1Industry pattern

Currently, the VR industry is centered on head-mounted display equipment, covering three major business segments: hardware, content production, and platform distribution; VR is an industry with a relatively long industry chain , Has the foundation and potential for the industry to expand; the VR industry will still take time to break out, and the VR industry is facing the critical point of switching from the B-side application to the C-side market; the future VR industry in China is likely to repeat the previous smart phone ” story”.

In the three major business segments of hardware, content and distribution, hardware is the core and foundation. Currently, three major foreign manufacturers dominate. The content is currently lacking. The current distribution platform has not formed a complete ecosystem. The future content distribution will be Hardware giants are more likely to dominate, but there are still opportunities for professional segmented distribution platforms.

1.1 Hardware

The current hardware design logic lies in: starting from the content, consider how to make the hardware architecture make the content better.

In terms of head-mounted display equipment, the three major foreign manufacturers, Oculus, HTC vive, and Sony, have taken the leading positions in the market, and have greatly exceeded consumer expectations in terms of user experience and VR immersion. HTC vive relies on precise sportiness to take the lead. The domestic head-mounted VR display industry has begun to take shape. However, among domestic VR head-mounted display products, there are few products that can open up the market and quickly accumulate reputation. Compared with the products of the three major manufacturers, there is still a certain gap in user experience, technical content, and workmanship. From the perspective of product form, the glasses box product is a transitional product. The PC all-in-one provides the best user experience at present, but the mobility is relatively poor; the mobile all-in-one represents the foreign development trend, but currently faces technical shortcomings.

In terms of input and interaction devices, new input interactions are still in the stage of exploration and innovation. At present, they are mainly divided into induction joysticks similar to traditional handles, gesture recognition and gesture capture equipment, and motion capture devices. The improvement of VR accuracy and immersion is based on the sensing system and interactive input devices. In the future, specialized sensing and input devices for VR systems will become the standard configuration of VR hardware, and will greatly expand VR application scenarios and user experience. In the future, eye tracking, gesture recognition, and motion capture are the three major development directions of sensing and input devices.

In terms of VR video shooting equipment, the current production of VR video sources still needs to rely on foreign industrial-grade equipment. This part of the market will be occupied by high-end equipment providers, and domestic manufacturers have no major market opportunities for the time being. Shooting VR video requires video shooting equipment to be able to shoot in all directions in 360 degrees, which requires high technical requirements for the equipment.

1.2 Content

VR content is mainly divided into three parts: VR video, VR game and VR application. VR video and VR games are in the early stages of development, and VR applications are still in the groping stage.

VR applications are currently mainly concentrated in the enterprise-level market, and the future of the industry is promising. However, there is still a time for the industry to break out. It is expected that after the outbreak of VR games and videos, it will enter the peak period of the outbreak. In the future, all aspects of applications are In the attempt, the core element is that VR+ can help specific industries achieve higher efficiency or innovative business models. In the short term, industry application investment opportunities are relatively small, and more are in the stage of exploration and experimentation.

1.3 Distribution platform

In terms of content distribution, from the perspective of content distribution channels, it mainly includes online application store distribution and website distribution. Offline distribution mainly includes experience stores and theme park models.

In terms of online channels, the online distribution channels of VR content are mainly based on the channels built by various hardware manufacturers. There is no obvious layout for third-party content distribution platforms. The existing distribution platform has basically no profitability.

In terms of experience stores, hardware manufacturers, system integrators and integrated operators will have advantages in the layout of offline experience stores. In the short term, VR experience stores will maintain rapid growth in number and are favored by capital. After all, the potential market is relatively large, and no brand has established a clear market advantage. But with more and more experience stores, the future will gradually reshuffle.

In terms of theme parks, theme parks provide a richer VR experience that enables multi-person interaction, which is difficult for home scenes and experience stores. Based on this unique interactive experience and stronger passenger flow carrying capacity, theme parks may become an important force on the offline experience battlefield in 2016.

1.4 Current Situation in China

The hardware aspect involves display hardware, somatosensory input, high-end haptic feedback, etc.; in addition, there are VR all-in-one machines, dynamic seats and so on.

