UNITY (R) VIRTUAL REALITY DEVELOPMENT WITH VRTK4 : a no-coding approach to developing immersive vr... experiences, games, & apps

Get hands-on practical knowledge of concepts and techniques for VR development using Unity® and VRTK version 4. This book is a step-by-step guide to learning VRTK 4 for developing immersive VR experiences.Unity is a powerful game engine for developing VR experiences. With its built-in support for all major VR headsets, it's the perfect tool for developers to realize their vision in VR. VRTK is a battle-tested VR solution for Unity; VRTK 4, in conjunction with Unity, has changed the dynamics of VR development.This book focuses on creating deep understanding of how advanced VR mechanics and techniques are built and utilized as a part of a VR framework. You will start off by setting up your devices for VR development and learn about the advantages of using VRTK 4 over alternate SDKs. You will learn to setup your very own custom VRTK Rig, find out how to setup various advanced VR mechanics and locomotion techniques, how to create several spatial UI objects, and how to setup Unity 2D UI controls. You will also cover advanced topics such as using angular and linear drives, setting up a VR Simulator to work with a XBox Controller, and realistic physics VR hands. By the end of this book, you will know how to create advanced VR mechanics that can be used within any VR experience, game, or App and deployed across several platforms and hardware. What You Will Learn Understand how to develop Immersive VR experiences Create a VR simulator to test your project Generate advanced Spatial UI that you can interact with physically using your hands Who This Book Is For? Unity game developers conversant with Unity's Editor. Basic knowledge of how Unity Prefabs function, how events work in general, and programming logic would be beneficial. Table of Contents About the Author About the Technical Reviewer Acknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: Introduction A No-Coding Approach to VR Development Two Ways to Approach the Material Covered in This Book Advantages of VRTK over Alternative Solutions Summary Chapter 2: A New Reality through Virtual Reality What Is Virtual Reality? Become a VR pioneer now, and create the future! What Can You Do with VR? Medical and Mental Health Automotive Engineering and Design Training and Education Architecture, Construction, and Real Estate Entertainment and Journalism Advertising and Retail Gaming in VR Immersion and Presence in VR Place Illusion Plausibility Illusion Embodiment Illusion VR Hardware and Technology Input Controllers 3DOF 6DOF Summary Chapter 3: Setting Up Your Project for VR Development VR Hardware Prerequisites Unity Prerequisites and Oddities Setting Up Your VR project Importing the Unity Package File Exploring the XR Plugin Management for Unity Importing the Oculus Integration SDK Choosing Player Settings within Unity Summary Chapter 4: Importing VRTK 4 Tilia Packages Importing Version 4 of VRTK Unity’s Package Manager and VRTK 4 Tilia Packages Exploring the “Packages” Folder Summary Chapter 5: Setting Up VRTK’s Camera Rigs Setting Up Individual Camera Rigs Setting Up the Unity XR Camera Rig Setting Up the Oculus Camera Rig Setting Up the Spatial Simulator Setting Up the Tracked Alias Configuring the VRTK’s Tracked Alias Hooking Camera Rigs to the Tracked Alias Test using the Spatial Simulator Universal Camera Rig Configuring the Oculus OVR Camera Rig Testing Spatial Movement Using a VR Headset Summary Chapter 6: Setting Up Interactors and Virtual Hands Interactors versus Interactables Setting up Interactors on Controllers Testing Out Your New Cuboid Avatar Interactors Setting Up Realistic Animated Virtual Hands Animated Hands for Camera Rigs Oculus Integration Playtesting Your Scene Using Your Oculus Headset Animated Hands for Unity XR and Spatial Simulator Camera Rigs Playtesting the Scene Using Your VR Headset Animating Custom Prototype Hands Capturing the Grip, Mouse, or Bumper Button Input Playtesting the Grab and Release Hand Animations Capturing Thumbstick and Keyboard Input Playtesting Teleporting Hand Animation Summary Chapter 7: