Noob creating an Interactive 3D VR Demo

The objective is to use our FBX 3D model of our clients building that we created from point clouds using our FARO 3D Scanner and Revit and provide them with a Virtual Reality experience giving them the ability to walk inside and look around using an Android phone + 3D Goggles + Bluetooth controller. When I say interactive I only mean that they are interacting with the position and POV of the First Person Controller and it's not some pre-rendered 3D Demo otherwise I can do that with Lumion and Cardboard.

I just started using Unity 4.6 free edition + Android SDK + Cardboard yesterday for a presentation that fell on my lap and wow this stuff is fascinating especially if I can really get this to work. But I keep running into walls while following many of these tutorials like i'm missing the option they have, there's definitely tons of info out there to the point where it's overwhelming. I'm trying to find a walkthrough or tutorial on something more directly to what I need which is pretty simple compared to the stuff i've been watching, at least the idea is.

I'm using a Note 2 + plastic Google Cardboard goggles + possibly a PS4 controller (only because I read I didn't have to root my phone to get the bluetooth to work with many other cheaper controllers that show a lot of inconsistency with Bluetooth connectivity).

I got the Cardboard Demo Scene to work on my phone and even imported the FBX model of the building. But I have yet to get my hands on a bluetooth controller and make sure I can walk around or what have you. Hopefully tonight I can get my hands on the PS4 controller and start configuring that for movement.

Is Cardboard the best cheap/free way to being going about this or should I be looking at Open/Durovis Dive or something else?

If I pull this off I can buy and expense the more impressive headsets and equipment.

 

Google Cardboard is nice, however I must admit that Oculus Rift and Samsung Gear VR have a much better viewing experience. The view is bigger and less narrow, you get a more "I'm inside VR" feeling that with the Google Cardboard viewer. But to let the mass experience VR, it's a good choice. For customer product the Samsung Gear VR is at the moment the best solution in my opinion. The Oculus Rift is the best for development, since you can test everything so fast and develop something cool in no time. At the moment I develop for all 3 VR products.

 

drewnashth - any luck with your mission creating 3d VR environments? I am just getting started going from Revit > 3DS Max > Unity 5 to use the Oculus. Wondering how materials, lighting etc will transfer...

 

Thank you JDMulti, my Director bought us the Rift DK2, Gear VR, and Note 4 (even though it was an Asian Market 910H device that I had to flash to a custom but updated 910C Lollipop ROM to get the Gear VR to work) and I can say it is indeed a far better VR experience.

I have had some good progress and it's definitely been a learning experience trying to work out the kinks with various settings, model polygon count, draw calls etc especially with the thermally limited Note 4.

I found that the Moga Pro 2 works flawlessly over Bluetooth to my Note 2 and our Note 4 and is very ergonomic, where as with the Dual Shock 4 PS4 controller I was experiencing almost a full second of delay over Bluetooth with the Note 4. I just use the DS4 controller for our Rift DK2 via USB using an Xbox 360 driver (I know it's a Microsoft driver but it works and was recommended) combined with the DS4 InputMapper tool, which is very configurable, you get full functionality, even with the touch-pad.

I have briefly read over a Revit > 3DS Max > Unity workflow but I have yet to get time to try it out but it looks very useful in maintaining organization of the model assets and optimal texture utilization.

We have picked up a Thalmic Labs Myo armband controller and a Leap Motion tracking sensor mountable to the DK2 but I have yet to get more time then just running through the tutorials. I've had mixed results regarding accuracy with both especially compared to online showcases and tutorials that make it look so seamless and spot on. The Leap Motion can take quite a bit of calibration to dial in motion accuracy and even then it can still be frustrating, almost makes me feel like I have Parkinson's, lol.

We have another team in Denver that has had more time and success to work with some Augmented Reality gadgets along with 360 cameras, Matterport, Holodeck, and drones. A lot of the futuristic technology shown in movies like Minority Report, Iron Man, Prometheus etc suddenly don't look to far from the present. These are really exciting times and to be a part of it is something else.

With as many developers that are jumping on board whether Open Source or proprietary, I can see this technology is going to vastly improve in the near future and we can only imagine what the world will be like when all this technology is mainstreamed into everyday society.

 

I'm also interested in doing architectural vizualization in VR.
Any tips or tutorials on the workflow?
I work with Revit...

 

The workflow from Revit to Unity isnt the greatest, If you have 3Ds Max you may want to first export your model from revit as fbx then resave as FBX. If you are trying to salvage the material you need to look up something Called AMC script that converts the materials so that unity can read em.

I think the whole thing is very annoying but its probably the best currently. You could also you free plugin from Twin Motion for revit and have it export. Problem is that it exports and combines things into one mesh. So depending on your export option certain things will be together(which may be problematic.

I am currently working on a semi simple work around for quickly using the model of a standard Revit FBX file and creating tools to easiliy assign materials, create lights, capture Render Stills, as well as swapping ugly revit models with another one you may desire (doors, furniture, light fixtures, etc).
I am about almost 90% done. I hope to release it out into the Asset store as a relatively cheap price. So be on the look out for it. ( I work as an architect currently so these tools help me in my day)