Currently, the headsets are doing better, such as big friends, 3G, etc., somatosensory input is ximmers, Noiton, etc. Many companies in Shenzhen are doing all-in-ones, because they are basically foundries. It is difficult to say that the labeling company is a “leading VR technology company”. Dynamic seats have blossomed in 15 years. Companies such as Leke, Wonderland and other companies have launched many products. A wave of market education, but because they are all viewing VR and lack interactivity, they will be eliminated by the market sooner or later.

The software aspect is VR application or game program development. According to the operating carrier, VR is also divided into PC VR, mobile VR (also includes the all-in-one VR with Chinese characteristics). Different operating carriers have to achieve VR effects due to the huge difference in computing performance, and their software development methods are also different. (Such as modeling accuracy, rendering method, etc.).

In terms of software, because major game companies are holding big moves, very little information has been leaked at present. But what is basically certain is that due to the support of professional art, it will not be too difficult for traditional 3D game manufacturers to switch to VR.

In addition, VR video is also a big division of VR applications. Here, video encoding and decoding, network transmission, etc. involve different fields. With a large number of video resources, video sites with video technology have a very large competitive advantage in this area, such as Leshi, Baofeng, etc.

As for VR platforms, Tencent and LeTV have all released their own VR platforms. It is estimated that Penguin will eventually crush everything and create WeChat in the VR industry.

Currently, the VR SDK launched by Nibiru can be compatible with many VR peripherals, which can be regarded as an exploration in VR platformization.

2 Virtual Reality Knowledge List

2.1 Virtual Reality Operating System

Also known as Spirit Realm A technological or artificial environment is a multi-dimensional sensory simulation environment such as vision, hearing, touch, etc., which is generated wholly or partly by a computer. The basic system software that can run directly on the device provides a virtual reality platform for the normal operation of other software.

2.2 Virtual Reality Hardware

Mainly refers to hardware products related to the field of virtual reality technology, which are hardware devices used in virtual reality solutions. At present, hardware equipment is mainly divided into four categories, including modeling equipment, three-dimensional visual display equipment, sound equipment, and interactive equipment.

2.3 Virtual reality content production

It is a virtual world simulated by computer technology, which has the characteristics of immersion, interactivity and multi-perception. It includes related tools and technologies for the entire life cycle of virtual reality content development. It involves specific technologies such as 3D engine, SDK/API, and graphics API.

2.4 App Store/Distribution Platform

This is a collection of virtual reality content production products, which can help virtual reality developers create a product release channel through which developers can quickly Release related virtual reality applications.

3 Virtual Reality Development Tools and Technology

3.1 Peripheral Driver-Nibiru SDK Rui Rui

There are many peripherals on the market, each with its own SDK, What should I choose as a developer? Where do you start? Rui Rui Technology provides a unified cross-platform solution for game peripheral drivers, claiming to be compatible with most control peripherals on the market (including smart rings, 4D seats, various glasses, etc.), and a variety of devices. Obviously this cross-platform idea is the same as the Unity engine.

In terms of functional positioning, Nibiru still prefers the game field (as can be seen from the graphic design). But the application of technology in the field is free, and it’s man-made. Such cross-platform and multi-device peripheral drivers can also be well applied in the field of VR technology (in fact, the boundary between the two is often not clear).

It is worth mentioning that Nibiru CTO also specifically mentioned a peripheral in the UNITE 2015 virtual reality technology special, which is to obtain the player’s mental concentration by sensing the player’s brain waves, thereby controlling the player’s Concentration in the game. This is a bit more interesting.

Technically speaking, Nibiru is created based on Bluetooth devices and Android technology architecture, and the official documentation is mainly for Android engineers. As for how to use other platforms, it remains to be investigated and discussed.

Nibiru Developer Tools http://www.inibiru.com/nibirusdk.html?lan=1

Nibiru Developer Center http://dev.inibiru.com/index .jsp

3.2 3D engine

The current mainstream situation is that mainstream game engines are used in the development of many VR products due to their powerful functions. Another point worth mentioning is that not all VR products or solutions need to rely on peripherals. VR products whose main content is display and simple interaction, without involving complicated industry-related precise calculations, will be the first choice for a 3D engine to work with a computer.

(1) Unity

(Official website: http://unity3d.com/industries)

Although Mr. Liu Gang said on UNITE 2015, I’m sorry , Unity engine currently does not provide native functions for VR in the BIM field (and other fields), but the Unity engine itself is flexible and has an open platform (allowing third parties to add various plug-ins). In addition, a statistic from McKinsey was cited at the conference, stating that 90% of VR products on the market are developed with Unity engine. Although this number has not been verified, looking at the VR products on the market, anyone with a little experience in Unity development will feel that this type of product is easy to develop with the Unity engine.