Configuring Interactor Functionality and Setting Up Velocity Trackers Setting Up the Grab Action Property on Interactors to Enable Grabbing Setting Up an Interactable Object Exploring the Example Avatar Cuboid Object Testing Your Hand Proto Left and Hand Proto Right Game Objects The Grab Mechanism with Oculus-Provided Hands Setting Up the Example Avatar Object Setting Up Velocity Trackers Summary Chapter 8: Interactable Game Objects Picking Up Objects The Follow Tracking Property Picking Up an Interactable Object Using Precise Grab Points Custom Pickup Placements Adding Secondary Grab Actions to Interactable Objects Swapping Objects between Hands with a Secondary Grab Action Performing a Two-Handed Grab with a Secondary Grab Action Scaling an Interactable Object with a Secondary Grab Action Creating a Unity Layer for Interactable Objects Summary Chapter 9: Moving Around the Virtual World: Teleportation Teleport Locomotion Capturing Inputs to Trigger Teleportation Setting Up a Curved Teleport Pointer Setting up a Teleporter for Instant Teleportation Setting Up a Teleporter for Dash Teleportation Rotating Around Within the Virtual World Playing Animation When the Left Thumbstick Is Flicked Rotating Using an Arrow Pointer Unity’s NavMesh-Based Teleportation Teleporting Using Teleport Targets Summary Chapter 10: Seamless Locomotion Capturing Horizontal and Vertical Axis Input Strafing Movement Free Movement Smooth Rotation Free Movement Snap Rotation Free Movement Warp Snap Rotation Summary Chapter 11: Arm-Swinging Movement Move in Place Locomotion Capturing Thumbstick Touch Input Setting Up the Move in Place Locomotion Summary Chapter 12: Setting Up a Pseudo-Body Advantages of Having a Pseudo-Body Pseudo-Body Setup Implementing a Rollback Mechanic Fading the Headset View to Black on Collision Summary Chapter 13: Climbing in VR Climbing Mechanic Requirements Setting Up the Climbing Controller Making the Containers Climbable Making the Ladder Climbable Deactivating Untouched Events on Climbable Game Objects Summary Chapter 14: Movement Amplifier Movement Amplifier Setup Testing Amplified Movement Summary Chapter 15: Distance Grabbing Prerequisites for Distance Grabbing Setting Up the Distance Grabber Setting Up a Telekinesis Grab Setting Up a straight pointer to Grab Interactable Objects Changing the Straight Pointer’s Grabbing Distance Activating and Deactivating the Distance Grabber Automatically Deactivating the Distance Grabber Summary Chapter 16: Snap Zones Importing the Tool Holder UI Package and Setting Up Two New Work Tools Making the Hammer and Axe Interactable Setting Up a Tool Holder Snap Zone Setting Up Tooltips for Your Tool Holder Snap Zones Setting Up Rules to Restrict the Entry of Interactable Objects into Snap Zones Setting Up Holsters That Move Around with the Player Summary Chapter 17: Creating Spatial 3D User Interface Game Objects Setting Up a Straight Menu Pointer Setting Up Clickable Spatial 3D Buttons Setting Up a Spatial Button Group Changing the Appearance of Your Spatial Button Creating a Spatial Toggle Button Creating Spatial Option Buttons Interacting Directly with VRTK’s Spatial Buttons Creating a Spatial Slider Hacking Your Straight Spatial Menu Pointer to Interact with Your Slider Summary Chapter 18: Using Unity’s UI Controls with the VRTK Downloading and Importing Unity Package Files Setting Up the UI Elements 2D Skeletal Menu Setting Up a Straight 2D UI Menu Pointer Having the 2D UI Menu Pointer Interact with the 2D UI Menu System Summary Chapter 19: Angular Drives Setting Up a Steering Wheel Setting Up a Door Setting Up a Lever Angular Joint Drive and Logic Objects Summary Chapter 20: Linear Drives Setting Up a Drawer Setting Up a Push Button Summary Chapter 21: Tips, Tricks, and Recipes Adding Realistic Physical Hands Obtaining Haptic Feedback Highlighting Interactable Game Objects Summary Chapter 22: Minigame Importing the Base Unity Package Setting Up the VRTK Prefabs Enabling Obstacle Objects to Attach to the Ball Getting the Ball to Roll About Freely Spatial Tooltip to Display Countdown Timer Setting Up the Countdown Timer and Moment Processor Enhancing the Minigame Summary Index