmakethepotentialforfutureapplicationsquiteencouraging.

Chapter2:CurrentVirtualRealityDevicesSamsungGearVR

TheSamsungGearVRisavirtualrealitydeviceforusewiththeGalaxyS6,GalaxyS6Edge,GalaxyS6Edge+andtheGalaxyNote5andisavailableforpurchaserightnowfor$100.ItisworthnotingthattheInnovatorEditionofthedeviceisstillcurrentlyavailablefor third-partystoresand is inferior to thewide-releasemodel in termsof looksandfit.ThisisthefirstvirtualrealitydeviceofitskindavailableforsmartphonesonthemarkettodayandithasnoequalwhenitcomestoiOSornon-SamsungAndroidphones.

ThetechnologybehindtheGearVRisatakeontheOculusRifthardwarewhichmeansthis version of the technologywill remain Samsung specific for the foreseeable future.Stringent hardware specifications aside, the Gear VR provides an astounding virtualreality experience given the technological hurdles it has to overcome in order to besuccessful.ItallowsuserstostreamNetflixfromtheprivatescreeningroomintheirownmountainvillaandstreamothermoviesinaprivatetheater.Thedevicealsosupportsheadtrackingsousersdonotneedtoworryaboutkeepingtheirheadperfectlystilltoensureaproperviewingangle.

TheGearVR is alsowireless as your phone simply slips into the allotted spaceon theviewingendofthegogglesandyouaregoodtogo.FunctionallytheGearVRhardwareiswellmade and it makes good on its promises, the only downside is that the graphicallimitsofcurrentsmartphonesmeanthatonlysomuchcanbedoneandusingthevirtualrealitymodegreatlytaxesbatterylifeandcanleadtooverheating.

NuvikaVRHeadset

Theothermajorsmartphonevirtual realityheadsetcurrentlyavailable is theNuvikaVRHeadsetwhichcanbefoundonlinefor$49.99.UnliketheSamsungGearVR,thisvirtualrealityviewingdeviceworkswithmanyAndroidandiOSdevicescurrentlyonthemarket.Unlikemanysmartphonevirtualrealityheadsets,theNuvikaheadsetisextremelypaddedand also offers a settingwhereby it adjusts to the prescription of thosewith glasses toensure theyarenotneededwhilst enjoying theheadset.Thisheadset alsocomeswithaBluetoothcontroller.

What will really set the Nuvika VR headset apart however, is the additional options

presented by its optional wearable technology options which will be available later in2016,theNuvikaVRGlovesandtheNuvikaHitrings.Whenconnected,thesedeviceswillallowuserstointeractwiththeirsmartphonespecificvirtualrealitycontentinwaystheyhaveneverbeforeexperienced.

TheNuvikaVRGlovesareapairofhapticgloveswhichwill letplayersquicklymoveand interact with virtual worlds in one of the most fluid and intuitive of the controlschemescurrentlyindevelopmentforvirtualrealitydevices.Theseglovesofferonetoonecontrolwhen it comes to using your hands in virtualworlds andwill allow even non-gamerstoexperiencethewondersofvirtualrealitywithease.

NuvikaHitringsareBluetoothenableddevicesthatallowuserstofeelasthoughtheyarepartofthegamebyattachingthemtodifferentbodypartswhichwillthensendoutpulsesorothervibrationaccording towhat theplayer is experiencing inside thevirtualworld.Dependingonhowdeveloperschoosetoimplementthistechnology,playerscanexpecttoreallyfeelitwhentheyarehitinafirstpersonshooterorexperiencethechillsofahorrorgameinthemostrealisticwayimaginablewithoutbeinglimitedtosimplyseeingitonthescreen.

OculusRift

The device responsible for the current wave of virtual reality support, is currentlyavailable for preorder from Oculus.com for $599, with the first round of orders beingshippedMarch28,2016.Inthebox,theOculusRiftincludesaheadsetwhichincludesabuiltinmicrophoneandheadphonesaswellasquiteabitofadditionaltechnology.ItalsocomeswithaheadtrackingsensorandanXboxOnecontroller.Italsocomeswithacopyof the platformer Lucky’s Tale and the space simulator Eve: Valkyrie. The touchcontroller, which will allow for a wide variety of additional interactive experiences isexpectedtobelaunchedinthesecondhalfof2016.

