Search icon CANCEL
Subscription
0
Cart icon
Your Cart (0 item)
Close icon
You have no products in your basket yet
Arrow left icon
Explore Products
Best Sellers
New Releases
Books
Videos
Audiobooks
Learning Hub
Conferences
Free Learning
Arrow right icon
Unity Virtual Reality Projects
Unity Virtual Reality Projects

Unity Virtual Reality Projects: Explore the world of virtual reality by building immersive and fun VR projects using Unity 3D

eBook
$9.99 $39.99
Paperback
$43.99
Subscription
Free Trial
Renews at $19.99p/m

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Table of content icon View table of contents Preview book icon Preview Book

Unity Virtual Reality Projects

Chapter 2. Objects and Scale

Objects and Scale

You may remember building a diorama project for school from a shoebox as a child. We're going to make one today using Unity. Let's assemble our first scene, which is composed of simple geometric objects. Along the way, we'll talk a lot about world scale. In this chapter, we will discuss the following topics:

  • A short introduction to the Unity 5 3D game engine
  • Creating a simple diorama in Unity
  • Making some measuring tools, including a unit cube and a Grid Projector
  • Using Blender to create a cube with texture maps and import it into Unity

Getting started with Unity

If you don't have the Unity 3D game engine application installed on your PC yet, do that now! The fully-featured Personal Edition is free and runs on both Windows and Mac. To get Unity, go to https://unity3d.com/get-unity/, select the version that you want, click on Download Installer, and continue following the instructions. This book assumes version 5.1 of Unity.

For you beginners out there, we're going to take this first section nice and slow, with more hand-holding than what you'll get later on in the book. Furthermore, even if you already know Unity and have developed your own games, it may be worthwhile revisiting the fundamental concepts, since the rules sometimes are different when designing for virtual reality.

Starting a new Unity project

Create a new Unity project named VR_is_Awesome, or whatever you'd like.

To create a new Unity project, launch Unity from your operating system, and the Open dialog box will appear. From this dialog...

Creating a simple diorama

Now, we will add a few objects to the scene to set up the environment, including a unit cube, a flat plane, a red ball, and a photographic backdrop.

Adding a cube

Let's add the first object to the scene—a unit-sized cube.

Within the Hierarchy panel, use the Create menu and choose 3D Object | Cube. The same selection can also be found in the main menu bar's GameObject dropdown.

A default white cube is added to the scene, centered on the ground plane at the (0, 0, 0) position with no rotation and a scale of one, as you can see in the Inspector panel. This is the Reset setting, which can be found in the object's Transform component of the Inspector panel

Tip

The Reset values of the Transform component are Position (0, 0, 0), Rotation (0, 0, 0), and Scale (1, 1, 1).

If for some reason, your cube has other Transform values, set these in the Inspector panel or locate the small gear icon on the upper right-hand side of the Inspector panel's Transform...

Measurement tools

We've created a Unity scene, added a few primitive 3D objects and created a couple of basic textures, including a photograph. Along the way, we learned about positioning and transforming objects in Unity's 3D world space. The problem is that the actual size of stuff in your scene is not always obvious. You could be zoomed up or you may be using either a Perspective versus Orthographic view, or other features that affect the apparent size. Let's look at ways to deal with the scale.

Keeping a unit cube handy

I suggest keeping a unit cube handy in your Hierarchy panel. When it's not needed, just disable it (uncheck the checkbox in the top left-hand side of the Inspector panel). It can be used like a measuring stick or rather a measuring block, when needed. I use one to estimate actual world sizes of objects, distances between objects, heights and elevations, and so forth. Let's do it now.

Create a unit cube, name it Unit Cube, place it somewhere out...

Importing from the Blender experiment

Unity offers some basic geometric shapes but when it comes to more complex models, you'll need to go beyond Unity. The Unity Asset Store has tons of amazing models (plus many other kinds of assets), and there are lots of other websites with large communities that share 3D models for fun and profit. Where do these models come from? Will you run into problems while importing them into Unity?

I know that this book is about Unity, but we're going on a short side adventure right now. We're going to use Blender (version 2.7x), a free and open source 3D animation suite (http://www.blender.org/), to make a model and then import it into Unity. Grab a coffee and strap yourself in!

The plan is not to build anything very fancy right now. We'll just build a cube and a simple texture map. The purpose of this exercise is to find out how well a one-unit cube in Blender imports with the same scale and orientation into Unity.

Feel free to skip this section...

An introduction to Blender

Open the Blender application. Dismiss the opening splash screen. You will be in the Blender editor, which is similar to what's shown in the following screenshot:

An introduction to Blender

Like Unity, Blender consists of a number of non-overlapping windows, and their layout can be customized to suit your needs. However, the Blender interface can be more daunting, in part because it integrates a number of different editors that can be opened at the same time, in their own panels.

