VR Development: Essential Tools and Resources Explored


VR: An Overview, Its Uses, And The Growing VR Market

VR: An Overview, Its Uses, And The Growing VR Market

Virtual Reality is a promising technology. It also describes the immersive environment that it creates. VR content allows users to experience 3D environments through computer hardware and software.

Statista projects that the worldwide VR market size will rise from less than 12 billion US dollars in 2022 to more than 22 billion US dollars by 2025, indicating that the sector is expanding quickly.

When using a VR headset, the user temporarily loses contact with reality, and the virtual world responds to the user's actions.


VR Use Cases

VR has many consumer-facing use cases, such as:

  1. You can use it to create games that are engaging.
  2. Media and entertainment companies can create more engaging content with VR.
  3. With VR technology, marketers can create more engaging ads.
  4. Virtual reality (VR) is an excellent way for businesses to allow customers to experience their products virtually.

You can use VR to improve your company's operational efficiency in many ways, for example:

  1. VR-based modules help train employees in demanding jobs. For example, AI/VR simulators in healthcare can be used to train doctors. This is explained in the article "How to Build a VR Simulator for Your Healthcare Business".
  2. VR can be used to enhance the prototype process for complex products. It can also improve workplace design in the manufacturing industry. Learn more by reading "Applications of virtual reality in Manufacturing".
  3. Virtual reality can be used to manage meetings better since remote teams can participate more effectively with VR collaboration tools. This was explained in the article "Using VR Chat Rooms for remote employee management".

It's not surprising that VR is a growing market. According to a report, the global VR market is expected to reach $44.7 billion in 2024.

This is a significant increase over the global VR market of 2018, which was $7.9 Billion. This is a CAGR of 33.47 %!


VR Apps Types

VR Apps Types

Virtual reality applications have many potentials in all fields. The apps are developed by the developers.dev VR Team serve the following purposes.

  1. Virtual reality training has changed the way we learn. Students can explore complex objects in anatomy class.
  2. Virtual reality is a tool that businesses can use to engage their customers. It is a great way to make products appealing.
  3. Real estate: Tour the interior of your home before construction. To view a property from a 360-degree perspective.
  4. Virtually anyone can visit any country using a VR headset. The headset allows them to tour museums, parks and other attractions without risk. They can even scale the highest mountains.

Get a Free Estimation or Talk to Our Business Manager!


The Benefits Of VR In Your Business

The Benefits Of VR In Your Business

Virtual reality is used by top companies to engage and motivate consumers. Virtual reality has many advantages for businesses.

Your audience will notice that your business is at the forefront of technology.


Rethink The Try Before You Buy Concept

VR and AR are becoming more popular in retail businesses. The trend of "trying before buying" is growing. Customers are immersed in the unique product experience when they use phrases like "Test Before You Fly," "See Before You Book," and other similar expressions.

Are you planning to purchase a vehicle? Volvo allows you to test drive a car virtually using your smartphone. You are looking for new shoes.

Lacoste developed an AR mobile application to let clients try on shoes virtually. This combination of marketing and design works flawlessly.


Introduce Existing Products To New Audiences

Your product presentation will be boosted by high-quality VR/AR material. It creates a more enjoyable buying experience while promoting your products and services.

The content can be presented in a way that is emotionally appealing and captivating.

How can you creatively present your product? See how other companies have dealt with it. One business created a new marketing strategy that combined computer images with real-life actions.

This 360-degree tour traces the products entire lifecycle from the agave fields to the bar. This video is an excellent example of how to provide an informative and entertaining look at the production process for a product.


Design And Prototyping

Developing a product was difficult, expensive, time-consuming and dangerous twenty years ago. This algorithm has changed as technology improvements have taken place.

Now, the emphasis is on rapid development iterations. We can now prototype and test our products faster and more affordably.

This is the best way to avoid time wastage. It provides various tools and methods for testing and researching concepts without wasting time.

It is an inexpensive and time-saving way to test ideas. This type of research allows you to explore issues with services or interfaces and helps fine-tune your concept.

Let's now look at some of the most popular VR development tools.


Top 10 VR Software Development Tools

Top 10 VR Software Development Tools

Virtual reality can bring a lot of value to your business. However, developing virtual reality apps can be difficult.

Here, robust virtual reality tools are essential. Well explain the 10 best.


Unity

Unity is known for its game development capabilities, but it also helps you build VR solutions in many other industries.

You can, for example, create VR solutions in the automotive, transportation and manufacturing sectors, as well as media & entertainment.

Unity is a great tool.

For example, you can benefit from a set of valuable tools when you use Unity:

  1. Create Unity 3D VR assets with this powerful editor.
  2. Tools for artists and designers.
  3. The CAD toolkit.
  4. Collaboration Tools.

Unity is compatible with Oculus Rift, Sony, and other popular VR platforms. Unity has a portal where VR developers can learn about its products.

