3 free tools for beginners to learn VR Development
Are you an aspiring Virtual Reality Developer who doesn’t know where to start? Unity, Google Poly, and SoloLearn are 3 free tools that will help kick start any beginners journey.
1. Unity
Students and individuals can download Unity for free. Unity Learn is a platform that provides great tutorials to help you get familiarized with the interface and capabilities of the program. It takes you through all steps you need, starting from how to download the program. VR in Unity: A Beginner’s Guide (using VRTK) is a great tutorial. Remember it is ok to take it slow — watch a tutorial a day, or play around with a new tool a day. Baby steps still move you forward!
2. Google Poly
Once you are familiar with Unity, don’t worry about creating all your assets from scratch. As a beginner, take advantage of pre-created assets. In addition to the Unity Asset Store, Google Poly allows you to access another large library of downloadable 3D objects and scenes that will help make your visions come to life. Don’t forget to give the asset creators credit. Many assets are licensed under the CC BY license so as long as you do so you can use their creations for free. Poly has a great explanation of how to use their assets in Unity.
3. SoloLearn
To advance your skills, you will eventually want to learn C#. SoloLearn is a great application to learn the basics of many coding languages. While C# is easier to learn, and compatible with Unity, you can also learn other languages with the app including C++. SoloLearn is easy to use and conveniently accessible through your mobile phone. The tutorials go through a checkpoint system with modules and questions to complete in order to move forward. At the end you will be rewarded with a certificate of completion!
Good Luck!
With the release of stand alone VR systems, the interest, demand, and profitability in Virtual Reality has been on the rise. TechEdge predicts that by 2026 VR will become a $38 billion industry. This is a challenging but great journey to be on, and remember “a person who never made a mistake, never learned something new” — Albert Einstein.
