Mastering Oculus Rift Development by Jack Donovan

Key FeaturesCreate immersive 3D games especially designed for the Oculus Rift platformBuild complex realistic virtual reality (VR) games with the Unity EngineCreate striking VR environments with advanced graphical techniquesBook DescriptionVirtual reality (VR) is changing the world of gaming and entertainment as we know it. VR headsets such as the Oculus Rift immerse players in a virtual world by tracking their head movements and simulating depth, giving them the feeling that they are actually present in the environment. We will first use the Oculus SDK in the book and will then move on to the widely popular Unity Engine, showing you how you can add that extra edge to your VR games using the power of Unity.In this book, youll learn how to take advantage of this new medium by designing around each of its unique features. This book will demonstrate the Unity 5 game engine, one of most widely-used engines for VR development, and will take you through a comprehensive project that covers everything necessary to create and publish a complete VR experience for the Oculus Rift. You will also be able to identify the common perils and pitfalls of VR development to ensure that your audience has the most comfortable experience possible.By the end of the book, you will be able to create an advanced VR game for the Oculus Rift, and youll have everything you need to bring your ideas into a new reality.What you will learnIncrease immersion with 3D audio and intuitive interfacesCreate group VR experiences using multi-player networkingDesign fun and engaging mechanics that utilize VR principlesExplore the best ways to navigate and interact using the Oculus RiftDesign intuitive ways to navigate and interact with scenes in VRAdd stunning realism to a scene with three-dimensional audioInvent mechanics and features that take full advantage of VR hardwareAbout the AuthorJack Donovan is a 24-year-old software engineer living in Brooklyn, New York. He graduated from Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont with a BS in game programming and soon after joined IrisVR, a startup founded in Burlington to create oneclick software for architects to visualize models in virtual reality. IrisVR moved to New York City after being accepted into the startup incubator program Techstars and has since moved to an independent office in NoHo, where Jack continues to work.Jack also wrote OUYA Game Development By Example, a book focused on the basics of developing games for the Android-powered OUYA console. Both books use the Unity3D engine for development, which Jack has been using to develop games and software in since 2010.Table of ContentsExploring a New Reality with the Oculus RiftStepping into Virtual RealityImproving Performance and Avoiding DiscomfortInteracting with Virtual WorldsEstablishing PresenceAdding Depth and Intuition to a User InterfaceHearing and Believing with 3D AudioAdding Tone and Realism with GraphicsBringing Players Together in VRPublishing on the Oculus Store