InordertousetheOculusRiftproperly,usersmustalsohaveapersonalcomputerwhichmeetsthefollowingrequirements.

ANVIDIAGTX970orAMD290graphicscardequivalentorbetterANIntelI54590processororbetterAtleast8gigabytesofRAMANHDMI1.3videooutput2USB3.0portsWindows7ornewer

While these specifications are rather stringent they are required in order for theOculusRift to output two separate steams of 90 frames per second. For reference, the currentgeneration of videogame platforms generally run at 30 frames per second. The team atOculusbelievesthatsendingeacheyeaconstantstreamofdataat90framespersecondistheonlywaytominimizethenegativeeffectssomepeopleexperiencewithvirtualrealityincludingmotionsickness,headachesanddizziness.

Ofthenon-smartphonevirtualrealitydevicesthatwillbereleasedin2016,theOculusRiftis currently the onewith themost currently revealed videogame supportwith over 100titlesscheduledtobereleasedbeforetheendof2016.

HTCVive

TheHTCVive isscheduled tobeavailable forpreorderby theendofFebruaryand thefinalized version of the specifications for this device are supposed to be known beforethen. In broad strokes itwill be similar to theOculusRift though it offers a variety ofuniquefeaturesaswell.Theinteractiveexperiencewillbecontrolledbyapairofcontrolsthat offer traditional forms of control as well as more interactive technologies.What’smore,eachHTCVivewillcomewithapairofsensorswhichutilizewhattheyarecalling“Lighthouse”technologieswhichuseapairofcensorsinstalledinaroomtoprovidetheusertheabilitytowalkaroundinafully-realizedthreedimensionalworld.TheHTCVivewillalsofeatureacameraontheheadsetwhichwillallowtheusertoseetherealworldwhileinthevirtualone.

The HTC Vive is being created by a partnership between the Taiwanese technologycompanyHTCandthedigitaldistributioncompanyandsoftwaredeveloperValve.WhiletheamountofequipmentitcomeswithandthefactthatyouneedanentireroomdevoidoffurnituretomakeuseoftheLighthousetechnology,manyexpertsareexpectingtheHTCVivetoretailforbetween$800and$1200whichleadsthemtoquestionwhetheritwillbemorethanjustatoyfortheearliestofearlyadopters.

Nevertheless, it is important tonote thatValvehasbeenat the forefrontof the last twomajorchanges to the traditionalvideogamemodel andhascomeouton topboth times.First, it used the release of its well-known videogameHalf-Life 2 to launch its digitalsoftwaredistributionsystemcalledSteam.This lead toquiteabitofblowback from itscustomersatfirstbutnowSteamisthelargestdigitalsoftwaredistributionsystemintheworld. Likewise, theymade a controversial decision to propagate a free-to-playmodelwithmanyofitsgamesseveralyearsbeforeitbecamethemarketstandard.AssuchitisimportanttonotdiscounttheHTCViveuntilthevirtualrealitymarketreallyshakesout.

PlayStationVR

Unlikeitsprimarytwocompetitors,theinitialbuy-inrequiredtoenjoythePlayStationVRshouldmostassuredlybeunder$1,000. Inaddition, thosewhodevelopPlayStationVRsoftwareonlyhavetoworryaboutonesetofspecificationsmakingitmorelikelytheywillbeabletodomorewiththePlayStation4’slimitedhardware.Additionalbenefitsincludethatisthemostcomfortableoftheheadsetswhichhavecurrentlybeenshowntothepublicandtheyworksomewhateasierwithglasses.Sonyisalsomakingitknownthattheywillbeaggressivelysupportingtheplatformandhasalreadyannouncedfan-favoriteRezwillbegettingthevirtualrealitytreatment.

ThedownsidesofthePlayStationVRareallrelatedtothefactthatitisbydefinitiontiedtoavideogameconsole.Currentlywhatthevirtualrealitymarketneedsisawidevarietyofapplicationswhichprovetothegeneralpublicthatvirtualrealityfunctionalityisworththe,cost,troubleandtimeofswitchingtoanentirelydifferentwayofdoingthings.Withitslimitedmindset,itisunlikelythatthePlayStationVRwillseemanydifferenttypesofapplicationsbesidesjustgames.

