I’m currently undertaking a research & development project investigating the use of XR technologies to create an immersive art installation.

For the uninitiated, XR stands for Extended Reality and is an umbrella term for Virtual Reality (VR), Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and concepts like 3D Sound and 3D Video. The distinctions can be blurry, but here’s a one liner on each:

• VR: creates a digital environment that replaces the real world.
• AR: overlays digital content into the real world.
• MR: Umm, a seamless blend of the two?!
• 3D Sound: Either recorded with multiple microphones or reproduced via a speaker array.
• 3D Video: Similarly, multiple cameras record different perspectives on the same shot.

Looking around when kicking off, I found this Introduction to XR: VR, AR, and MR Foundations course on Coursera. Pretty useful so far.

Armed with that, a Unity install, an Oculus Quest and a load of curiosity - let’s see where this goes. Should be a fun ride!

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