Courses like "Getting Started with Unity" and others are available. You can access the detailed documentation and get help from the Unity support & service portal.


Amazon Sumerian

Amazon Sumerian, the AWS VR engine, requires no 3D graphics or VR programming knowledge. Sumerian is compatible with the most popular VR platforms, including Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.

It also works on Android and iOS mobile devices.

Amazon Sumerian is compatible with various VR applications, including employee training, simulations for field services, retail and sales, and a virtual concierge.

It is packed with powerful features. :

  1. Sumerian editor
  2. Sumerian hosts
  3. Asset Management
  4. You can script your scenes.

You can also read "Getting Started with Amazon Sumerian" for more information. Amazon Sumerian FAQ has a wealth of information for virtual reality developers.


Google VR For Everyone

Google offers many VR development tools that you can use to create a VR experience for stakeholders. These tools are available on the Google VR Developer Portal.

These tools can create VR apps on multiple platforms-Unity, Unreal and Android, iOS and the Web. You can access guides for developing VR apps on each Platform by first navigating to "Choose Your Development Environment" in the Google VR Developer portal.

Google VRs developer platform offers software development kits for all VR platforms, including Unity, Android, iOS and more.

You can go to the Google VR Developer Portals Download page to download them. The "Google VR API Reference" will help you better understand all the SDKs the Google VR platform offers.

This lets you easily create VR software for Google Cardboard, Oculus, and most VR platforms.


Unreal Engine 4

Unreal Engine 4 offers a set of powerful VR development tools. With UE4, developers can create VR apps for a wide range of VR platforms, including Oculus VR, Sony Gear VR, Android VR, iOS VR, Google VR and more.

The UE4 platform is a compelling platform with many features:

  1. The engine is available in C++ and Python source code, so any VR developer on your team can learn more about it.
  2. UE4 features a multi-player framework, real-time rendering of visuals and a flexible Editor.
  3. You can quickly create prototypes using the Blueprint visual scripting feature of UE4.
  4. Add animation, audio, simulations, effects and more.

CRYENGINE

CRYENGINE, a popular choice among 3D game developers and VR software developers, is an excellent tool for VR development.

It allows you to create virtual reality applications on popular VR platforms such as Oculus Rift and PlayStation 4.

CRYENGINE has many features:

  1. Your app can include excellent visuals.
  2. With CRYENGINE, creating a VR app is simple. It offers a sandbox as well as other tools.
  3. Create characters easily.
  4. Audio solutions are available as built-in features.
  5. CRYENGINE allows you to create real-time visualization and interaction, providing an immersive experience for all your stakeholders.

CRYENGINE provides excellent documentation. You can also download the entire source code. For more information, read the CRYENGINE 5 manual.

You can also find helpful tutorials on CRYENGINEs website.


Blender

Blender is a free, open-source 3D design suite. Blender 2.80 was the latest version at the time this article was written.

Blender is developed by the Blender Foundation. This independent public-benefit organization oversees its development.

Blender has the following features:

  1. Create your 3D pipeline using modeling, rigging animation, simulation, rendering, and motion tracking.
  2. Blender is a video editor that allows you to create VR video games.
  3. If you have a VR developer in your team who is experienced, they could use the Python API to customize your application. You can create custom tools.

Blender can be downloaded to a Windows, Mac or Linux computer. You can read the manuals on the Blender site and access the tutorials.


3ds Max

3ds Max, a 3D modeling software by Autodesk popular for creating video games and designing visualizations, can be used to make these.

This powerful software has a variety of features.

  1. It allows you to create 3D animations of professional quality.
  2. 3ds Max is a powerful and flexible tool for creating high-quality 3D Models.
  3. You can learn more about the different options for creating textures and effects on the 3ds Max features page.
  4. 3ds Max offers a wide range of 3D rendering and animation capabilities, a workflow, pipeline, 3D animation and more.

In addition to all of this, 3ds Max offers excellent documentation and online tutorials. You can access these resources by visiting its website's Support & Learning page.

To use 3ds max effectively, you can access video tutorials and troubleshooting guides.


SketchUp Studio

SketchUp Studio is an advanced 3D modeling software focusing on the construction and architecture industries. It can also be used to develop virtual reality apps.

This tool is helpful for various use cases, including architecture, landscape architecture and residential construction.

It can also be used to create virtual reality apps.

It is a powerful desktop application with an easy-to-use interface. Designing your building in three-dimensional will be much easier.

SketchUp Studio is a powerful tool that allows you to create stunning graphics. It also offers features specific to the construction industry.

This tool will enable you to create both VR and AR apps.

You can find tutorials and learning resources to help you learn SketchUp Studio on the SketchUp Help section of its website.

On its website, you can view its pricing and plans.


