Research guides: Virtual Reality Resources: Build VR applications

Build VR applications

Ready to create your immersive VR world? This page contains tools and software to help you with developing VR applications including:

Software development kits
Real-time engines
Image and video editing software
Audio editing software
Pre-existing VR applications and games

Software Developer Kits (SDKs) and other software

A-Painter
Web-based software that allows you to paint in 3D. Use the Vive's motion trackers to paint with both hands.
Google VR SDK for Unity
Build virtual reality applications for Android and iOS using Unity and the Google VR SDK. Unity's native integration with Google VR makes it easy to build Android applications for Cardboard.
Mozilla A-Frame
An HTML/Javascript framework for building virtual reality experiences that run on the web. Works on Vive, Rift, Cardboard, Daydream, GearVR.
OpenVR SDK
OpenVR is an API and runtime that allows access to VR hardware from multiple vendors. This repository is an SDK that contains the API and samples. The runtime is under SteamVR in Tools on Steam. It supports the HTC Vive.
Ricoh SDK (beta)
Use the API and SDK supplied by Ricoh to develop original Ricoh Theta apps.

Real-Time Engines for VR Developers

Unity 3D
Unity Technologies offers a platform for creating beautiful and engaging 2D, 3D, VR, and AR games and apps. This is one of the biggest game engines out there, and offers a free subscription package, along with tutorials, documentation, and a strong community network.
Unreal Engine
Get Unreal Engine 4 here, and with one free download access all engine features, the full suite of integrated tools, and the C++ source code for the entire engine. You’ll find documentation, tutorials and support resources, plus tons of free content, including templates, sample games and complete projects to quickly get on your way to building anything you want!

Audio Software and Repositories

Audacity
Audacity is free, open source, cross-platform audio software for multi-track recording and editing. Audacity can record live audio through a microphone or mixer, or digitize recordings from other media. With some sound cards, and on any recent version of Windows, Audacity can also capture streaming audio.
Freesound
Freesound is a collaborative database of Creative Commons Licensed sounds. Browse, download and share sounds.
ocenaudio
ocenaudio is a cross-platform, easy to use, fast and functional audio editor. It is the ideal software for people who need to edit and analyze audio files without complications.

Image/Video Editing Software

GIMP
GIMP is a free cross-platform image editor available for GNU/Linux, OS X, Windows and more operating systems. You can change its source code and distribute your changes.
Paint.NET
Paint.NET is a free image and photo editing software for PCs that run Windows. It features an intuitive and innovative user interface with support for layers, unlimited undo, special effects, and a wide variety of useful and powerful tools.
Adobe Creative Cloud
Creative Cloud is a collection of 20+ apps for photography, video, design, web, UX, and social media — plus integrated essentials like colour palettes, font families, and the power to collaborate with anyone, anywhere.

Pre-existing VR Experiences and Games

Check out the following VR applications and games to get a sense of how VR works and become comfortable with the various functions of the hand controllers and virtual system menus.

The Body VR: Journey Inside a Cell
The Body VR: Journey Inside a Cell is an educational virtual reality experience that takes the user inside the human body.
Cosmic Sugar VR
Cosmic Sugar is an elegant, GPU driven simulation space. Vive wands become attractors or repulsors which allow you to craft nebulas. The controls are very simple, but it takes some time to explore all of the possibilities. Thanks to East Forest for the trailer music.
Freedom Locomotion VR
Walk, jog, run, climb and crawl across a range of locations and terrains in the Freedom Locomotion VR demo. This game showcases the revolutionary Freedom Locomotion System that provides you with a wide range of options, which will allow you to find the most immersive fit regardless of how motion
Google Earth VR
Google Earth VR lets you explore the world from totally new perspectives in virtual reality. Stroll the streets of Tokyo, soar over the Grand Canyon, or walk around the Eiffel Tower.
Lazerbait
Lazerbait is a free arcade strategy game set in virtual reality with one simple goal: capture all the planets to build more ships and destroy your enemies!
PaintLab
Paint or sculpt your own 3D creations and play around with them in Virtual Reality! It’s free, easy to use and a lot of fun to use PaintLab with friends and family!
The VR Museum of Fine Art
Surround yourself with 1:1 scale sculptures and paintings, and we won't tell anybody if you touch the merchandise! No rope barriers or glass walls here. Feel free to explore the artwork however you see fit. Roomscale VR lets you walk around, duck under, and even hug the life-sized figures.

Research Guides

Virtual Reality Resources: Build VR applications

Build VR applications

Software Developer Kits (SDKs) and other software

Real-Time Engines for VR Developers

Audio Software and Repositories

Image/Video Editing Software

Pre-existing VR Experiences and Games

Library links

Libraries

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