The main difficulty lies in the independent R&D and design of the special high-standard Shader and the extraction of high-simulation realistic models. Some media said that the Unity engine is gradually transforming into virtual reality games (http://digi.it.sohu.com/20141125/n406359656.shtml).

(2) Unreal Engine Unreal Engine

(Official website: https://www.unrealengine.com/zh-CN/what-is-unreal-engine-4)

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The virtual product of Wushi Technology Co., Ltd. is completed with UE4, which is characterized by its gorgeous effect and beautiful style, which is very suitable for the display of architecture or interior decoration.

The competition between UE4 and Unity5 is also becoming fierce. The biggest benefit for us developers is that large 3D engines that were out of reach in the past are now readily available.

Next, several software development platforms dedicated to the VR field will be mentioned.

(3) Quest3D

(Official website: http://quest3d.com/)

Quest3D is mainly for the field of architecture, although it also includes logic processing, It is more focused on the use of designers than below. The main purpose of Quest3D is to build virtual building models simply and quickly.

(4)VRP

(Forum: http://bbs.vrp3d.com/forum.php)

(5) EON

There are other open source 3D JS engines

One, small scenes

1.BabylonJS:http://www.babylonjs.com/

Pros: There is a Microsoft background, a lot of demos, a more detailed api document, a platform for testing, and a plug-in that provides a 3dsmax conversion model.

Disadvantages: few Chinese materials, no system The Chinese tutorials, such as from beginner to proficient, can tell you the system tutorials, forums will also be walled, there are fewer related QQ groups, and there are not many people in the group, so the big cows who can really guide us are also relatively few. It should be less used domestically.

2.Three.js

Advantages: There are more used in China, so there will be more Chinese materials. There are more systematic Chinese tutorials such as from beginner to proficient. There are more people who use it, so there are more related QQ groups, and there are more people in the group, and there should be more big cows in contact.

Disadvantages: Some basic modeling software plug-ins are not provided, such as 3dsmax model export plug-ins, although some scenes that read 3ds format and fbx format are provided.

Second, the big scene is based on earth

1.Cesiumjs(http://cesiumjs.org/)

Advantages: There are more demos, detailed The api document has a test platform, rich display features and extensions.

2.WebGL Earth (http://www.webglearth.com/)

There are few demos, but some basic gis functions are available, simple and practical, it seems that there is no update

3.OpenWebGlobe (http://world.openwebglobe.org/)

The effect is not very good, the loading is not smooth, and the display functions are relatively few

3.3 Graphics Library

With the 3D engine, it seems that there is no need for developers to directly call the 3D graphics library. In fact, it is not the case. In actual work, due to reasons (or function or efficiency) of this kind, sometimes developers still need to call the graphics library by themselves.

(1)OpenGL

(2)DirectX 3D

(3)WebGL

The wave of HTML5 technology is surging, and WebGL Pushed to the top of the wave. Unity 5.0 also emphasizes the support for WebGL, which reduces a lot of barriers to 3D interaction and page embedding on the Internet.

3.4 Virtual Reality Programming Language

In terms of development language, C#, JavaScript, as long as you can develop mobile terminal programs and web terminals The program is still easy to get started. In addition to the scripting languages ​​used by the major engines, there are:

(1) Shader programming language: Cg/HLSL

(2) Virtual reality modeling language: VRML, the full name Virtual Reality Modeling Language

(3) Three-dimensional image markup language: X3D

4Virtual reality content production

VR content is mainly divided into VR video, There are three major areas of VR games and VR applications. Regardless of VR games, VR video recording requires the use of a special panoramic camera to record a 360-degree video. The light field camera will be the disruptor in this field, such as the camera 360Heros, Samsung Gear 360. Of course, if you want to edit the video, you have to use a VR video editor, such as SpliceVR Editor (http://www.splicevr.com/blog/).

For VR application development, there are mainly two methods: native and web.

1) Native application development

To learn modeling first, you need to be proficient and proficient in 3D engines, such as Unity 3D or Unreal Engine4. Unity 3D is easy to use. If you are interested in art, animation, and cutscenes, we recommend using Unreal Engine4.