It's helpful to realize that the default view, as shown in the preceding screenshot, contains five different editors!

The most obvious editor is the large 3D View, which I highlighted with a (red) rectangle. This is where you can view, move, and organize the objects in your Blender scene.

The following are the other editors that are opened:

  • The Info editor, which can be seen along the top edge of the app, has global menus and information about the application
  • The Timeline editor, which is present along the bottom...

Getting started with Unity


If you don't have the Unity 3D game engine application installed on your PC yet, do that now! The fully-featured Personal Edition is free and runs on both Windows and Mac. To get Unity, go to https://unity3d.com/get-unity/, select the version that you want, click on Download Installer, and continue following the instructions. This book assumes version 5.1 of Unity.

For you beginners out there, we're going to take this first section nice and slow, with more hand-holding than what you'll get later on in the book. Furthermore, even if you already know Unity and have developed your own games, it may be worthwhile revisiting the fundamental concepts, since the rules sometimes are different when designing for virtual reality.

Starting a new Unity project

Create a new Unity project named VR_is_Awesome, or whatever you'd like.

To create a new Unity project, launch Unity from your operating system, and the Open dialog box will appear. From this dialog box, select New Project...

Left arrow icon Right arrow icon
Download code icon Download Code

Key benefits

  • Learn the basic principles of virtual reality applications and get to know how they differ from games and desktop apps
  • Build various types of VR experiences, including diorama, first-person characters, riding on rails, 360 degree projections, and social VR
  • A project-based guide that teaches you to use Unity to develop VR applications, which can be experienced with devices such as the Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard

Description

What is consumer “virtual reality�? Wearing a head-mounted display you view stereoscopic 3D scenes. You can look around by moving your head, and walk around using hand controls or motion sensors. You are engaged in a fully immersive experience. On the other hand, Unity is a powerful game development engine that provides a rich set of features such as visual lighting, materials, physics, audio, special effects, and animation for creating 2D and 3D games. Unity 5 has become the leading platform for building virtual reality games, applications and experiences for this new generation of consumer VR devices. Using a practical and project-based approach, this book will educate you about the specifics of virtual reality development in Unity. You will learn how to use Unity to develop VR applications which can be experienced with devices such as the Oculus Rift or Google Cardboard. We will then learn how to engage with virtual worlds from a third person and first person character point of view. Furthermore, you will explore the technical considerations especially important and possibly unique to VR. The projects in the book will demonstrate how to build a variety of VR experiences. You will be diving into the Unity 3D game engine via the interactive Unity Editor as well as C-Sharp programming. By the end of the book, you will be equipped to develop rich, interactive virtual reality experiences using Unity. So, let's get to it!

Who is this book for?

If you're a non-programmer unfamiliar with 3D computer graphics, or experienced in both but new to virtual reality, and are interested in building your own VR games or applications then this book is for you. Any experience in Unity is an advantage.

What you will learn

  • Create 3D scenes with Unity and Blender while learning about world space and scale
  • Build and run VR applications for consumer headsets including Oculus Rift and Google Cardboard
  • Build interactive environments with physics, gravity, animations, and lighting using the Unity engine
  • Experiment with various user interface (UI) techniques that you can use in your VR applications
  • Implement the first-person and third-person experiences that use only head motion gestures for input
  • Create animated walkthroughs, use 360-degree media, and build multi-user social VR experiences
  • Learn about the technology and psychology of VR including rendering, performance and VR motion sickness
  • Gain introductory and advanced experience in Unity programming with the C# language
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Thailand

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$8.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

$45.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Country selected
Publication date, Length, Edition, Language, ISBN-13
Publication date : Sep 01, 2015
Length: 286 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783988556
Vendor :
Unity Technologies
Languages :
Tools :

What do you get with Print?

Product feature icon Instant access to your digital eBook copy whilst your Print order is Shipped
Product feature icon Paperback book shipped to your preferred address
Product feature icon Download this book in EPUB and PDF formats
Product feature icon Access this title in our online reader with advanced features
Product feature icon DRM FREE - Read whenever, wherever and however you want
OR
Modal Close icon
Payment Processing...
tick Completed

Shipping Address

Billing Address

Shipping Methods
Estimated delivery fee Deliver to Thailand

Standard delivery 10 - 13 business days

$8.95

Premium delivery 5 - 8 business days

$45.95
(Includes tracking information)

Product Details

Publication date : Sep 01, 2015
Length: 286 pages
Edition : 1st
Language : English
ISBN-13 : 9781783988556
Vendor :
Unity Technologies
Languages :
Tools :

