VRTO – one of Toronto, Canada’s largest virtual reality meetup groups, presented the January 14th 2016 supermeet featuring various presentations and panelists from the top VR companies in the city. It was a sold out event with over 120 attendees, and 15 volunteers!
The first of these presentations looked at the theme of Natural Virtual Reality Interfaces: Keeping a strong immersion & sense of presence. Dale Rosen presented his 3DUI – Three-Dimensional User Interfaces. The project consisted of a set of three 3D widgets – switch, lever and potentiometer that can be manipulated by natural hand motions using a Leap Motion mounted on the front of an Oculus DK2.
Dale Rosen presenting his 3DUI at VRTO January 2016 – an IoT Arduino / Leap Motion / Oculus project
These simple 3-dimensional user interfaces can easily be embedded in any virtual environment. There was also a demo of how the virtual interface can be tied to the physical world, switching on an off an LED on an Arduino using the Leap Motion, Unity and Oculus Rift combination.
The master of ceremonies for the evening – Perry Voulgaris – hosted a panel with:
Stefan Gambert Creative Director – Secret Location Creative artist with twenty years professional experience in a variety of related media – creating interactive and immersive experiences.
Stefan Grambert – VRTO January 2016
Josh Manricks Associate Technical Director – Secret Location
Ted Biggs VP Convergent – Smokebomb 19 years creating, planning and developing interactive media projects, primarily for the film and TV industry.
J. Lee Williams Director of Stuff and Things – OccupiedVR An award-winning VFX + animation director with many alter egos: illustrator, comic book artist, animator, flash developer, VFX director, film producer and his main role as commercial and film director
Perry Voulgaris (Moderator) Chief Business Development – AWE Over 25 years in media, sports and entertainment, 20 years in digital media, 15 years executive management: leading teams in the delivery of successful media, sports and entertainment properties.
…discussing current projects, funding strategies, and a look at the tools for 2016 content creation.
Virtual + Augmented + Peripherals Showcase Area
Samsung Gear VR, Oculus Rift and Leap Motion demos
Augmented Reality: 4D Augmented reality demo – showing great examples of Augmented Reality with a model of the living, pulsing, heart in AR, as well as a model of a human male/female in AR.
Shok Kreative showed their new 360 immersive video:
GRAFFITI ALLEY | AN IMMERSIVE VR SHORT
BRIEF: Graffiti Alley is a short Virtual Reality film opening in a colorful graffiti riddled alley where the graffiti comes to life bit by bit. Eventually a Graffiti Girl trapped in a colorful 2D Graffiti World comes to life.
She discovers the world existing in three dimensions just outside of her reach and breaks through the barrier. She explores it with wonder and curiosity which eventually erodes into confusion and fear which drives her back into the safety of her colorful simple world.
CAST | CREW Graffiti Girl | Ann PirvuWriter/Director | Isaac Rayment 360 Camera/DP | Terry MyersStitch Master | Stitch Master BSpecial FX/Animation | Isaac RaymentOriginal Sound Score/Sound Design | Matt Redman
Shaftsbury shows their new VR project
Here was the complete schedule:
7:00p – Demos
7:15 – Video Greeting from VRTO founder Keram Malicki-Sanchez + Featurette about L.A. Augmented Reality artist Daniel Leighton
7:35 – Opening remarks, key news details
7:40p – Dale Rosen presents 3DUI
8:00 – Soft break, light refreshments, demos
8:20 – Panel Discussion
8:50 – Moderated attendee announcements
9:00-9:45pm – Demos til close
VRTO will also be hosting a meetup for anyone attending VRLA Winter 2016 – January 24th in downtown Los Angeles. Stay tuned for that meetup! Don’t forget to follow VRTO on Twitter and Instagram at@vrtoronto for around the clock updates. You can also use hashtag #vrtoronto across all social media. Special thanks to Murray Mckercher and Brightlane.ca for facilitating the location.
Attendance is free to all VRTO Meetup Group Members. RSVP is required.
In association with Ryerson University’s DME (Digital Media Experience) and LaunchZone initiatives, VAR is a collaboration between the organizers of four separate Meetup groups: David Zhang (Vangard/ARTO), Joseph Ellsworth (VBAReality) and Keram Malicki-Sanchez (VRTO/Editor-in-Chief, IndieGameReviewer.com).
VAR – which is an acronym for Virtual + Augmented Reality and also the short form for the word “variable” used in programming to represent a mutable value – brings together over 16 exhibitors, some showing more than one type of product or demo that is pushing the new bounds of virtual and augmented reality technology.
“Toronto has always been a hotbed for the intersection of technology and the arts,” Malicki-Sanchez says, “Even 20 years ago, when I saw Jaron Lanier talk about virtual reality at UofT and then play a live VR concert at the Glenn Gould theater the next night, I was inspired, and it still hasn’t worn off two decades later. There are so many world class filmmakers, indie game developers, technologists and forward thinkers here that, with the new consumer market-driven boom in VR development, I was motivated to base my Meetup group in my native city.”
Here is an overview of all the amazing tech and demos at VAR 07.15 – the largest Virtual, Augmented and Blended reality showcase of its kind in Toronto taking place Thursday, July 9th 2015 at Ryerson’s hyper-modern Student Learning Centre, 341 Yonge Street, Toronto, Ontario, Canada from 6:30 to 9:30pm.
AltspaceVR is a social platform for VR that is focused on natural and fulfilling communication between users, all within virtual environments. Users can hang out in virtual spaces, collaborate in unique ways, and share synchronized web content in real time.