Maya

Maya is an Autodesk VR software development tool. Maya allows you to create 3D animations and motion graphics. Maya is an extremely powerful software.

It offers tools for dynamic effects and 3D animation. You can learn more about Maya by visiting the website's features page.

This website's support and learning section is an excellent resource for learning about this product suite.

On this page, you can download software and view troubleshooting manuals.


Oculus Medium

Oculus is a popular VR platform provider, offering Oculus S, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Go. They also provide powerful VR development software named Medium.

This is a powerful tool that allows you to develop 3D assets. You can model, sculpt and paint your VR assets. Oculus Medium allows you to create an immersive experience quickly, even if you're a novice.

Read More: How Much Does it Cost to Develop a VR Experience?


How Do You Hire A VR Developer?

How Do You Hire A VR Developer?

When hiring VR developers, you should consider the following competencies and skills.


A Deep Understanding Of The Software Development Lifecycle Models

The impact of a VR app can be significant and visible. You can develop customer-facing VR applications for smartphones and the web as a project.

VR developers must understand the SDLC models.

  1. Waterfall: Projects of high stakes will have clearly defined requirements. These initiatives require thorough reviews after milestones. This paradigm can be used for projects that require requirements analysis, design, development, testing and deployment, and maintenance.
  2. Agile: A business may release mobile apps and web applications aimed at customers as "Minimum viable products (MVPs)" and then refine them based on user feedback. Agile fits these projects best because iterative development will be essential.

Expertise In The Use Of Managed Cloud Services Platforms

Cloud service platforms are becoming more popular because they allow for large-scale innovation and have predictable costs.

These cloud services are recommended to VR developers.

  1. Amazon EC2 (Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud or EC2) is an AWS infrastructure service. App-producing companies are fond of this method. AWS offers a variety of cloud services. However, IaaS platforms are more difficult to manage because they only maintain the infrastructure.
  2. AWS Platform as a Service (PaaS) is AWS elastic beanstalk. AWS manages the operating systems, middleware and storage, and cloud infrastructure. Hire VR developers with experience in databases, DevOps and third-party APIs.
  3. AWS Amplify is the name of Amazon's Mobile Backend-as-a-Service (MBaaS). The team does not have to build or supervise the mobile backend. The project team can focus on the front-end development and design.

You Can Become An Expert With The Most Popular VR SDKs/APIs

Use SDKs and APIs to integrate critical features into your application. You can use many VR SDK/APIs to speed up your development.

Hiring virtual reality app developers.

Find programmers who are familiar with SDKs, APIs, and VR:

  1. Oculus VR SDKs is a well-known VR platform supplier. SDKs are provided to help programmers create VR applications for Oculus Quest or Oculus Rift.
  2. Google VR SDKs: Downloadable Google VR software SDKs for iOS, Android and Unity are available.
  3. Amazon offers a VR/AR called Sumerian. It works on all popular platforms, including Oculus Go and Oculus Rift. Sumerian works with iOS and Android. Sumerians can be used in many fields, including retail sales, instruction, field service productivity, etc.

Node.Js Skill

Your VR project will likely include a launch of a Web application. Node.js is an excellent tool for developing web applications.

Node.js has many advantages.

  1. Open-source js is a runtime environment that has been developed by a large developer community. Node.js developers are often able to produce.
  2. Js supports event-driven asynchronous programming. This enhances the scaling of apps. When developing VR software, it is essential to consider scalability.
  3. This setting is ideal for streaming, and it has many advantages for projects that involve the creation of VR apps.
  4. JavaScript is a well-known language for programming. JavaScript is used to increase programmers productivity by Node.js.
  5. Node.js is a potent tool for creating web apps.
  6. JavaScript can be used to develop modern NoSQL databases like MongoDB. Using them with Node.js, therefore, is easy.

Experience In Developing Scalable Web Apps

VR applications must scale efficiently. Working with experienced programmers who have experience building scalable web applications is essential.

These skills are needed:

  1. The first step for programmers is to identify the scalability goal using the right metrics.
  2. APM techniques should make it possible to scale a web app.
  3. It is essential to choose the right PaaS platform.
  4. You can hire programmers with AWS Elastic Beanstalk experience.
  5. If you want to hire IT architects with a thorough understanding of architectural patterns, forming your team is essential. Scaling online applications is crucial.
  6. Developers must know the best frameworks to scale web projects. Node.js is the ideal framework for this particular project. It is easily portable and expandable.
  7. Choosing a suitable database for online programs that scale is crucial.
  8. PostgreSQL allows you to scale your applications. MongoDB is a NoSQL database that's growing. When hiring developers, look for those who have these skills.