Unity is an excellent 3D engine, you can play with C# and JavaScript. Use Unity to develop native applications, which can be installed on MAC, PC, Play Station, or Android and iOS.

The introductory textbook recommends Roll-a-ball given on the Unity3D official website. You can use it to get familiar with Unity.

For further learning, you can go directly to the Developer Center (https://developer.oculus.com/) on the Oculus official website to find learning documents and SDK.

I also want to learn about the principles of interaction, and I recommend this book, Essential Mathematics for Games and Interactive Applications: A Programmer’s Guide, Second Edition 2nd Edition by James M. Van Verth (Author), Lars M. Bishop (Author)

Algorithms required by the 3D engine may also include: model matching, machine learning, deep learning, reverse human body dynamics, computer vision, physical acceleration, sample training, skeleton database, dynamics Tracking and correction, object recognition library, skeleton recognition and extraction, dynamic real-time 3D modeling, real-time 3D matting, etc.

2) Web application development

If you are on the Web, you can switch the video to “VR mode”, shopping, dating and online course learning, it is a good experience. Google and Mozilla are currently working together to develop WebVR, and the 3D version of the World Wide Web is coming soon.

This is the WebVR website https://webvr.info/, you can try it. Here are examples https://webvr.info/samples/

WebVR is an experimental JavaScript API that provides access to virtual reality devices such as Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard in the browser. You can see the discussion version on June 1, 2016 at https://w3c.github.io/webvr/.

Specific development requires learning a 3D engine three.js running in the browser, a third-party WebGL library written by JavaScript, which can be used to create various 3D scenes, including cameras, light and shadow, For various objects such as textures, the website is http://threejs.org/

How to play?

First, to implement a simple VR website, you can refer to the following link, which introduces the 4 steps to use WebVR in 10 minutes

http://www.roadtovr.com/4 -steps-to-start-experimenting-with-webvr-in-10-minutes/

Mainly refer to the borismus/webvr-boilerplate project on Github to implement a simple VR website,

This code implements the basic functions of building a webVR project (such as polyfill, mode manager, etc.).

Second, after it is built, use Chromium or Mozilla nightly to test the VR station, refer to webvr.info.

Thirdly, add a 3D model to the scene and try to change its position and rotate it. Refer to the examples of threejs.org.

Fourth, if you want to add some physical information systems, refer to the Hello-Cannon.js! project in Github. https://github.com/schteppe/cannon.js/wiki/Hello-Cannon.js!

Another example: Oculus + Node.js + Three.js to create a VR world http:// www.vr013.com/47

The leap motion developer center, Oculus touch or HTC Vive are related to the development of VR input devices. https://developer.leapmotion.com/

5 Virtual Reality Reference Materials

5.1 What are the better forums and website resources for VR?

The most popular VR technology community in China is the VR Play VR Technology Channel, which shares and exchanges leading domestic and foreign VR virtual reality technologies. http://www.ivrwan.com/news/jishu/

Foreign websites, http://www.roadtovr.com/

IEEE, http://ieeevr .org/2016/

Google, https://developers.google.com/vr/

Silicon Valley, http://svvr.com/

< p>5.2 Books

There are many Internet resources, and enough to learn, let’s introduce a book.

Learning Virtual Reality: Developing Immersive Experiences and Applications for Desktop, Web, and Mobile 1st Edition

by Tony Parisi (Author)

5.3 Knowledge structure diagram< /p>

Reference materials

1. VR development trend and investment opportunity in-depth forecast report

2. Zhihu: What are the leading companies in VR technology in China? , The answer of the soul of burning ice and snow, http://www.zhihu.com/question/37382460/answer/80102041

3. Zhihu: What knowledge is needed for VR application development? , Http://www.zhihu.com/question/29304759

4.CSDN virtual reality knowledge base, http://lib.csdn.net/base/vr

5 .CSDN Blog: [VR] Virtual Reality Software Development Tools and Technology, http://blog.csdn.net/duzixi/article/details/45249691

6.CSDN Blog: Choice of WebGL Open Source 3D Engine , Http://blog.csdn.net/lh1162810317/article/details/50827948

7.CSDN blog: virtual reality related hardware equipment, http://blog.csdn.net/duzixi/article/ details/45232077