Packt Subscriptions

See our plans and pricing
Modal Close icon
$19.99 billed monthly
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Simple pricing, no contract
$199.99 billed annually
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts
$279.99 billed in 18 months
Feature tick icon Unlimited access to Packt's library of 7,000+ practical books and videos
Feature tick icon Constantly refreshed with 50+ new titles a month
Feature tick icon Exclusive Early access to books as they're written
Feature tick icon Solve problems while you work with advanced search and reference features
Feature tick icon Offline reading on the mobile app
Feature tick icon Choose a DRM-free eBook or Video every month to keep
Feature tick icon PLUS own as many other DRM-free eBooks or Videos as you like for just $5 each
Feature tick icon Exclusive print discounts

Frequently bought together


Stars icon
Total $ 153.97
Extending Unity with Editor Scripting
$48.99
Unity 5.x Cookbook
$60.99
Unity Virtual Reality Projects
$43.99
Total $ 153.97 Stars icon
Banner background image

Table of Contents

12 Chapters
1. Virtually Everything for Everyone Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
2. Objects and Scale Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
3. VR Build and Run Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
4. Gaze-based Control Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
5. World Space UI Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
6. First-person Character Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
7. Physics and the Environment Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
8. Walk-throughs and Rendering Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
9. Using All 360 Degrees Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
10. Social VR Metaverse Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
11. What's Next? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon
Index Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customer reviews

Top Reviews
Rating distribution
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Half star icon 4.1
(20 Ratings)
5 star 65%
4 star 10%
3 star 5%
2 star 10%
1 star 10%
Filter icon Filter
Top Reviews

Filter reviews by




Charles Bodnar-Horvath Jun 20, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book was fantastic. I bought 'Learning Virtual Reality' by Tony Parisi and was extremely disappointed at how brief/unhelpful it was. It made me unsure about whether I should buy this book but I'm really glad I did. This book is helpful to beginners whilst still providing enough interesting content for more experienced developers. The only downside is that the author focuses only on the Oculus Rift/Cardboard but its easy to work around if you know what you're doing. Highly recommend.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Matt C Dec 03, 2015
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Jon has done an amazing job of creating a single source textbook for VR development in Unity. This book covers all of the key ingredients you'll need to create your amazing new VR worlds and explore them as the player inside the game.This is a must have for anyone looking to get on the wave of Virtual Reality technology and build amazing things!
Amazon Verified review Amazon
MasterMantik Jan 04, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
This book is exactly what you need to get up to speed with Unity and Virtual Reality. Clear concise explanations and examples. I already knew a bit about VR but this book has taken me to the next level....
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Rob Apr 05, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
I enjoyed this book quite a bit. It was far more informative than I thought it would be. I have both the Oculus Rift DK2 and the Google Cardboard device, and I could follow the examples pretty closely. I have a bit more experience with Unity than this book requires. So I was able to modify some of his logic and do more interesting things. I created a demo application that has a trampoline, an elevator, an infographic of the history of the world, a 360 degree panorama and a photo-sphere. He does a good job explaining the basics of HUD design, multiplayer networking considerations, and social networking. And he provides several resources where one can go to obtain more information.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Harold Baize Feb 07, 2016
Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon Full star icon 5
Excellent book. Provides clear step by step instructions for creating virtual reality environments and games using Unity. I also appreciate that the author includes an introduction to Blender and uses it for UV texture editing. In just a few hours I had a working game that I could experience in my Oculus Rift DK2.One word of caution: VR is changing rapidly and the exact method for using the Oculus Rift SDK with Unity will probably change. Not a problem for this book, but you may need to go on line to find the latest SDK and Oculus Rift/Unity integration. I needed to update my Oculus run time and Unity utilities.
Amazon Verified review Amazon
Get free access to Packt library with over 7500+ books and video courses for 7 days!
Start Free Trial

FAQs

What is the delivery time and cost of print book? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela
What is custom duty/charge? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Customs duty are charges levied on goods when they cross international borders. It is a tax that is imposed on imported goods. These duties are charged by special authorities and bodies created by local governments and are meant to protect local industries, economies, and businesses.

Do I have to pay customs charges for the print book order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The orders shipped to the countries that are listed under EU27 will not bear custom charges. They are paid by Packt as part of the order.

List of EU27 countries: www.gov.uk/eu-eea:

A custom duty or localized taxes may be applicable on the shipment and would be charged by the recipient country outside of the EU27 which should be paid by the customer and these duties are not included in the shipping charges been charged on the order.

How do I know my custom duty charges? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

The amount of duty payable varies greatly depending on the imported goods, the country of origin and several other factors like the total invoice amount or dimensions like weight, and other such criteria applicable in your country.

