Virtual reality (VR) is not only the new, hot thing in consumer products, it is poised to have a big impact on the learning industry. At ILG, we’re really excited about VR, and a couple of my colleagues have already given presentations about it.
Me? I’ve been making good progress on a journey toward developing great VR learning solutions and have been learning about some of the available VR tools. Below are tools I’ve selected based on a combination of their quality and low cost of entry:
- Unity: https://unity3d.com/
- Unity VR: https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials/topics/virtual-reality/vr-overview
- HTC VIVE SteamVR Software Development Kit: https://www.htcdev.com/devcenter/opensense-sdk/htc-vive-steamvr-sdk
- Blender: https://www.blender.org/
Learning about VR isn’t just trying out new software. I’ve also been learning as much as I can by getting my hands on books and online resources, and attending local professional associations. I’ve found the resources listed below to be especially helpful for newcomers:
- Unity Virtual Reality Projects by Jonathan Linowes: https://www.amazon.com/Virtual-Reality-Projects-Jonathan-Linowes/dp/178398855X/
- Unity 3D Tutorials: https://unity3d.com/learn/tutorials
In the name of research, I’ve also spent a good bit of time investigating different VR learning solutions and games available for free on the Steam store for HTC VIVE at:
It’s been fascinating to experience all that’s possible with VR. I’ve found that using VR applications developed by others provides food for thought and creative ideas as I begin to dip my toe into developing VR learning solutions.
Information is coming fast and furious. I hope the resources I’ve provided help point you in the right direction so you, too, can go on your own journey into VR. If you’ve already started learning about VR, I’d love to hear about the resources and tools you’ve researched and/or found helpful.