Cambridge Arts Network: Virtual and Augmented Realities

During times when it is too dangerous to bring an audience together in a single space, how can we use creative technologies to either bring audiences together into a virtual space, or to leave a virtual performance or object in a space for audiences to come and go over time? This workshop will introduce participants to new forms of virtual and augmented performance. We will explore Unity3D’s XR toolkit and discuss challenges of working with headsets and mobile phones.

Dr Kirk Woolford, kirk.woolford@aru.ac.uk


What is XR:

VR is immersing people into a completely virtual environment. AR is creating an overlay of virtual content, but can’t interact with the environment. MR is a mix, which creates virtual objects capable of interacting with the actual environment. XR brings all these (AR, VR, MR) together under one term.

Virtual Reality Society: https://www.vrs.org.uk/virtual-reality/what-is-virtual-reality.html

Wired's Guide: https://www.wired.com/story/wired-guide-to-virtual-reality/

AR vs VR: https://uk.pcmag.com/virtual-reality/86123/augmented-reality-ar-vs-virtual-reality-vr-whats-the-difference


Hardware:

Oculus (Facebook): https://www.oculus.com

HTC: https://www.vive.com/uk/

Valve (Steam): https://store.steampowered.com/vrhardware/

Apple: https://www.apple.com/augmented-reality/


Authoring Tools:

Unity: https://unity.com

Unreal: https://www.unrealengine.com/

Apple Reality Composer: https://developer.apple.com/augmented-reality/tools/

Adobe Aero: https://www.adobe.com/products/aero.html


Publishing Platforms:

Vive Arts: https://arts.vive.com/uk/our-mission/

STEAM: https://store.steampowered.com/vr/

Oculus: https://www.oculus.com/experiences/quest/

Epic Games: https://www.epicgames.com/store/en-US/browse?q=VR&sortBy=relevance&sortDir=DESC&pageSize=30

Google closing "virtual field trips": https://xblog.google/outreach-initiatives/education/expanding-google-arts-and-culture-expeditions/

https://www.theverge.com/2020/11/13/21564279/google-expeditions-vr-cardboard-tours-shutdown-arts-culture-app-migration


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