This too is somewhatunfortunateas thePlayStation4’sspecificationsarenowherenearwhat theywould need to be to runOculusRift games based on that product’s releasedspecifications.Inaddition,ifthecurrentvideogameconsolelifecycleisaslongasthelast,thePlayStation4hasmorethanfiveyearsleftbeforethePlayStation5.ThismeansitisexceedinglylikelythatthePlayStationVRgameswillpeakintermsofqualityandlengthwellbeforethoseofeithertheHTCViveortheOculusRift.

Chapter3:CurrentMust-HaveVirtualRealityExperiencesDespite the fact that commercial virtual reality devices are not yet available, there arealreadyawidevarietyoftrulyexcellentvirtualrealityexperiencesonthemarket.

Elite:Dangerous

Despitebeingstillinitsbetatestingstage,Elite:Dangerousalreadyoffersvirtualrealitysupportandiscurrentlythemostrealisticwaytoexperiencethewondersofspacetravelwithout having to worry about getting selected for a mission toMars. Despite not yetbeing released, this game has already sold over 500,000 copies and generated over 25milliondollarsinsales.Muchofthesefundshavebeensunkbackintothegameandthevirtualrealityversioncertainlyshowsit.

InthisgameplayersaregivenfreereintoexploretheMilkyWayGalaxyinatrueonetoonescaleversionofourowngalaxy.Player’sexistinapersistentworldinteractingwithother players in real time. Players have the option to use awide variety of ships fromheavybattleships to quickdogfighter-type crafts. Playerswill be able to experiencenotjust thevastnessofspacebut theentiretyofeachshiprealistic renderedandcompletelyviewablefromanyangle.Regardlessoftheirfeelingsonsciencefictioningeneral,playersofallinterestswillalwaysrememberthefirsttimetheycruisethroughtheringsofaplanetorswingtoclosetoamajorstar.ThisgameisavailablefortheOculusRiftandtheHTCVive.

EuroTruckSimulator2

AtthecompletelyotherendofthespectrumisEuroTruckSimulator2agamewhichismoreinterestedinrecreatinganextremelydetailedversionoftheworldyouseeeverydaywhen youwalk outside than creating breathtaking examples of farawayworlds. This isespecially true if you happen to live inGermany asEuroTruckSimulator 2 is a gameaboutdrivingasemi-truckinGermanyandsuccessfullynavigatingroutesandschedulestogetyoudeliverieswheretheyneedtogoontimeandwithoutaccident.

Whilethegameplaysoundsdull,itisinrealitysurprisinglyhypnoticwhichisinlargepartto theexcellentvirtual realitypresentation.Thewidevarietyof trucksused in thegameeachhave theircockpitvividly reproduced inpainstakingdetailand thatcombinedwiththe way each vehicle moves translates into an extremely believable 360-degree space.

Lookoutthewindowsorthesunrooftoseethesunshiningorrainfallinginrealtimeandyoureyeswillhaveahardtimeconvincingyourbrainthatyouarenotinfactbehindthewheel.ThisgameisavailablefortheOculusRift.

DiscoveringSpace

Despitebeingdesignedbyasingledeveloperinhissparetime,thisgameisanamazinglydetailedrecreationoftheearth’ssolarsystemwhichplantsyouinaspaceshipwhichcaneasily achieve light speedwhichmeans you can fly between the planets in amatter ofseconds.Thedistancebetweeneachplanetisrenderedrealisticallyandthatfactplusthetruly superb rendering of each planet combine to show the player just how tiny theyactuallyare in thegrandschemeof things.WhileElite:Dangerousoffersamoreactiveexperience,DiscoveringSpace is aptly all about discovery and learningmore about thespace reality close to that which humans call home, this means it can be a greateducationaltoolaswellasafunwaytokillafewhours.

Discovering Space is currently available for theOculusRift and as of January 2016 isconsideredoneof themost immersiveexperiencescurrentlyavailable forvirtual reality.What’s even better, it is free and available now at TheRiftArcade.com, just search forDiscoveringSpace.Thereisevenaversionwhereyoucanchoosefromawidevarietyofpopularspaceshipstomakethevoyagein.