For example:

  • If you live in Mexico, and the declared value of your ordered items is over $ 50, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 19% which will be $ 9.50 to the courier service.
  • Whereas if you live in Turkey, and the declared value of your ordered items is over € 22, for you to receive a package, you will have to pay additional import tax of 18% which will be € 3.96 to the courier service.
How can I cancel my order? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Cancellation Policy for Published Printed Books:

You can cancel any order within 1 hour of placing the order. Simply contact customercare@packt.com with your order details or payment transaction id. If your order has already started the shipment process, we will do our best to stop it. However, if it is already on the way to you then when you receive it, you can contact us at customercare@packt.com using the returns and refund process.

Please understand that Packt Publishing cannot provide refunds or cancel any order except for the cases described in our Return Policy (i.e. Packt Publishing agrees to replace your printed book because it arrives damaged or material defect in book), Packt Publishing will not accept returns.

What is your returns and refunds policy? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Return Policy:

We want you to be happy with your purchase from Packtpub.com. We will not hassle you with returning print books to us. If the print book you receive from us is incorrect, damaged, doesn't work or is unacceptably late, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com with the order number and issue details as explained below:

  1. If you ordered (eBook, Video or Print Book) incorrectly or accidentally, please contact Customer Relations Team on customercare@packt.com within one hour of placing the order and we will replace/refund you the item cost.
  2. Sadly, if your eBook or Video file is faulty or a fault occurs during the eBook or Video being made available to you, i.e. during download then you should contact Customer Relations Team within 14 days of purchase on customercare@packt.com who will be able to resolve this issue for you.
  3. You will have a choice of replacement or refund of the problem items.(damaged, defective or incorrect)
  4. Once Customer Care Team confirms that you will be refunded, you should receive the refund within 10 to 12 working days.
  5. If you are only requesting a refund of one book from a multiple order, then we will refund you the appropriate single item.
  6. Where the items were shipped under a free shipping offer, there will be no shipping costs to refund.

On the off chance your printed book arrives damaged, with book material defect, contact our Customer Relation Team on customercare@packt.com within 14 days of receipt of the book with appropriate evidence of damage and we will work with you to secure a replacement copy, if necessary. Please note that each printed book you order from us is individually made by Packt's professional book-printing partner which is on a print-on-demand basis.

What tax is charged? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Currently, no tax is charged on the purchase of any print book (subject to change based on the laws and regulations). A localized VAT fee is charged only to our European and UK customers on eBooks, Video and subscriptions that they buy. GST is charged to Indian customers for eBooks and video purchases.

What payment methods can I use? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

You can pay with the following card types:

  1. Visa Debit
  2. Visa Credit
  3. MasterCard
  4. PayPal
What is the delivery time and cost of print books? Chevron down icon Chevron up icon

Shipping Details

USA:

'

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the US within 10-15 business days

Premium: Trackable Delivery to most addresses in the US within 3-8 business days

UK:

Economy: Delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 7-9 business days.
Shipments are not trackable

Premium: Trackable delivery to most addresses in the U.K. within 3-4 business days!
Add one extra business day for deliveries to Northern Ireland and Scottish Highlands and islands

EU:

Premium: Trackable delivery to most EU destinations within 4-9 business days.

Australia:

Economy: Can deliver to P. O. Boxes and private residences.
Trackable service with delivery to addresses in Australia only.
Delivery time ranges from 7-9 business days for VIC and 8-10 business days for Interstate metro
Delivery time is up to 15 business days for remote areas of WA, NT & QLD.

Premium: Delivery to addresses in Australia only
Trackable delivery to most P. O. Boxes and private residences in Australia within 4-5 days based on the distance to a destination following dispatch.

India:

Premium: Delivery to most Indian addresses within 5-6 business days

Rest of the World:

Premium: Countries in the American continent: Trackable delivery to most countries within 4-7 business days

Asia:

Premium: Delivery to most Asian addresses within 5-9 business days

Disclaimer:
All orders received before 5 PM U.K time would start printing from the next business day. So the estimated delivery times start from the next day as well. Orders received after 5 PM U.K time (in our internal systems) on a business day or anytime on the weekend will begin printing the second to next business day. For example, an order placed at 11 AM today will begin printing tomorrow, whereas an order placed at 9 PM tonight will begin printing the day after tomorrow.


Unfortunately, due to several restrictions, we are unable to ship to the following countries:

  1. Afghanistan
  2. American Samoa
  3. Belarus
  4. Brunei Darussalam
  5. Central African Republic
  6. The Democratic Republic of Congo
  7. Eritrea
  8. Guinea-bissau
  9. Iran
  10. Lebanon
  11. Libiya Arab Jamahriya
  12. Somalia
  13. Sudan
  14. Russian Federation
  15. Syrian Arab Republic
  16. Ukraine
  17. Venezuela