Investments in VR/AR startups reached $5.4 billion per year. The domestic market is also developing – virtual reality technologies are used by 21% of the largest companies. Market growth means new jobs, high salaries, and new and exciting tasks.
We learned what to teach a developer if he wants to work in virtual reality.
What Projects Can A VR Developer Work On?
Virtual reality technology is in demand in gaming, medicine, education, and industry. Let’s see where VR developers work.
Games: Over 600 VR games were released on Steam alone in 2019. These are games created specifically for VR, and old hits are transferred to a new format. You can get a job in a large studio or try to develop a game yourself.
Education: With the help of virtual reality, they create comfortable conditions for acquiring new knowledge. For example, the ClassVR project uses technology to educate people who find it challenging to move around independently – they make virtual classes for them and conduct virtual tours.
Industry: Industrial enterprises require employees who know how to work with complex equipment. A dilemma arises: skills can only be acquired during training, but training without them is dangerous – it is easy to get injured. The problem is solved by virtual reality.
Medicine and rehabilitation: Another direction is healthcare projects. For example, MieronVR uses virtual reality to help people regain mobility after a severe illness.
VR is also being used to train employees.
Software development for the VR industry
Other than a few game engines and VR scene editors, there are few tools in the VR industry that speed up development and make it easier for newcomers to enter the industry.
Special libraries, constructors, and automation tools can be developed for the company’s needs or to try to enter the startup market.
What To Learn To Work In VR Development
VR can be conditionally divided into several areas. The core tech stack depends on what you choose:
- Development for virtual helmets: Games and applications for HTC Vive or Oculus helmets, The primary programming languages are C# and C++.
- Development for mobile applications: In addition to engines, you need to understand the creation of applications. You will need the Swift programming language for iOS and Kotlin for Android.
- Development for the web: Two JavaScript frameworks that come in handy are Three.js and Babylon.js. Another worth looking at is the Vizor VR space constructor.
In them, you can create interactive scenes without programming knowledge using templates. The app will work on both mobile devices and computers.
Graphic Arts
Working in VR is a combination of programming and computer graphics knowledge. You need to be able to create and import 3D models and program their interactivity and game play. Understand graphical optimization so as not to create images that cause nausea and dizziness in users.
The developer does not need to draw models, but you must understand 3D editors. For example, to correct the picture yourself or make textures and animations easier. Here is the main stack:
- Autodesk’s Entertainment Creation Suite is a suite of editors, including the famous Maya and 3dsMax.
- A blender is a free tool for animations, rendering, and even motion capture.
- Blocks is a tool from Google for creating simple 3D models.
- CryEngine is a DirectX 12 3D modeling to