UE4Rollercoaster

The premise of this experience is extremely simple while at the same time beingextremelyeffectiveatcreatingarealisticsenseofspeedaswellasscopeandsize.Asthenameimpliesthisdemotakesyouonarollercoasterride,withthetwistbeingthatyouareridingthroughamodern-livingroomrenderedatacolossalscale.Whilethereisn’tallthatmuchtododuringthedemo,itdoesshowoffthetechnicallyimpressiveheadtrackingthatispartof theOculusRiftand lookingaroundfromthehighestpointof the tracksmanypeaksisguaranteedtocausesomepeopletoexperiencereal-lifevertigo.

Whileshortandsweet, thisdemocanquicklyandeffectivelyshowhesitantgamersandnon-gamersalikeallofthethingsthatvirtualrealityisfinallyabletodosowell,createanexperience that isvividenoughthat,even if just forasecond, itcan trick thebrain intothinkingitisreal.Whilethatfeelingisn’tthereallthetimequiteyet,itisenoughtoshowwhy thepromiseofvirtual reality is so limitless.Thisdemo is available for theOculusRift

Minecraft

Themostdownloadedgameintheentireworldisalreadyrunninginvirtualrealityandthe

familiarity many people already have with that world, combined with its unique lookwhichtranslateswell intoa360-degreespacecombinetocreateanexperiencethat issolifelikemanyusersfindthattheirbrainsconsiderthetimetheyspentinsidetheworldinthesamewaytheywouldanyothertriptoaforeignland.Evenbetter,Minecraft’suniquevisualshelpthebrainskipoverthefewincongruitiesthattechnologyhasnotyetbeenabletocompletelyerasefromadigitalexperience.

An official virtual reality version ofMinecraft is currently being created by a team atMicrosoftandwhat’smoretheprojectisbeingheadlinedbynoneotherthannotedgamedeveloperJohnCarmack.Anxiousplayerscouldn’twaitfortheofficialversionhoweverand there are already a number of different virtual reality enabled versions currentlyfloating around online. The current consensus says that the best is the Minecriftmodification which can be found online at Minecraft-VR.com and supports both theOculusRiftandtheHTCVive.

Don’tLetGo

Thisfunlittledemogetsalotofthingsrightaboutvirtualrealityrightoutofthegate.Itisaningeniousgamethatalsoservestoshowhoweffectivevirtualrealityexperienceshavealreadygrownwhen itcomes tocreating realisticstimuli.Thepremiseof thegame isasimpleone,youaresittingatadeskinfrontofalaptopandthegoalistokeeptwofingersonthekeyboard.Takeyourfingersoffthekeysanditisgameover.Whilethissoundslikeanincrediblyeasytask,Don’tLetGothrowsawidevarietyofsituationsatyouwiththegoalofmakingyoumove,justalittlebit.

Whileagain the taskseemseasy, theevents thegame throwsatyou including,ahailofknivesfallingfromtheceiling,aswarmofbeessurroundingyouandevenavelociraptorbreathingdownyouneckappearrealisticallyenoughthatyourbraincaneasilybetrickedintoreactingtothem,ifonlyforaninstant,whichisallthetimeyouneedtomoveyourfingers from the keyboard. Don’t Let Go is available for the Oculus Rift and can bedownloadedforfreeatShare.Oculus.com

JobSimulator

ThisgameisavailableforboththeOculusRiftandHTCViveandiswithoutadoubtthefunniest experience you can currently have on any virtual reality enabled device. ThepremiseofJobSimulatoristhatrobotshavetakenovertheworldandhavemaintainedanumberofhumanstorecreatejobsimulationssothattheirrobotchildrenwillknowmoreaboutthepast.Thisbroadpremiseallowsthegameanexcusetoputtheplayerthroughanumber of different job sets which are each packed with items to interact with insurprising ways. The world can be poked and prodded in a number of inventive andhilariouswayswhileabevyofsecretsandsomeobjectivesshouldkeepplayersinvestedpastthefirst15minutesorso.TheCRTmonitoryouareinitiallyplacedinfrontofevenhasitsownworkinggamewiththegameaswell.

Unlike most games, this experience shows a new potential avenue for virtual realityexperiences in the future. They need not be simple rehashes of familiar videogameexperiences,theycaninsteadofferupamuchwidervarietyofoptionsincludingthoseforhumorandhorrorinwaysthatinteractiveexperienceswereratherlimitedinbefore.

