{"id":3466,"date":"2018-09-28T09:48:40","date_gmt":"2018-09-28T13:48:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/it.wooster.edu.wooster.edu\/?p=3466"},"modified":"2024-03-11T10:25:01","modified_gmt":"2024-03-11T14:25:01","slug":"dive-into-research-with-virtual-reality","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/inside.wooster.edu\/technology\/dive-into-research-with-virtual-reality\/","title":{"rendered":"Dive into Research with Virtual Reality"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Overview <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As some research takes place in a foreign country or\u00a0high-security\u00a0environment, what you experienced during your research holds as much importance as the conclusion to your thesis. Through Virtual Reality [VR], viewers can transplant their visual and auditory senses to the places you’ve researched as you present your thesis. VR\u00a0is defined as experiencing an artificial environment through sensory stimuli generated by a computer and one’s actions can partially determine what happens in the environment (Webster Online Dictionary). On this page, you will find the advantages\u00a0of\u00a0incorporating VR into your research presentation and how to get started with resources and tutorials.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Benefits of a VR Experience <\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

VR allows viewers to transport themselves from the conference poster session to your lab or field location. Changing up the poster experience can generate genuine interest in your research by making it stand out. The technology can also explain sensory details in an alternative\u00a0way that does not rely on verbal descriptors. Providing alternative methods not only represents information experientially but also helps create a context for visual or auditory learners. VR is not limited to computer-generated or 3D modeled spaces, it can be presented in pictures more commonly known as 360\u00b0 photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Examples of a VR Experience<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wix Tutorial: 360\u00b0 Virtual Reality Image (video)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

College of Wooster’s Virtual Tour for Prospective Students ( Web Platform  Experience)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Paris Apartment Oculus Rift DK2 Photo Realistic VR – GamerMuscle VirtualReality (video)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Virtual Reality is Opening Up Some of the World\u2019s Most Inaccessible Archaeological Sites <\/i>(article)<\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Getting Started<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Making VR Content with Your Smartphone (For Beginners)<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Your smartphone can capture pictures and transform them into 360 photos. If you\u2019re interested in capturing 360\u00a0video, you need to use a 360 camera and refer here for editing afterward. Some 360 cameras can save videos and photos to your phone directly.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Google Street View<\/a>\u00a0gives smartphones in iOS<\/a> and\u00a0Android<\/a>\u00a0the ability to\u00a0create photospheres<\/a>\u00a0(complete\u00a0360-degree\u00a0photos) to upload to other sites for editing and hosting.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Facebook 360<\/a> guides you through taking 360 photos and lets you save them to your device to share on other websites or directly to Facebook through the Facebook app. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

*NOTE: Some apps allow panoramic photos to be transformed into 180-degree views. Check with the editing app and website host you plan on using before shooting your VR\/360 footage. If panoramic pictures suffice for your project, you can use panorama\u00a0mode\u00a0on your smartphone. The downside of using your phone camera\u2019s panorama feature is the inability to capture images from top to bottom; pictures can only be taken from left to right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

VR photos or videos taken by your smartphone don\u2019t require much post-production work depending on your desired results.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

VeeR\u00a0Editor\u00a0<\/a>offers\u00a0editing features<\/a>\u00a0on 360 photos and videos on their app supported by iOS<\/a> and Android<\/a> devices. Take into account the device requirements as older model smartphones may not handle the app well or even operate at all. None of the\u00a0VeeR\u00a0applications support panoramic photos.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

V360<\/a>\u00a0is a simple app that allows for 360 video\u00a0editing.\u00a0Users can connect multiple clips, trim the clips, add audio, and share online. The interface has instructions and is easy for beginners to navigate the app. This saves time importing your videos to a computer, editing in complex software, and sharing online.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Collect 360<\/a>\u00a0is another\u00a0app\u00a0for simple video edits like connecting video clips or reorienting the start position on your video to focus the viewer on the subject of the\u00a0footage.\u00a0This is the best option for directly uploading to social media sites or other apps on your smartphone. I recommend only Android users for this app since iOS users are required to sign up to gain access to the app (for testing\u00a0purposes).\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Theta+<\/a>\u00a0is an editing app created\u00a0by\u00a0Theta360<\/a>,\u00a0a company with\u00a0a product line of spherical cameras that can be remote-controlled through your smartphone. They support various 360 formats (mirror ball, little planet, equirectangular, and rectilinear). Theta+ is for 360 photos with color editing capabilities and the addition of stickers and text.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Making VR Content with a 360 Camera and Computer (For Advanced Users)<\/span><\/span> <\/span><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

A 360 camera is available to borrow through IT on the 4th\u00a0floor of Morgan. For more information on borrowing equipment, check out the\u00a0Checking Out Equipment<\/a>\u00a0page.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editing <\/span><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

The Adobe Creative Suite and Final Cut Pro are available on computers in the Andrews Library near the CoRE and in the Digital Studio. <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For 360 Photo editing: <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

Adobe Photoshop <\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n