Platforms that enable you to create new realities experiences
Want to get started with AR/VR/MR? Have a look at the process and the tools & how to use them to create a complete AR/VR/MR experience!
What is New realities? & What is AR/VR/MR?
Augmented reality (AR), Virtual reality (VR), Mixed reality (MR) may sound similar but each of these applies to different experiences. In AR objects are superimposed over the real world mainly through a phone or a tablet. VR is an experience where your whole surroundings are changing and you are no longer connected to the real world. MR is an experience which helps us blend best of both the AR & VR worlds meaning we can experience interaction with virtual objects along with the goodness of the real world merely by using glasses or lenses, without the need of a handheld device!
New realities is a collection of all these mentioned technologies which will create immersive experiences mainly for leisure purposes but also for day to day tasks in the near future. This also includes the Metaverse, the most talked about word in the last year, which we will briefly read about further in the article.
Designing for AR/VR/MR
Like any other form of design, for the design of new realities also comprises certain processes to be followed in order to reach closer to creating a unique AR/VR/MR experience.
Whether you want to publish your designs to metaverse or you want to create your own AR/VR application, the steps you should be following include basics like creating of the assets mainly in 3d, to some complex things like uploading those assets to certain platform, probably creating interactions with them or even gamifying them and ultimately publishing them to certain platform in order to make it public.
Asset creation
The very first step in any design process is always the generation of assets, in case of new realities, 3D assets are the key. Now there are multiple ways to gain these assets, it can be either through a purchase made online with the help of NFTs (Non-fungible tokens) or they can be self-created assets using the various 3D design tools available.
What tools to use depends on what type of assets you want to create! We also need to look at a range of specifics like whether you are an experienced 3D modeler or a newbie trying to get your hands dirty and experimenting with multiple tools.
1. Blender
This is one of the tools that support all the stages of 3D asset creation — Modeling, rigging, animation, rendering, motion tracking, and more. This tool is one of the most recent entries into the 3D market, and the best part is it is a completely free and open-source suite. Blender has a very friendly user interface with lesser complexity compared to other tools. This is highly recommended for those who are just starting out in the new realities domain! That being said, it does not mean you cannot reach for the skies with your designs using this tool!
2. 3Ds Max/Maya
3Ds Max and Maya are both platforms with a wide tool set for the creation of 3D assets. Although these tools have some different features, they are both provided by Autodesk and have been in the market for a long. These tools can be used to create really complex 3D projects, and the tool set also might be a little bit more complicated. These are recommended for those who want to focus on creating their assets from scratch and even for those who are thinking about selling them as NFTs!
Creation of quick AR mockups and publishing
The following augmented reality tools give designers the opportunity to create something amazing in a quick way, which earlier felt like something which is very futuristic and far-fetched.
So once you have the assets with you, you are now ready to start exploring these tools to get your AR projects up and running!
1. Spark AR
This tool has become extremely famous in the last couple of years for the purpose of creating of Instagram filters. Now, face filters may be the major feature of this tool owned by Facebook, but it is not the only one. This app in-fact holds a lot of potential to create and publish a lot of AR concepts, say for local businesses, online marketplaces, or even for educational purposes. Although this tool also has some potential for asset creation, it is recommended to use this in combination with a pure asset creation tool like Blender.
2. 8th wall
This is one of the most widely used WebAR platforms where you can create interactive AR experiences. The most helpful feature of this tool is that it has a huge set of examples in its library which are published by various people and which makes the learning curve go pretty fast. 8th wall does offer free trials, but you will have to buy personal/corporate packages in order to be able to publish your projects!
3. Adobe Aero
Aero has gained popularity for being the only all-in-one platform where you can create, author, and publish projects, making it easier for designers & developers to collaborate and create immersive experiences. It is also said to be an easy-to-learn AR creation platform, and of course, being an Adobe tool, provides the advantage of being able to import assets easily from other Adobe tools.
Platforms for VR/MR design and publishing
Similar to the AR tools, there are multiple VR tools available in the market, most of which allow both asset creation as well as publishing the projects. However, it is recommended that these tools be used in combination with tools specific to 3D asset creation like blender or other.
1. Unity
This tool is mainly a cross-platform game production engine, but also widely used to create VR experiences for different domains. The key feature of this tool is that it has a huge learning portal where a designer can get access to a variety of courses and examples. Unity has this ecosystem of tools which can help you develop good VR experiences.
2. Unreal Engine
This tool offers a huge set of VR development tools, with the help of which you can build complete VR experiences. The key feature of this tool is that it will work with multiple platforms like the Samsung Gear VR, Sony, Oculus and more.
3. Cross platform SDK’s
Google VR SDK is created for the development of content for Google cardboard VR headsets. However other than this it also offers compatibility with other popular VR platforms like Oculus Rift, Oculus Go, Google Daydream, HTC Vive, Lenovo Mirage and more. That said, all of these platforms also offer their own SDKs for individual development.
Metaverse publishing platforms
What is Metaverse?..the buzzword..It is nothing but a social media platform based on virtual reality. You create your own virtual identity, interact with people, make friends, take part in leisure activities, get work/business done, and much more! & all this just sitting in one place with your headsets on! That said Metaverse is not something that can be defined in a few sentences, it is a constantly evolving, constantly changing technology that will not become the key of our world but might be something which the generations to come will be conveniently and constantly using.
Metaverse being a fairly new concept, the development and publishing platforms are a little bit of an unknown domain for most of us. Here are a few platforms to give you an idea of how you can go about finding the best one that suits your requirements. The key element for any of these platforms is that you need to have a Digital Wallet, which is nothing but a tool to bridge between blockchain and decentralized applications. So with this wallet you will be able to manage all your profile, funds, transactions, security, and more.
1. Decentraland
This is a tool where you can buy your own space, create, explore and trade in the virtual world. The key feature of this tool is that it has both browser versions and also downloadable desktop versions..
2. The Sandbox
This tool is similar to any other Metaverse platform functionality wise, however, the first look of this is very interesting where it shows the map of the entire virtual world, where you can zoom in, walk through peoples land, buy a piece of land and so on.
In summary
Defining the new realities in words does not do justice, the best example of what the future reality/metaverse might end up looking like is the movie/book ‘Ready player one’. Although hopefully, it won’t remain just as a means to escape our current reality but rather enhance it and seamlessly blend with our real world for various occupational purposes!
Companies in various domains like Entertainment, Education, Automobile, Retail and more are already using the above mentioned tools to gain their space in the New realities domain. And since they are going through a fast paced development, as of now we might be using new realities mainly for leisure purposes but it won’t be long before it becomes a part of our daily lives!
If you loved reading this article, get ready to explore more such interesting insights into new realities from the forward-thinkers, innovators and emerging leaders.
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