Chapter4:CreatingVirtualRealityContentThere are currently two mainstream ways for creating content with a virtual realityplaybackexperience inmind.The first is to takea360-degree immersivevideoand thesecondistocreateafully3Dproductinadigitalspace.

360-DEGREEVIDEO

Thecheapestandeasiestwaytocurrentlyproducevirtualrealitycontentforuseinvirtualapplications is amethodof capturing video footage of the realworld footagewhen theview from every single angle is recorded all at once.When played back it allows thevieweradditionalcontrolwhencompared to traditionalvideoplaybackas theyhavefullcontroloftheviewingspace.

Inordertorecorda360-degreevideoyouwillneedasphericalcameraequippedforthetask.Someofthebest360-degreecamerascurrentlyonthemarketarelistedbelowalongwiththeirstrengthsandweaknesses.

RicohTheta:This360-degreecamera isgenerallyconsidered tobe thebestonthemarketrightnow.Itretailsforunder$400andoffersuserstheabilitytoshootHDfootageat30 framesper second fornearly30minutesper charge.What’smore it allows for the option to livestream footage as well as to uploadautomatically to the cloud where you can then view if from a smartphone orothermobiledeviceoruploaditstraighttoYouTube.Bublcam:Thisspherical360-degreecameraoffersupthebenefitofhavingzeroblind spots while at the same time offering up 1440x1440p footage all at 30frames per second. It also includes a specific virtual reality panning option toensureyougetafulllookatwhateveritispointedat.NokiaOZO:Thisprofessional360-degreesphericalcamerafeatureseightspate2,000x2,000pixelcameras,eachwithitsownmicrophone.What’smoreeachcameraoffersitsownsetofcontrolsandtheresultingfileiscompressedintoonedatastreamforeasytransfer.CENTR: The CENTR 360-degree camera was a product that Kickstartersuccessfullybroughttolifewhichcanessentiallybethoughtofasa360-degreecameraversionofaGoProcamera.TheCENTRtakes4kvideoandallowsforreal time viewing from a connected smartphone. It is also splash proof foradventurousfilmmakers.Giroptic:This360-degreecameraoffersastandardsuiteoffeaturesincludingthe

ability to shoot 360-degree video with a 2k resolution or use it to take 4KpanoramapicturesbutwheretheGiropticreallyshinesisthesoftwareitcomeswithwhichtranslatesthefileintosomethingyourcurrentimageeditingsoftwarecantotallyhandle.Freedom360 GoPro Mount: If you already have a GoPro camera that youregularlyusethenthisoptionmightbeyourbestchoicewhenyouarelookingtostartcreating3Dvideo.Thismountallowsusers tostrapa totalofsixGoProstogetherinordertocreateacomplete360-degreeimage.V360:This360-degreecameraisdesignedforthetoughestofadventureshots.Itisdust,shockandwaterresistanceatadepthofthreefeetforupto30minutes.Italsofeaturestwomicrophones,anaccelerometer,altimeterandbarometerthoughitonlyshootsvideoin1080p.

After you have chosen a camera, here are a few tips for ensuring the highest qualityfootage possible. Shooting in 360-degrees is very different from shooting with atraditionalcamerawhichmeansithasitsownsetofrulestofollowtogetthemostoutofashoot.

Remember that everything will be in the shot:This includes static objectsbehindyou,lights,equipment,crewanything.Thismeansthepersonfilmingwillbeintheshotaswellsoyoushouldplanforthisaccordingly.Thinkabouttherolethepersoninthevirtualrealityheadsetwill takeon:Tocreateengaging360-degreecontentitisimportanttoconsiderwhereandhowthepersonexperiencingthecontentwillinteractwiththesceneandinturnshootaccordingly.Askyourselfiftheywillbeparticipatingthesceneorobservingit.Takecameramovementintoaccount:Thisisperhapsthemostimportantthingtorememberandthecomingyearswillnodoubtbefullofexperiencesthatdothispoorly.That isunfortunateasmovement that is too fast, too shaky,or toovariedislikelytocausetheusertofeeldisconnectedfromtheexperienceatbestandnauseousatworst.Asaresult,itisimportanttoensurethateverymovementofthecameraiswellcalculatedandintentional.