UI Design Expertise

If you plan to build a VR application, you will need to hire UI designers. It is best to look for designers who have experience in these fields:

  1. Designers must know the guidelines for web UI.
  2. Android app UI guidelines: Material Design principles are essential for UI designers to understand because Android apps must adhere to them.
  3. Apple uses Human Interface Guidelines for iOS app design. Apple's Human Interface Guidelines are used by UI designers.
  4. Some guidelines can be used for VR apps. These rules should be known to UI designers.

Android App Developers: See The Difference

Android app development will likely be required for a VR project. Its crucial to find Android developers who possess the following skills:

  1. Java is a must for Android developers.
  2. Android Studio is the most popular IDE for Android developers.

IOS App Development Expertise

Your VR software will also be aimed at iOS platforms. Its essential to hire iOS developers who have these skills:

  1. Objective-C is the language that Apple uses to develop its apps. Developers should be familiar with this language. This language is familiar to many developers working on Apple platforms. Objective C is a powerful language. This is a well-known language.
  2. It would be best if you familiarize yourself with Xcode. This popular IDE allows you to develop apps for Apple platforms.

Experience With Testing Frameworks

This project will require the hiring of testers. You should therefore consider the following skills:

  1. Selenium, a popular open-source framework for testing, has been around since the 1990s.
  2. Espresso is a popular framework for Android app testing.
  3. Testing iOS apps requires testers to be familiar with XCTest.
  4. Test on different mobile devices and web browsers. Testers should be familiarized with tools such as pCloudy. pCloudy is compatible with a wide range of mobile devices and web browsers.

DevOps Experience

This VR app development project will require DevOps experts. DevOps specialists who are familiar with AWS DevOps platforms, tools and infrastructure like Elastic Beanstalk, Amplify, or Elastic Beanstalk are needed for this project.


Ability To Collaborate And Willingness To Collaborate

Software development is a result of today's fast-paced environment. It is not different when creating a VR application.

Continuous Integration (CI), a tool that allows ongoing application analysis, development and testing, is crucial for such initiatives.

Modern DevOps Tools are needed to create a thriving CI environment. But tools need help to do the job. To create a successful CI system, the scrum master must work closely with DevOps engineers, developers, and testers.

It is important to encourage collaboration between DevOps and DevOps personnel and testers and developers. The staff must be capable and mature.


Virtual Reality Environment Creation And 3d Modeling

It is essential to be able to visualize 3D models. The developer is responsible for creating the 3D environments the VR technology will use.


Experience And Expertise In The Creation Of VR Software Tools

Every team member plays a role at every VR development stage, including optimizing game engines. Mixed reality and augmented reality apps can be beneficial for many developers.

VR programmers should have experience using VR creation software such as Unity3D or Unreal Engine. These tools can not only handle the majority of complex VR apps but also reduce development times and costs.


Where Can You Find VR Developers?

Where Can You Find VR Developers?

You have a fantastic idea for a virtual-reality application. Where should you look to find a VR Developer? Four options are available: social media, freelance sites, developer platforms, forums for developers, and source code platforms.

Consider official VR developers communities such as the Unity3D Community, Gear VR Developers, PlayStation VR Developers, Vive/Steam Developers, Google VR and Oculus developers.

Hire a VR developer through a VR company.


Which Is The Best Option For Developing VR? Field Expert Teams Vs Freelancers

Which Is The Best Option For Developing VR? Field Expert Teams Vs Freelancers

Whether you hire independent contractors or subject matter experts is up to you. You want to minimize delivery risk for high-profile VR application development projects.

You must include the work of independent contractors who are Hire Virtual Reality Developers.

It will take more time to manage this than a group of experts in the field. You will also be responsible for scheduling independent contractors.

This will reduce the likelihood of unplanned absences by freelancers.


Cost Of VR Developer

Cost Of VR Developer

More information on the cost of developing VR applications is available. VR projects range from $5,000 up to $300,000.

The project could last a few days or even a year. Hourly rates and pay are essential factors in determining the cost of each VR developer.

The average hourly rate of $50, depending on your skill level, begins at around $25 and can go up to approximately $130.

According to reports, the average annual wage for virtual reality designers in 2018 was $100K. Your answer will vary depending on the project's nature, skills, and knowledge.

  1. $70,000-80,000 Middle-level software developer, user interface developer, animation designer, 360-degree video editor, etc.
  2. $130,000-180,000 Senior Software Developer, Gaming Engine Expert, Augmented Reality Developer, Senior 3D Designer, etc.

Get a Free Estimation or Talk to Our Business Manager!


Are You Interested In VR For Your Business Development?

Although the 10 Virtual Reality tools we have listed above can be helpful, creating a VR solution is complex. It can be challenging to find VR developers who are highly qualified.

We recommend hiring a software development company with a good reputation for such projects. Finding a partner to develop with can be difficult.

Our community of software experts can assist you if you still need experienced developers to help with your next VR project.


References

  1. 🔗 Google scholar
  2. 🔗 Wikipedia
  3. 🔗 NyTimes