/virtual reality
/The Virtual Pavillion
Virtual reality is the upcoming avant-garde technology. Virtual reality adds a layer of immersivity by placing the user right into a virtual environment. I got into the VR trend to experiment its immersivity for architecture. I used a virtual environment I designed for a competition for experimentation. The shard elements present in the scene provides the opportunity for a truly immersive feel. With this technology, I believe we could have the next step in visualising architectures in not only seeing spaces in three dimension but with the added ability to navigate through. it makes for a comprehensive experience for the user. Much unlike the experiments performed for my thesis, where my movements are replicated on a 2D screen, my gestures, in this instance, are replicated in the 3D environment in question.
I used a virtual environment I previously created, the Mauritian Pavillion. The model and its respective textures, after being optimized, were exported to the game engine to add interactivity to the static scene.
Using Google cardboard SDK, I embedded Virtual Reality attributes to the camera to allow viewing using any VR headset. The scene was then exported to the mobile device for viewing.
Motion control was implimented to allow the user to navigated through the virtual environment. A bluetooth controller, paired with the smartphone, was used to achieve this.
The device to the left is one of a VR cardboard. it is used to insert the device or smartphone to allow the user to experience virtual reality.
The top image depicts the view of the device's screen prior to using the VR headset. The screen is split into two views to allow the eyes and brain to merge the images upon wearing the headset.
With the added support of a bluetooth gamepad controller, the user can navigate throught the virtual space at his/her's leisure.
The photograph alongside shows the set up when viewing a virtual reality environment.
The virtual environment is compatible with any bluetooth radio controller game pad to allow movement in-game.
Below is a video showing the experiment carried out using the virtual reality headset and the video game bluetooth controller.
