Introduction

Virtual reality experiences are disrupting the way we tell stories, but the dark art of how to create your own remains a mystery to most people outside of the video game or animation industries, especially those who would prefer to do so on a tight turnaround and conservative budget. This is a simplified guide for building an immersive story experience that could be applied to recreating a news event in virtual reality (without using 360 video). It’s meant more as a primer than a definitive, comprehensive guide — but should be enough to sate those who can’t tell their Oculus from their elbow, while providing a few tidbits to those who already can.

First things first, what is virtual reality?

A computer-generated environment that tricks the user into thinking they’re somewhere they’re not. This is largely experienced one of two ways: either through a head-mounted display (HMD) like Facebook’s Oculus, HTC’s Vive, Sony’s Project Morpheus (all of which require a desktop with enough GPU/graphics card muscle to power the experience); or via a powerful enough smartphone using Google Cardboard or custom-built hardware like Samsung’s Gear VR.

How does it work?

First, The image/video is split into two separate feeds, one for each eye. The lenses inside your VR viewing device of choice will distort the image to make it feel all encompassing. The aforementioned Google Cardboard is quite literally a piece of cunningly-designed cardboard that, when folded correctly (airfix modelling fans rejoice!), houses two lenses that your smartphone can then slot into.

Not all VR requires state-of-the-art technology: Google Cardboard, in all of its sticky-taped glory.

Secondly, the feed you’re seeing needs to correlate with your head movements (either through a motion tracker on top of your computer monitor, or using your smartphone’s built in gyroscope), which updates the video or image you’re looking at to create VR’s secret sauce: a sense of presence. Though we found while user testing our Ferguson Firsthand app that a lot of folks preferred using the single screen option and keeping their device at arm’s length while exploring the virtual space.

The white circle or dot has become the standard controller-free user interface, shrinking when it lands on trigger content in the scene.

Is that the same as 360 video?

Sort of, but with an important caveat. Admittedly, 360 video allows you to feel like you’re inside a video recording, since you can move your head around and turn your attention to more than just one single focal point. However, you’re still anchored to one spot (where the camera was set up) and the video plays along a linear, chronological timeline. So it’s kind of like becoming a CCTV camera. You tube have now incorporated spherical videos into their player, though many videos still only have a single focal point, rendering the tech a little superfluous. Why would you look at a tree behind you in this example below, you might ask, when there’s a guy wrestling with hyenas right in front of you?

So what’s the other option?

To follow the cue of video games and create a born-digital environment from 3D assets, based on photo references. Users can explore this environment and uncover different forms of media (audio, video -which could also be 360), images in whatever way or order they choose. They can also interact with elements, picking up certain objects, or examining them more closely, without being constrained by a linear, ever-ticking timeline.

How does that work?

It’s a two-part process: building the assets (the characters/buildings/vehicles/trees etc in the environement) and programming in the behaviours (so that when the user moves over one beacon, they are shown an image).

Won’t I have to learn a TON of software?

Actually, there’s never been a better (or more affordable) time to jump into this, especially with online video tutorial sites like DigitalTutors (3D focused), Lynda et al. But before you even consider wading into 3D territory, it’s far more important to bear in mind how the final experience will serve the story. What is the point of going down the VR route? Will it add a new dimension to the user experience?