Learning Web-based Virtual Reality (eBook)

Tanay Pant is an Indian author, speaker, hacker, innovator and tech enthusiast. He is best known for his work on various books on computer science, open source contributions and his talks at technology conferences. He is the chief architect of Stock Wolf, a global virtual stock-trading platform that aims to impart practical education about stocks and markets. He is also an alumnus of the Mozilla Representative Program, and you can find his name listed in the credits of the Firefox web browser. You can also find articles written by him on web development at SitePoint and TutsPlus. Srushtika Neelakantam is a student in Computer Science major at Sir M. Visvesvaraya Institute of Technology, Bangalore. She is a Tech-Speaker at Mozilla and has spoken at various national and international tech conferences. She is a passionate developer in android and web platforms. She runs a Learning Club in Bangalore where she actively advocates for an open web and teaches web literacy to the people in her region. She is a Mozilla Representative and is actively contributing to the Mozilla VR project. She’s part of the Campus Advisory Committee which aims at making contributions to Mozilla’s open source projects easier, for Campus students.

Chapter 1: Introduction to VR and WebVR Chapter Goal: This chapter deals with the features of VR and web based VR and dives into topics such as why a developer should learn WebVR, why is it beneficial and easy to develop for web developers and finally about the various VR devices in the market.

 

No of pages: Around 10 Pages         

Sub -Topics

•   Details of VR and WebVR

•   HTML5 and WebVR applications

•   Devices available for VR in the market

 

Chapter 2:  Understanding the WebVR API and Frameworks Chapter Goal: This chapter introduces WebVR API to the readers and walks them through the whole process of understanding the specifications of W3C. The readers will also learn about MozVR, various WebVR frameworks and the efforts made/being made by various browsers to support WebVR. By the end of this chapter, the user can relate with the things that were learned in the previous chapter.

 

No of pages: Around 10

Sub - Topics  

•   Introduction to WebVR API

•   WebVR API Specifications

•   Details about MozVR

•   WebVR Frameworks available for Development

  Chapter 3: Popular WebVR Projects and Setting Up Our VR Lab Chapter Goal: In this chapter the reader will learn about the popular WebVR projects available online to get inspired by them to build his own WebVR project. The user will also be informed of the various hardware and software requirements to continue with WebVR. By the end of this chapter, the reader will feel confident enough to start development of his first WebVR app in the next chapter.

 

No of pages: Around 15

Sub - Topics: 

•   Popular WebVR Projects and their making

•  Hardware and Software Requirements for WebVR development

•   Setting up the WebVR Lab

 

Chapter 4: Introduction to A Frame Chapter Goal: In this chapter, the reader will learn about the A Frame library for WebVR development, the various components and building blocks of A Frame, caching assets for better performance, applying textures to objects, controlling lighting and camera and running the applications on his laptop. This chapter will empower the user to make applications using WebVR. We will also be developing a basic Hello World WebVR application.

 

No of pages: Around 15

Sub - Topics: 

•  Introduction to A Frame Library

•  Components and building blocks of A Frame

•   Caching assets to improve performance

•   Using lights and camera objects

•   Applying textures to objects to make them lively

•  Developing a Hello World WebVR Application

  Chapter 5: Building a VR Based Content Display Chapter Goal: In this chapter, we will be building a VR based content display application that displays the photos of a user in a virtual 3D environment. This chapter would also help the user to have an idea of how he should design his application or website so that it improves user’s experience.

 

No of pages: Around 15

Sub - Topics: 

•   Designing layouts for application

•   Making an intermediate WebVR based Application

•  Running the application on Google Cardboard

•   Enhance the UI of app by making use of various components of A Frame

 

 

Chapter 6: Building Your Own VR Society Chapter Goal: This chapter covers the building of a virtual housing society and introduces usage of advanced components that were learnt in the introduction such as fog, plane, sky, movement and so on. This chapter would impart enough knowledge to the readers to allow them to be able to develop any sort of WebVR application.

 

No of pages: Around 15

Sub - Topics: 

•   Application Building

•   Usage of advanced components

 

 

Chapter 7: Building a VR Based Movie Theatre Chapter Goal: In this chapter, we will build the flagship application of this book, a VR movie theatre. This will be an advanced application that will use components such as lighting and video display along with 3D modelling.

 

No of pages: Around 20

Sub - Topics: 

•   Application Building

Usage of advanced components

 

Chapter 8: Version Controlling and Deploying Your Code on GitHub Chapter Goal: This chapter would cover details such as how to use Git and Github to version control your application’s code. This chapter would complement the knowledge the reader has acquired over the course of his reading the book and he would be able to assimilate everything that he has learnt with a professional touch.

 

No of pages: Around 10

Sub - Topics: 

•   Using Git and Github to version control

•   Hosting WebVR Apps on GitHub Pages

•   Future steps for continued learning