Afteryouhave filmed thecontentyouwill thenhave tousea360-degreevideoeditingsoftwaretool,VideoStichisoneof thefewcurrentlyonthemarket, to translate thedataintosomethingthatcanultimatelybeplayedbackonavirtualrealityviewingdevice.Asthis isanascentmarket it isdifficult to saywhat formcontent like thiswill take in thefuture, if it takesoff, it could completely change theway thepublicwatchesmovies intheaters.

360-DEGREEANIMATION

Theotheroptioncurrentlyonthemarketwhenitcomestocreating360-degreecontentis3Dvirtualrealityanimationsoftware.Unlikewith360-degreevideowhichallowsviewerstopivotinplaceandseeacompletescenario,3Dvirtualrealityanimationsoftwareallowsuserstointeractandmanipulatethevirtualspace.Liketherestofthisfieldthetechnologyrequiredtocompletesuchtasksisinitsearlystagesbutthereareseveraloptionscurrentlyavailable.

ThebestchoicewhenstartingoutistoacquireanOculusRiftdevelopmentkitastheyarethecheapestandmostreadilyavailablefornon-officialdevelopers toacquire.AfteryouhavethedevelopmentkitUnrealEngine4andUnity3Daretwocommonprogramswhichofferplentyof tutorialaswellasdemocontent to seewhat iscurrentlygoingon in theworld of virtual reality entertainment development. Tutorials for 360-degree degreedevelopment for Unreal Engine 4 are available at UnrealEngine.com and tutorials forUnity3DcanbefoundatUnity3D.com.

Inaddition,theUnity3D.comforumsofferdetailedtipsondesigningforboththeOculusand the Samsung Gear VR headsets specifically. Unity 3D can also be used to createcontent which can be viewed using Google Cardboard or a similar device. If you arelookingforawaytocapture3Dmodelsbasedonobjectsintherealworld,thenaproductknownasStructureSensormightbe justwhatyouare lookingfor. It isacamerawhichattaches toa tabletorsmartphoneandcreates3Dscansof imagesbasedon thepicturesyoutake. Itworksforalmostanything including, furniture, rooms,evenpeoplewhoarestandingstill.

Anotheroptionifyouareinterestedincreatingcontentbutdon’tactuallywanttodoallofthe work yourself there are already a number of companies on the market which arewilling to do all of this work for you. Taking this route is not cheap however as anexample from the company Matterport will show. For starters, you need a Matterportspecific camera which they are currently offering for $4,500 as well as a monthlymembership for $50. This doesn’t include the actual content creation process which isquotedasvaryingbasedontherequestsoftheclient.

AdditionalEducation

Ifyouareinterestedinaneducationthatisalittlemoreformal,thereareawidevarietyofuniversitiesbothphysicalandonline thatarealreadyofferingcourses in360-degree3Dvirtual realityprograming.Whilephysicaluniversityclasses tend tobemoreexpensive,youcanfindaclassthatwillteachyouthebasicsofeitherUnity3D,Unreal4orcourseson specific versions of virtual reality hardware for usually around $50. In addition tothese, thedesignoptionsoffered inprogramssuchasSecondLifeandOpenSimprovide

newcreatorswithaplethoraofeasytouseworldbuildingtools.

For those looking foramore formaleducation, startingwith thebasicsof3Drenderingand common code languages including Java or C# is considered a good place to start.Learningtomanipulateobjectsina360-degreespaceisonlygoingtobecomemoreofanindemandskillasvirtualrealitycontinues to takeoff.Therewillsoonbeademandforthose with virtual reality development skills to create content with a wide variety ofapplications including things like real estate, tourism, education, law enforcement,manufacturingbusiness,medicineandmore.

Chapter5:TheFutureofVirtualRealityMainstreamconcerns

While a numberof virtual reality devices exist for usewith smartphonesor tablets, thefirstofthetruevirtualrealitydevices,theOculusRift,willreleasethisspringwitharetailpriceof$599plusthecostofafairlyrobustcomputertorunitone.Thisraisesconcernsastovirtualreality’sultimatemarketpenetrationwhichiskeywhenattemptingtoconvincecompanies to create content for them. With that being said, Facebook spent 2 billiondollars to acquire theOculus so it is safe to say thatMarkZuckerberg at least expectsvirtualrealitytotakeoffinabigway.

