How to create artificial reality experiences

Insight

How to create artificial reality experiences

With the Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) market worth an estimated $150 billion across the world, there are projections that AR and VR tech is going to be as big as the internet in the coming years. SAE Games Program Chair and Senior Lecturer, Geoff Hill shares how you can create your own artificial reality experiences and make your dreams a reality.

Person wearing VR headset and hand controllers

By the SAE team

Know the basics

I would start by engaging with the software development and creative side of making AR and VR applications. What this means is you need to learn the basics about working inside a games engine – which is the tool used to build an augmented VR application.

Learning the technical tools associated with that as well as the design and artistic skills required to meet some of the basic requirements of presenting your work will give you a great start.

What’s the value of AR and VR?

AR and VR are platforms for interaction much like a mouse and a keyboard you’d use on a computer. When we talk about AR and VR it doesn’t even need to be experiences for entertainment value, it could be classed as ‘serious games’ or ones that provide strategic solutions for organisations or businesses. AR and VR is about solving real world problems in an artificial environment.

Collaboration

With interactive applications like AR and VR, it’s a real merging of disciplines. What I mean by this is you’re going to have to collaborate with people who can build 3D models, animations, and environments for you. You’ll also need to get someone with design experience who can program these elements in so they can hook them up to a game’s engine – which can present all the 3D models, animations and environments in VR.

A core part of any of our bachelors and diploma courses at SAE is the project management of documentation and managing the different facets that go into AR and VR experiences.

Create your future

If you want to go on and make a consumer-facing experience or one for a client, you’ll need to know how to engage with animation and audio experts, and programmers to help build the whole product and experience for you.

Interested in studying ARVR?

Students are guided by experts in the field who provide deep knowledge in AR, VR and MR, haptic technologies, human-computer interaction and prototyping.

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