One of the great challenges facing virtual reality is the need to go beyond entertainment and demonstrate its productive potential. Such a goal requires the development of special tools, and that's where Epic Games steps in with its new Unreal Engine VR Editor. A headset, two controllers, and the creation of virtual games from within becomes a reality.
A Critical Year for Virtual Reality
With the imminent debut of the Oculus Rift and advances from the competition, there's no longer any doubt: 2016 will be a critical year for virtual reality. Logic dictates that we must be patient with first-generation products, and virtual headsets are no exception, yet virtual reality lives and breathes through its software experiences. That's the point that fuels our concern about virtual technology. What if the content isn't good? A virtual game carries different demands, implying that development tools must rise to the occasion. Epic Games has recognized that the pulse of the virtual monster isn't measured only in hardware, and in recent days it presented its new weapon: Unreal Engine VR Editor.
Inside the Virtual World
It's estimated that the platform will have a full public exposure during the next GDC in March, but until then, this small video shows us the founder and CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, explaining how a developer can create and modify a virtual world from within. The key to this dynamic lies in the two controllers that will accompany the HTC Vive, although the system will also be compatible with Oculus Touch controllers once they hit the market. In essence, object manipulation is carried out with two laser beams inside the virtual environment. Once an object is selected, it is automatically surrounded by a series of floating icons that symbolize rotation, position, cloning, and other commands.
Once again, this is just a simple preview, but Sweeney is convinced that the Unreal Engine VR Editor will receive a much more complete and intuitive 3D interface in the future, reducing dependence on keyboard and mouse. It may be necessary to expand the control system, swapping controllers for gloves and gesture recognition. We'll know soon.
Source: Ars Technica