The Oculus Rift’s creator Palmer Luckey knows the challenges VR will face in thecomingyearsandhasgoneonrecordassayingthathebelievesitwill takeroughlyfiveyearsforvirtualrealitytogainarealfootholdamongmiddleAmerica.Justbecauseitwillbeanichemarketforthenear-futuredoesn’tmeantheearlyadoptionrateswillnecessarilybesmallhoweverasindustrygiantNVidiaestimatesthattherewillbe13millionpersonalcomputersworldwidethatarecapableofcomfortablyrunningthecurrentroundofvirtualrealitydevicesbythebeginningof2017.

In addition to these numbers it is important to remember that Sony already has aworldwideuserbaseof35millionPlayStation4videogamesystemsandeachofthoseisalready ready to use thePlayStationVRestimated to be launching in theFall of 2016.Likewise, analyst firmsare alreadypredicting a spending spreeon smartphone-centeredvirtualrealitydevicestothetuneofseveralbilliondollarsin2016withtheSamsungGearVR already leading the charge. At the other end of the spectrum for the Gear VR isGoogle Cardboard and its host of competitors which means that virtual realityaugmentationwill range from$30 toat least$600 in2016whichmeans the lengthandbreadthofthecurrenttechnologymarketwillbeshillingvirtualrealityintheshorttermattheveryleast.

Ifvirtualrealityistobesuccessful,high-endconceptswillhavetosucceedinsuchawaythat they become cheaper with future versions, much like how smartphones caught ondespitetheoriginaliPhone’ssteep-for-the-timeprice.Inaddition,however,therewillneedtobearelativelycheapandeffectiveproductthatbringsvirtualrealitytosmartphonesinawaythatmakesiteasyformainstreamsocietytounderstandandbegintousetheproductfor everyday tasks. This is themost likely scenario for the current infatuationwith the

technologytolastlongenoughtocreatetrueadoptionsomefiveyearsdowntheroad.

Multi-tasking

WhentheoriginalOculusRiftappearedonKickstarter(andsucceededtothetuneof$2.4milliondollars,asumunheardofonthewebsiteatthetime)itwasbilledasavideogamedevice.ItshipswithtwogameswhenitreleasesinMarchandpromisesawidevarietyoftitles,100 inall,by theendof theyear.Likewise,Sony ispushingPlayStationVRandcountlessothergamedevelopersarehardatworkonnewcontentwithnewvirtualrealitydemonstrations takingupspaceat theyearlyE3videogames industryconferencefor thepastthreeyears.Andyet,ifvirtualrealityisgoingtoeverbreakintothemainstreamitisimportantthatothertypesofcontentwhichusethetechnologystartcomingtolight,andsoon.

OfitsacquisitionofOculusRift,Facebookannouncedplanstofocusongamestostartbutalso plans to create a platformwhereby people canwatch televised content, interact inclassroom setting or even see a virtual doctor. These types of experiences are alreadyavailabletosomeextentandcanbeseeninseveraltrainingoreducationalcontexts.Earlyadopters have also begin taking the first steps into virtual realitymovies,with sportingevents, music performances and even pornography being recorded with 360-degreeviewinginmind.

LuckeyPalmeralsoenvisionsafuturewherechildrenaregiventheopportunitytogoonfield trips farbeyondwhere the localschoolbuscould take them.“Kidsdon’t learn thebest by reading books,” he noted at the 2015 Web Summit. Along these same lines,Google is already working with schools to implement its Expeditions software whichsimulatesrealworldlocationswiththehelpofsmartphonesandGoogleCardboard.

Anumberofadditionaleducationalvirtualrealityexperimentsarecomingonlinein2016includingtheBritishMuseum’svirtualtourofthebronzeage,avirtualrecreationoftheApollomon landing and a programusedbyNASAand runningon thePlayStationVRwhich trains its operators to use the robotic arms currently in use on the space station.These are all steps in the right direction but getting virtual reality devices into theeducationsystemaroundtheworldonalargescaleisanimportantstepintocreatinganunderstanding thatvirtual realityhasusesoutsideofnichegamingopportunities for thewelltodo.

