Trying out WebVR
This weekend during South by Southwest, I got the chance to participate in a workshop by Austin Coding Academy on WebVR. Everyone in the workshop got their own VR cardboard to experiment with. The instructor went over the A-Frame framework, which simplifies the VR development experience by integrating with HTML.
We started by creating a simple yellow sphere on the page, and then changed its position, rotation, and added a smiley face image to the sphere. We then included a model house that someone made available on 3D Warehouse, which is a site that allows 3D designers to upload their creations for others to use. We included a house in our scene and positioned the sphere in one of the rooms, and added a script to allow someone to use the keyboard to navigate around the scene, creating a “Find the Smile” game.
Feel free to try out my game here!
Throughout the rest of the weekend, most of the interactive exhibits I went to included some kind of VR experience. After SXSW, I’m aware of just how trendy virtual reality is becoming, and how many companies are working to make it even more common and accessible.
The workshop made me realize that new frameworks make it very simple to develop virtual reality experiences. A-Frame is one that I can definitely see myself continuing to experiment with because it’s obvious that this is a great time to get experience in VR development.
Emily Cahill
Front End Developer with a passion for travel and new technologies.