How is 3D Modling Used in VR?

     How does VR work

    For the past few years, VR has been taking the world by storm. But what is it? Isn't it just a big screen strapped to your face? Not necessarily. The reason we have two eyes is so that we can perceive depth or in other words, we are able to tell if something is close or far away from us. This is why head-mounted virtual reality displays (aka HMDs) have two lenses in them projecting two slightly different images. This allows game, images, and videos, to appear three dimensional.

First Steps   

     It starts with a scene. Game designers will make a 3D scene that the player, objects, enemies, and anything else they want in their game, to live in.

    Take this scene from Valve's latest VR game, Half-Life Alyx. You can see that it is made up of multiple different 3D parts such as the buildings, the tree, the car, and of course the ground that the player walks on. All of these objects are necessary to help immerse players in this world and make them feel like they are really there.

Why 3D

    You might be saying "3D is cool and all, but is it really all that important in VR?" The answer is yes. This is for a few reasons but the most important being the immersion. Virtual reality is unique because it allows you to feel like you are in the game rather than just staring at a screen. 3D objects allow for a completely unique experience that you can't find anywhere else. This may be hard to convey by just looking at a screen because it will appear as though it's still two-dimensional. As mentioned earlier, VR uses two different screens to give the illusion of depth.

without this, the objects would appear flat. Staring at the screen for long periods at a time would also hurt your eyes because they are constantly focusing on something right in front of you. It would be similar to crossing your eyes for 30 minutes or more.

    What Does It Look Like

    Now you know what VR is and how it works, but what does it look like. This question has varying answers because every game is different. Some games try to look like cartoons, such as Angry Birds VR: Isle of Pigs, or Job Simulator VR. Other games may be going for a photo-realistic look similar to the one of Half-Life Alyx, or The Walking Dead Saints And Sinners. Just like any other form of art, 3D designs can look however you want them to. There are endless possibilities.

 

    Here are a few different examples that I made on how 3D models can be made to look however the artist desires.

Realistics

Simplistic

Cartoonish

Conclusion

In conclusion, 3D models are incredible pieces of art that really show a lot of creativity and take a lot of effort. VR just gives a completely new meaning to this by allowing the player to experience the entire model in a completely three-dimensional world.