Anotherpromisingareaofgrowthinthisarenaistherecentstringoffilmsthathavebeenreleased with virtual reality or 360-degree views in mind. The New York Times has

alreadylaunchedavirtualrealityapplicationashasABCNewsandtheTraverseCityFilmFestival awarded the virtual reality warzone filmWelcome to Aleppo with its highesthonorsinlate2015.

OculusRifthasalreadyfoundedafilmsdivisionforworkonnarrativeworksinthefictionspaceandwhileLucasfilmreleasedanumberof shortvideos ina360-degree format torelative acclaimprior to the releaseofStarWars:TheForceAwakens,EdCatmull, co-founder of Pixar is doubtful the publicwill be enjoying virtual realitymovies anytimesoon.Hebelievesthatvirtualrealityexperienceswillinherentlybemorelikevideogamesandassuchlargelybeopposedtolinearstorytelling.“It’sallforaveryclearpurpose,youaren’tjustwanderingaroundintheworld.”

Physicalconcerns

Whileitisclearthatmanypeopleareextremelyanxiousforvirtualrealitytotakeoffinabigway,thereisstillaveryrealquestionastojusthowmuchvirtualrealitytheaveragepersoncantake.Whilethetechnologyanddevelopmentframeworkwhenitcomestohowmovementinvirtualrealityishandled,somepeoplestillseemtofindthemselvesviolentlyillwithmotionsicknesswheneverthecamerasomuchastwitchesandthereasonsbehindthisstillarenotentirelyclear.Currentlytheexperienceisalsoknowntocauseeyestrainand headaches in some people and both theOculus Rift and theGear VR recommendtakingabreakfor10-minutesafterevery30-minutesofuse.

What’smorethereisawarningoneachthatwarnsusernottorideabikeordriveacaroroperateheavymachineryifthefeel“odd”afterausagesession. Ifthespecificnegativeeffectsof thedevicearestill listedassomethingasvagueas“odd” then there isclearlymoretothiswholevirtualrealityquestionthandoctorsandscientistshavequitebeenableto crack. Even among those in the virtual reality and augmented reality fields there issomedebateastotheeffectsoftechnologiesthatarealreadyseeingrelativelywidespreadadoption.Forexample,GoogleAugmentedRealityfirmCEOMagicLeaprecentlywentonrecordassayhebelievesthatstereoscopic3Dheadsets(thinkGoogleCardboardandothers)hasthepotentialtobringonneurologicchangesinitsusers.

CurrentlyscientistslikeJeremyBaliensonfromStanfordUniversitypointsoutthatthereis not yet any real-word data that shows how virtual reality experiences, especiallyextremelylifelikeonescanaffectthebrainpatternsofthosethatviewthem.Hewonderswhatwillhappenwhensimulationsofthislikesexandviolencebecomelifelikeenoughtoalterbrainchemistry.“Howwillthatalterthewayhumansocietyfunctionsandinteracts,”hewonders.

Inaddition,theisolationfactormaycomeintoplayasmanyofthedaytodayactionswithotherpeoplewetakeforgrantedareslowlyerased.Determininghowvirtualrealityaffectsthewaythatpeopleinteractwithoneanotherisanotherkeyfactorindeterminingtherolethatvirtualrealityhasinsocietytenorevenfiveyearsfromnot.Thepotentialforvirtualrealitycandomuchtoalterthefuturebutisresponsibleusewillbemarkedbyacarefulconsiderationofitscostsaswellasitsbenefits.

ConclusionThankyouagainfordownloadingthisbook!Ihopeitwasabletoprovideyouwithalltheinformationyouneedtoknowabouttheburgeoningstateofvirtualrealitydevelopmentatthe first half of2016.The remainingmonthsof thisyear seem likely tounleashvirtualrealityon themasses inaway thatwaspreviouslyonlydreamtabout in science fictionstories.

Regardlessofwhichversionofvirtualrealityyouintendedtobackitismostlikelybesttowaitfortheproducttobecomeavailableonthemarketbeforemakingyourchoiceratherthanpre-orderingaheadoftimeaswithanascenttechnologysuchasthisyouneverreallyknowwhatyouaregoingtoget.

Finally,ifyouenjoyedthisbook,thenI’dliketoaskyouforafavor,wouldyoubekindenoughtoleaveareviewforthisbookonAmazon?It’dbegreatlyappreciated!

MauricioDelaOrta