Unity Virtual Reality Projects [Kindle版]

this book focuses solely on Virtual Reality (VR) over Augmented Reality (AR) solutions. In its pages you’ll discover how VR apps and games differ from their desktop counterparts and what really goes in to making them (especially focusing on scale!, very important), walks you through several different types of VR solutions like Diorama’s, First person controllers, riding on rails (like a rollercoaster), 360 projections (you are IN the painting) and social VR. You’ll even delve in to several VR implementations inside Unity 5 such as the Oculus rift and (for those of you without a few hundred £ or $ to spare) Google cardboard.

Virtually everything for everyone

As expected, the beginning chapter talks thoroughly about what VR is and what it isn’t, together with an in-depth comparison between VR and AR. It also goes through all the different VR style experiences and how these apply to both apps and games. Finally it covers some of the technical skills you’ll need (yes you do need Math!) to build effective VR solutions.
Objects and scale

A no-nonsense intro to Unity (practically just one page, which I like because too many titles waffle on about “installing unity”) followed by a deep dive into creating your first VR scene, before finishing off with a high level walkthrough creating a basic asset in Blender (a free 3D modelling tool) and importing it in to Unity, keeping an eye on the all-important scale (I did say scale is important!)
VR Build and run

So you have your VR scene, now what? Time to get it on a device, whatever you have to hand. This chapter does a nice big overview of the many options of building your VR solution through Unity, focusing eventually on building for the Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard (if you are buying this book, you should have some spare change for a cardboard device at least, especially since the Vis-VR is only £2.50, oh and you’ll need a mobile device as well Open-mouthed smile)
Gaze-based control

In this chapter you’ll implement a gaze based control system (point and click for your eyes), together with some third person basic AI and nav meshes.
World space UI

Time to start messing with the new UI system and building a World Space UI for your VR viewer to see and use in your VR scenes. Not quite the full Iron Man overlay but close. It does cover however, a basic Visor, reticule, windshield hud, info bubbles and much more.
First-person character

Switching gear, it’s time to get behind the eyes of the player and allow them to “play as themselves”. Walking through all the tips and tricks necessary to not have your player vomiting all over the floor and ripping off the goggles, it’s important to ensure your player has a good experience in your VR environment.
Physics and the environment

Taking the first-person view up a notch, the author adds a little physicality to the player’s experience, allowing them to jump and knock stuff over. Not quite the VOID experience (if you don’t click on that link, you are truly missing out!) but virtually close.
Walk-throughs and rendering

So far the player has been in control, but some experiences work best if they just sit back and relax, letting you guide them around a scene or view (getting out of a rollercoaster while it’s moving is not recommended, even in VR!). This chapter covers building a tour scene, putting some more blender content to work and making the best out of the scene, while keeping a firm eye on what you need to do to provide the best performance with the hardware you have at your disposal.
Using all 360 degrees

(I Hands down love the image that introduces this chapter Open-mouthed smile)
With another slant on VR we enter the art world, or more poignantly, 3D imagery and photosphere’s. Taking a whole world scene for the user to view and explore, taking a flat image and wrapping it around the viewers head.
Social VR Metaverse

Akin to Neil Stephenson’s Snow Crash, the author breaks down those single player walls in a VR experience and explores what more than one person can do in the MetaVerse, building a VR chat room when multiple VR participants can enter a room and talk (like your everyday meetings but FUN).

Pros / Cons and conclusion

Overall, I’m very impressed with this title, both for its content and approach but also because the author writes and thinks like me Open-mouthed smile. There is a very clear intention to structure the content so that it is easily read and informs the reader at a clear pace. Also unlike the previous title, it covers a much more varied level of content and approaches to VR. As books go, it’s one of the best ones I’ve read recently (baring my own Smile with tongue out of course), certainly one to pick up if you want to get serious about VR.
Pro’s

Good fundamentals backed with practical examples
You’ll get several projects with a great variety of approaches, just about everything you would need for VR

Con’s

For once I’m stumped. I simply have nothing bad to say on this title. Fantastic effort!

This was an excellent book to work through. I have learned so much and am excited to try out some of the ideas on my own projects. I enjoyed it so much, that I am planning on working through the entire book again from page one. Well done to the author - I would recommend it to anyone interested in developing for virtual reality!

Highly recomendable.
Very nice conceptual, startingpoint for learning about vr. Easy going practical examples makes you grasp the points without going bananas in the process

List the basic points of building VR application from Unity.