Virtual reality is the next big “land of opportunity” for software and game developers in the biggest online industries, like online casinos such as royal vegas casino, to online retail giants like Amazon an I recall this one time – and literally the same situation happened. d Ebay. It allows you to be teleported into a remote world with a headset. Because your keyboard and mouse are not teleported with you, today virtual reality is a partial solution: people see but cannot interact reliably with it.
Our mission is to enable software developers to bring the hands of gamers in a virtual reality environment with our smart gloves. We therefore enable the creation of content that is immersive and highly desirable by gamers. Unlike our competitors that often loose track of hands, our solution doesn’t. Our device will also provide force feedback when grabbing objects.
Bubl Cam is a camera designed to have full spherical view with nothing hidden. It is on the leading edge of what is classified as 360 degree video recording, and is so much more as it captures the complete picture. Through the use of the Bubl Xplor App it is easy to play back content via you mobile device using touch to navigate and control zoom.
Experiential Discovery The benefits of experiential education have been validated by integration of ‘field trips’ in modern curriculums and the preservation of museums around the world. Many studies have shown that people form better memories through real life experiences and interactions, rather than reading about them from a piece of paper.
Immersive Environments Imagine taking a tour of the solar system, of the human body or Ancient Rome. Virtual Reality technology introduces the opportunity for us to visit places we otherwise would have only ever imagined. The educational benefits of these powerfully sensory experiences presents a new method of learning of the future.
Engaged Learning Immersive learning experiences are right at the sweet spot in the intersection of fun and learning. Regardless of your age, being transported to ancient culture or inside your human body is an engaging experience that is sure to leave a lasting impression.
Globacore is a creative technology company specializing in large format multitouch surfaces, game development, and unique human computer interactions using both physical and digital elements.
HootVR VR meets DIY.
Hoot lets you experience virtual reality with powerful hardware you already own: your smartphone. Made from light, high-quality acrylic, this VR viewer is easy to put together and even easier to use.
Immersive content at your fingertips. When it comes to virtual reality, robust hardware is only half the battle. Hoot comes with immersive, 360-degree experiences, rendered in real time on your smartphone.
IRIS VR Inc. IRIS VR’s team has over 20 years of game development experience, having worked on titles spanning all genres and platforms. From the Grand Theft Auto series to N+, from MAC and PC titles to mobile devices and consoles.
Developing for VR is the next logical step. Using the latest development kits from Oculus, Samsung, Sony and more, we are creating a number of high quality VR experiences and games. Our flagship product is called Technolust, a 1980′s cyberpunk inspired adventure experience built from the ground up exclusively for VR. Pre-order your copy and live in the future, today.
MIXITMEDIA a Transmedia Zone company Deep 360 VR Video Experiences
MixItMedia is a Transmedia Zone company that focuses on the future of storytelling. Our brand new platform allows us blend emergent media with ones that you’ve been playing with for years. We take the coolest of storytelling tools and mix them to make something even better!
MixItMedia will be showing breath taking videos from Deep 360 on the Samsung Gear VR.
Seek A Boo is an amazing example of multiplayer gaming involving an Oculus Rift. Players take turns “Being It” using an Oculus Rift as a first person view to hunt down up to 3 other players. The 3 other players have the ability to run away and hide as the seek a boo player tries to catch up to them.
Occupied VR Occupied VR is a proven VR development team working hard to be leaders in the world of Immersive Experience. The Occupied collective has been organically forming for the past year within the emerging VR community in Toronto, Canada. Each member has proven to be an important component to the VR workflows we are developing to bring you what we feel is our flavour of Virtual Reality or as we call it ‘Our VR’.
Quantum Capture Quantum Capture is an out of this world, 3D scanning studio located in Toronto, Canada. We create stunning, photorealistic 3D and truly immersive experiences in virtual reality.
Quantum Capture provides fully prepared 3D assets for use in game engines like Unreal 4 and Unity 3D. This includes amazing models, textures, rigging and animation – You decide what you’d like to purchase!
Do you want to shoot crazy fire balls from you hands? Of course you do! DODGE, SHOOT and BLOCK attacks from enemies in this 3D game that uses your hands to generate powerful FIREBALLS you can shoot at your enemies.
FISTS OF FIRE VR uses the Leap Motion mounted to the Oculus Rift DK2 to create a physically immersive experience where your hands and position are critical aspects of game play.
Tiriam Immersive Media Prototype of Tiriam Viewer
Tiriam Immersive Media is a collaboration between VR pioneer Bernie Roehl, tech enthusiast Darren Conley, and media and marketing expert Brandon Leonard. We create virtual reality experiences using stereoscopic panoramic photography, photogrammetry, or rendered content, making use of viewers such as the Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard.
The applications are practically endless.
Contact us for more information or to discuss making your idea a virtual reality.
A deep relaxation guide (spiritual psychologist and YouTube star Olivia Kissper) works on your subconscious in a 360, Stereoscopic, binaural environment featuring music by Automated Gardens.
VBAReality Oculus Rift DK2 w/ Leap Motion and Google Cardboard Demo
In the Oculus Rift w/ Leap Motion demo you will be able to try a simulation involving the Oculus Rift to enter Virtual Reality, and use your hands to interact with a Simulation. The demo will not be one made by VBAReality, I am focused on introducing individuals to the wonderful world of Virtual Reality and amazing forms of interactivity.
The Google Cardboard demo will also be available on sight to show Virtual Reality does not have to be a high cost entry point.
