Learning Web-based Virtual Reality: Build and Deploy Web-based Virtual Reality Technology

✍ Scribed by Srushtika Neelakantam, Tanay Pant

• Publisher: Apress
• Year: 2017
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 92
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

Create web-based VR applications and deploy them to GitHub pages with this short, practical tutorial crammed with hands-on examples. This book covers topics such as VR, the WebVR API, and A-Frame. In Learning Web-based Virtual Reality, you will build a number of 3D VR-based applications. In these apps, you will be able to test the VR environments, walk through the virtual world, interact with the objects, and perceive these virtual realities with the help of Google Cardboard.

By the end of the book, you will have a complete understanding of what WebVR is, knowledge of what VR devices are available, and the requirements to start working on WebVR. You will also be comfortable in using A-Frame and its various components to build your own VR projects.

What You Will Learn

• Experience WebVR, the WebVR API, and WebVR libraries
• Make use of various pieces of VR hardware
• See popular WebVR projects
• Use A-Frame to build your own WebVR projects

Who This Book Is For

Developers who want to build and deploy web-based virtual reality technology. Understanding of HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS is required.

✦ Table of Contents

Contents at a Glance
Contents
About the Authors
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1: Introduction to VR and WebVR
Introducing Virtual Reality
Types of VR Hardware Setup
Web-Based Virtual Reality
Opportunities for WebVR Applications
Current State of WebVR
Virtual Reality Devices Available in the Market
Summary
Chapter 2: Bringing VR to the Web and WebVR Frameworks
The WebVR API
What Is MozVR?
Is Your Browser WebVR Enabled?
WebVR Developer Tools
A-Frame
WebVR-Boilerplate
Vizor
Summary
Chapter 3: Setting Up Your VR Lab and Popular WebVR Projects
Google Cardboard
Oculus Rift
HTC Vive
Other Requirements
A-Painter
Blair Witch WebVR Experience
Quake 3 WebGL Demo
Summary
Chapter 4: Introduction to A-Frame
Introducing the A-Frame Library
A Simple Example
A Basic Application
Key Features of A-Frame
The Entity-Component System
Caching Assets to Improve Performance
Mixins
Components and Building Blocks of A-Frame
Primitives























A-Frame Inspector
Scene Graph
Viewport
Components Panel
Summary
Chapter 5: From “Hello, World” to a VR Content Display
Building a Simple “Hello, World” VR Application
bm-font-text-component
Understanding the Flow of the Application
Building a VR Content Display Web Site
Summary
Chapter 6: Building a VR-Based Movie Theater
Planning the Movie Theater
Building 3D Models with MagicaVoxel
Getting Prebuilt Models from Clara
Summary
Chapter 7: A-Frame Components and the Registry
Components in A-Frame
Lifecycle Methods of Components
Component.init()
Component.update()
Component.remove()
Component.tick()
Component.pause() and Component.play()
Built-in Components
Using A-Frame Registry Components
Summary
Chapter 8: Version Control and Deploying Your Code on GitHub
Introduction to Version Control Systems
Advantages of Version Control
Git: All You Need to Know
Git vs. GitHub
Installing Git on Your Machine
Working with GitHub
Hosting Your VR Web Site for Free Using GitHub Pages
Summary
Index