The 3 enablers for knowledge democratization in XR
If you have never heard of XR (stands for Extended Reality), it’s the umbrella term that covers AR (Augmented Reality), VR (Virtual Reality) and MR (Mixed Reality). You are probably familiar with the buzz around this sector that has significantly increased during the last decade and certainly it is going to keep growing in the coming years. The attention towards this market has attracted investors, companies, professionals and enthusiasts who do not want to miss an opportunity and want to be part of it. Innovation never sleeps, billions of dollars have been invested in hardware, software and research, which makes it attractive for people who want to learn new skills and produce content in this market. I would say that we are living in a Knowledge Democratization era in which communities around this matter are being built thanks to networking and collaborative learning among its users.
Learning new skills is one of the best ways to add value to our careers when we think about staying relevant in the market, especially nowadays that technology is evolving fast and is forcing us to grow with it as well. Adding a solid foundation of 3D theory could help you extend your creativity and innovation powers regardless of the industry you work in.
The Power of Knowledge
Working at Technology Consulting has exposed me to different IT profiles that I was not used to work with in past. I’ve heard many times people sharing ideas they believe could be the next AR/VR killer app, but due to their lack of technical knowledge on the subject, are far from being feasible. It’s easy to let our imagination run free when we hear about successful business cases or news in the sector. Tomer Sharon, author of a few must-read UX books, guides us about how we can work on what we love, which also applies to what we were previously saying about feasibility. He says:
“Passion is not necessarily the only way to decide what to work on. There should be a combination between Ability, Need and Passion. (Ability) Can you even do that? Do people actually Need that thing that you are thinking of?” — It can’t be a combination of only two, otherwise it would be art, fantasy or work.
Free Software
Back when I was a student, most of the software that we learnt and used as Designers were Autodesk or Adobe paid software licenses. Blender was the only free option, its non-existent payment barrier differentiated it from other similar software in the market, allowing people to use it as a one-time experiment or a full-time job commitment. For more than 20 years Blender has run through a model called Blender Development Fund, in which people and companies have supported future updates to the software and keep running this free-download model. Since the release of Blender 2.8 many top tech companies joined the Fund, including Apple, Microsoft, Meta, AWS and even Unity and Epic Games.
Ten years later, more free-to-use options are available to play around with AR and VR. Meta and Snapchat have SparkAR and Lens Studio, their own AR software that allows users to create content for their platforms. In case you are more confident with your 3D skills and want to try VR, game engines such as Unreal Engine or Unity could be another option as well.
Digital Communities
We mentioned the importance of having a solid 3D Foundation, especially if you are a 3D Artist in the making or a developer interested in XR. Users such as Blender Guru or Flipped Normals, to name some of my favorites, have been active in the community sharing knowledge, tutorials and making it easy to learn 3D whether you are a beginner or an experienced user. Knowledge and tutors are one click away, empowering people with new skills.
But what happens when there’s a whole bunch of content and you don’t know where to start? Online-learning platforms have emerged as well, giving users the facility to start their learning journey in a structured way and giving exposure to subject matter experts. The learning process is not only in the classrooms anymore. Social Apps and groups have arise with this, allowing people to connect with others who have the same interest and speeding the learning curve .
I would say that this is the right time if you have been considering on learning a specific skill for XR development. Opportunities in this sector will keep growing and having a solid knowledge in this are can open many doors for your career. Yes, there’s a lot of free material online but don’t underestimate your time. I highly suggest you to invest in complementary courses/tutorials if you find yourself frustrated with the pace of your learning process. Try to connect with other people through Discord, Facebook or Whatsapp groups. In my experience, people are always happy to help and also eager to share news and updates they learnt along their way.
Online Recommendations
You can check out some popular Youtube users
Or check the official pages
