Google — Making the Running In Virtual Reality

If there was ever any doubt about Google’s serious intentions in the Virtual Reality space, its launch of a library of 3D objects put paid to them. The plan is to spur app development by streamlining the whole process, by commoditizing it- and putting Google slap bang in the middle of it. Whether for VR or AR, backgrounds and individual objects can be sourced from the library, saving developers ever-precious time.

The Speed of Sound

Well, now they’ve taken things a step further, moving from the visual to the audio. Setting-up sounds to come from different directions, which then change, can be a very time-consuming and expensive development operation. Not only that, CPU levels can go through the roof- particularly on a mobile device. With Google’s ‘Resonance Audio’, the whole thing is greatly simplified and CPU levels minimized. Simulating the way that sound waves affect human ears, output quality is, also, greatly enhanced. Since it is technologically agnostic, developers can work across platforms, seamlessly, leaving them to focus on the ‘what’ rather than the ‘how’.

As it Says on the Tin

Basically, if you’re comfortable with OpenGL, the Google VR SDK for iOS will have you developing apps in no time, with many tasks greatly simplified; such as:

Event handling
Side-by-side rendering
Stereo configuration
Correcting lens distortion
Head-tracking
And on….

It’s all being left ‘open’, to encourage and almost collaborative feel. So, great minds can think together- if not alike!

Originally published at Maxbox VR: https://bit.ly/2Jh3h9x