Virtual reality (VR) still sounds like dreams of the future. But this is no longer the case, as VR has been used by companies and private individuals for several months and years.
VR can be described as a computer simulated environment that mimics the physical presence in a real world. To experience the VR world, the user needs a stereoscopic Head Mounted Display (HMD). The most advanced HMD on the market today is Oculus Rift. However, Oculus Rift is not the only device that lets you immerse yourself in virtual worlds. There are also other more affordable options, such as Google Cardboard, Samsung Gear VR and Zeiss’s VR One. All these devices use their iPhone or Android smartphone to display virtual videos.
In the following article we would like to show you how you can use VR technology in app development.
How can VR be used in an app?
There are at least four industries that have already used VR technology.
The real estate company Panoptic Group worked with Arch Virtual last year to develop VR tours in VR to present real estate properties to customers in new ways. According to Panoptic Group, VR helps them sell real estate much faster because people can get a feel for the inside of a house and its grounds without having to be there themselves. The Panoptic Group uses Oculus Rift, which is connected to a compatible PC but is not compatible with mobile devices. They have not yet converted their technology into a mobile app.
Similar to Arch Virtual, Start VR is another company that produces both 360-degree videos and photo-realistic 3D worlds for its customers. Their projects range from property tours to mindful entertainment apps. Start VR has created an app for the Australian residential developer EDGE 28. If clients have a smartphone and a VR headset, they can view the properties in 3D before they even set foot in the company’s office.
Travel industry.
The Ascape VR app is a great example of VR for the travel industry. Developed by Yalantis for one of our clients, Ascape allows users to take VR tours of some of the largest cities in the world. Tip: You can even visit the monuments of Pyongyang. Maybe you weren’t planning to visit North Korea, but apps like Ascape can help you find out where you want to go on your next vacation and can help you plan your visit in advance. All this can be achieved with just a smartphone and a VR headset. At the moment the app is only available for Android, but it will soon be released for iOS as well.
Ascape sells VR 360 degree videos from private content producers.
Automotive industry.
The automotive industry has already introduced VR. Companies like Ford and Audi have created 3D experiences that allow customers to try out and customize different car models before they even see the car in real life. This is practical because it can lead to faster decisions by customers and allows the manufacturer to show new vehicle models before the prototype is built. While Ford and Audi use the Oculus Rift for their VR programs, Volvo has actually released a VR app that allows customers to test the Volvo XC90 from the comfort of their sofa. The Volvo XC90 test drive offers 360-degree video footage with a 3D animation of the car’s interior.
Education.
A well known fact about education is that students remember and understand the teaching material better when they experience it rather than reading about it. This is why excursions are very important in most schools. VR can now actually make it possible to take excursions directly from the classroom.
Vessels VR produces a great VR learning experience for primary school children: about the body’s circulation with Oculus Rift. Since you can’t really record a 3D video in the human body, Vessels VR had to rely on 3D animation. They will use both models from the Oculus Rift Development Kit and put everything together in Unity 3D. You can watch the project on Kickstarter.
EON Reality offers a library of educational VR experiences in 3D as apps. It offers VR app development for educational projects.
Even though VR has already found its way to mobile apps, there is still no killer app that can really immerse masses of people in the world of science fiction. VR technology is still in its early stages, but is developing rapidly. If you start developing your app now, in a few years it could become something we can’t even imagine.
How you can develop content for a VR app.
There are two ways to create content for your VR application:
Of the two ways to create VR content, capturing a 360-degree video is the more cost-effective solution because your only costs are the camera and possible editing costs. 360-degree video is useful when you want to capture footage of a real-world event. This could be a concert or the awarding of the Nobel Prize.
To record 360 degree videos, you first need a 360 degree bullet camera. The most popular options are 360Heroes or RICOH THETA. More products are expected to be available soon. When choosing a camera, it is important to ensure that you can capture the best possible video quality.
When filming, it is important to hold the camera in a steady position. When the camera is moving, it must maintain smooth movements, otherwise it will cause motion sickness for the user.
There are several ways to film while the camera is held in a stable position. It depends on what kind of video you want to achieve. Here are some of the most common options:
The equipment you use will be visible in the shots. If you want, you can edit the video afterwards to hide it.
Since VR is a relatively new product, there aren’t as many tools for editing videos, but as with any other equipment, it’s only a matter of time before more VR products will be available. However, if you want to show something that you can’t capture in the real world, you’ll need to create a 3D animation of it.
3D Animation for VR.
3D animations offer the advantage that the user can look freely over the room he is in. In a 360-degree video, users are always fixed in the same place and can only look around by panning on the spot. But with 3D animations, users can actually click buttons that allow them to move around the virtual world – in best Google Street View style. With 3D animation, users can also lean forward and look at things more closely, as they would in real life.
A simple solution for a 3D model is to purchase the structure sensor. The structure sensor is a camera that you can attach to a tablet. It works like a 3D scanner that captures everything in the real world and immediately creates 3D models of it. The Structure Sensor works with any sensor, but best of all with an iPad.
Another possibility is to create a 3D VR experience through game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine. These are mainly used for game development, but can also be used for interior design or any other 3D construction. Both Unity and Unreal Engine have many tutorials on their sites to make it easy for developers to use the technology.
But you don’t necessarily have to do all the hard work yourself. There are already companies that are willing to create the content for you. The only question here is: How much does it cost to create VR content?
You can keep an eye on Matterport, a company that reconstructs real rooms in 3D, such as the interior of a building. Soon there will be a VR showcase showing 3D designs through the newly released Samsung Gear VR. Matterport provides 3D models for real estate, hotels, the construction industry, retail, insurance and public institutions. To create a 3D environment, all you have to do is scan a location with the Matterport camera and send it to Matterport via its cloud.
When you receive a 3D model from Matterport, you purchase a Matterport camera (€4,500) and access to the Matterport cloud (from €49 / month).
As VR technology is developing so fast, we expect more companies like Matterport to offer similar services in the near future.
VR content still needs to be perfected. The technology is still in its early stages. Low resolutions, latency and the “screen door effect”, i.e. the visibility of the lines separating pixels in a screen, are among the most common problems that destroy the illusion of being physically in a different place. However, the growing interest in this technology suggests that these problems will soon be solved. VR is already so fascinating and we can expect a mass application case for VR to be invented soon. When that happens, it will be impossible to imagine our lives without VR.
Thank you very much for your visit.