The Spotlite: Progress In VR

The world of Virtual Reality can be more about what you hear is going on than you what see happening. This past month has been all about finally seeing in VR applied! It’s been a big month for this technology so let's get right to it...

Get ready to dive into VR with YouTube VR and Cinema 4D

We all saw the Mark Zuckerberg announcement, "I'm excited to announce that we've agreed to acquire Oculus VR, the leader in virtual reality technology." He is clearly ‘bout it with the VR, and now it is easier than ever to share 360 video VR content on Facebook and Youtube. Without much content however, all we’ve really seen are 360 degree VR music videos. Well get ready because Youtube and Facebook are going to become VR central anyday now….

Now let’s talk content...Content creation for VR just got a whole lot more manageable, and we can now do Octane renders in Cinema 4d, post them to Youtube and have a 360 degree flythrough of any environment. These videos can be distributed via YouTube VR or Facebook and viewed with a smartphone and inexpensive Google Cardboard headset.

Cineversity provides an excellent tutorial series:

“You’ll learn how to create VR content for YouTube or Facebook in MAXON’s Cinema 4D, using a Cineversity-exclusive plugin with the Advanced or Physical Render or rendering directly using Octane for Cinema 4D. You’ll learn a bit of VR theory and important design considerations when creating pre-rendered VR content.” - Cineversity

The Birth of Ozo: The Virtual Reality Camera

Speaking of Virtually Reality content becoming simple to create, Ozo the virtual reality camera is a game changer. Ozo deemed a step forward in the evolution of camera technology has the capability to capture immersive realities with a 360 degree camera angle. With 8 lenses at 195 degree field of view and 8 microphones, this 360 degree camera is certainly an elegant design.

Ozo can record stereoscopic 3D video and spatial audio through eight synchronized shutters and integrated microphones. The camera can operate wirelessly and can record video with all the data stored as a single file, or capture it for live broadcast. “An exciting moment in an industry that is just getting started.” - Ramzi Haidamus, President of Nokia TECH

The Samsung Internet for Gear VR

The development in the virtual reality industry just wouldn’t be complete without the ability to browse the web in VR. Good thing Samsung came through with an app called the “Samsung Internet for Gear VR.” It is the first browser app for a consumer VR device.

According to Samsung, it “allows users to intuitively browse the web and enjoy content in a more immersive atmosphere.” Users can:

• Stream video content: 360-degree, 3D, and HTML5
• No longer have to download content beforehand
• It also allows you to use it like a regular browser: Type in a URL, and go to a web page.

Just get ready to be annoyed with the typing - jerking your head around to put in a URL may not be the best use of this app. Be assured there is some Oculus-powered fun at hand with this app, just try it.

Jack in and jump into the world of VR

With so many developments in virtual reality this year, we can expect it to become a lot more accessible and mainstream in the near future. As we speak, (while you read technically) you can view a Megadeath concert, get in shape, train robots, play pinball and quest in the now immersive world of D&D, all in stunning virtual reality.

Who would have thought the tools needed to view VR would be so user and wallet friendly - Samsung gear VR headset run for only $99 and the google cardboard is even less. SO now is the best time to jack in and jump into the world of VR.