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VR is opening up new ways to experience art

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Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#31

Post by wlesieutre »

b_tterc_p wrote: post #19
andybak wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When people ask me what unique things VR brings over other viewing technologies my answer is quite often "scale". You can get 3D via stereoscopic displays. You can get the realism and wrap-around view from huge monitors or projectors but VR let's you see the true scale of something in a way that no other technology can (aside from "actually being there"). For viewing objects where their scale is a critical aspect, VR…

I haven’t found any games that exploit this yet. Traditionally it has been very difficult to make games that feature truly large entities that behave actively and not in very broad and uninterested patterns due to things like camera constraints and what not. Shadow of Colossus and it’s siblings come to mind as close examples of this almost working. But VR could make it great.

I haven't played it (VR or otherwise) but I've heard Subnautica VR makes you feel very small in a big scary ocean.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#32

Post by linuxftw »

llamathrowaway wrote: post #8

I wonder if people’s perception of 'modern' paintings will change if they view them through VR. Many modern paintings are massive in scale (bigger than my bedroom in some cases) and/or have many thick, voluminous layers of paint. Jackson Pollock is a good example. Those paintings look plain and childish when viewed on a tiny screen that fits in your pocket, as you don’t feel their scale, you don’t sense the depth of…

Why view or do anything in person if you can do it easier in VR in the future?

And if virtual reality is so real, why replicate what we already have? Why not create something entirely new? I think this is the premise of more than one movie recently.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#33

Post by gonehome »

nilkn wrote: post #15
pault wrote: post #2

On the subject, I just received an oculus quest, and I'm pretty blown away by it. I know that it will never compete with a PC-tethered device on image quality, but the quality is good enough and they have nailed almost every inconvenience that would stop the layperson from using VR regularly. It's lightweight, it's wireless, you don't need a dedicated room, the UX is seamless; you can just pick it up and start playin…

I had an original Rift (with Touch and three webcams) and a Vive. I ended up giving up on both of them for two primary reasons: (1) Lack of inside-out tracking. The basestation solution for the Vive was at least slick and clever and not terribly inconvenient, but needing 2-3 webcams connected to your PC for the Rift was crazy. (2) The cord to the HMD was just too much of a nuisance. I told myself I wouldn't get into…

I also had a Vive and a Rift and also sold both after a few months.

I just picked up a Rift S yesterday and started playing with it.

When I had the Vive I was pretty disappointed in the Rift (no touch controllers at the time, leaked light through the nose, just generally worse).

The Rift S is a lot better. The tracking without base stations, the touch controls work well, and they've really nailed the little things with the experience (easier setup, better menus, better hardware, fewer cords etc.). The price is also pretty good at $399.

The much more expensive unreleased Vive with the new strapped on controllers looks interesting, but it's really nice not having to deal with putting up the room sensors. Also since the new Vive will be more than double the price it's not really a fair comparison anyway.

I'm pretty impressed with Oculus' progress.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#34

Post by linuxftw »

notus wrote: post #14

The only comment so far is someone named Mark who said, "If you consider that art maybe the article has merit. I guess I am just to old school and really do not see the example in this article as art. I see it as computer generated graphics not art." I'm surprised people still think this way.

I feel this way. Similar to how I don't consider online acquaintances actual friends.

On the other hand, I would consider the program that creates such graphics a work of art, but the graphics themselves are merely derivatives and have no special value to me.

Instead of seeing anything computer generated as 'amazing' anymore, it's just 'so what?' The N64 was amazing, everything since then is an improvement, to be sure, but not amazing. Probably similar to the first train ever built, that was probably amazing, new trains, while superior in every way, not amazing.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#35

Post by ereyes01 »

I'm a huge Dan Carlin / Hardcore History fan, and I can't wait to see this VR exhibit he has helped put together: https://www.warremains.com/

It's an immersive view into what it was like to be in the Western Front of World War 1. To me this demonstrates what the VR medium can do for art: immersive experience.

With the current technology, I doubt looking at a painting will be as good as in person due to low resolution, not feeling the same, etc. But creating an immersive experience seems to offer many interesting opportunities for the artist that are not possible using other physical mediums.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#36

Post by throwaway34241 »

pault wrote: post #2

On the subject, I just received an oculus quest, and I'm pretty blown away by it. I know that it will never compete with a PC-tethered device on image quality, but the quality is good enough and they have nailed almost every inconvenience that would stop the layperson from using VR regularly. It's lightweight, it's wireless, you don't need a dedicated room, the UX is seamless; you can just pick it up and start playin…

I think it's close, needing to be tethered to an expensive PC was definitely one of the biggest deal-breakers.

The content is still a little thin I think. It seems like they're positioning it as a gaming console, and while they have some fun games like Beat Saber I don't think they have the depth of content that popular consoles usually have.

I think the other big thing left is the comfort/weight distribution, for me it's not terrible but I think there are other VR devices that are better. If they just get this to a good enough level I think watching 2D media becomes interesting. If a group of people want to watch the same show at the same time and place and own a big TV, it probably won't replace that, but I think there's enough other circumstances where media is consumed for VR to make inroads if it's comfortable enough. The nice thing about that use case is there isn't the same chicken-and-egg software problem that VR has in other areas.

Right now I don't feel this is the product that will take it mainstream because of those issues, especially the content. It's a shame that Oculus wasn't able to make it (optionally) plug in to a PC and has a separate headset for that. I feel like a lot of the current PC-based VR customers will order that by default, where if they made one device that worked in both cases it would bring along more of their existing userbase to mobile. Even primary PC gamers would probably appreciate low-power versions of their games that they could use on the go.

It's still very good for a v1 device though. If they keep addressing the biggest problems more mainstream success (didn't Mark Zuckerberg say his current goal is to sell 10M units?) doesn't seem that far away.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#37

Post by corndoge »

b_tterc_p wrote: post #19
andybak wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When people ask me what unique things VR brings over other viewing technologies my answer is quite often "scale". You can get 3D via stereoscopic displays. You can get the realism and wrap-around view from huge monitors or projectors but VR let's you see the true scale of something in a way that no other technology can (aside from "actually being there"). For viewing objects where their scale is a critical aspect, VR…

I haven’t found any games that exploit this yet. Traditionally it has been very difficult to make games that feature truly large entities that behave actively and not in very broad and uninterested patterns due to things like camera constraints and what not. Shadow of Colossus and it’s siblings come to mind as close examples of this almost working. But VR could make it great.

Lone Echo does this. The first time you look at the rings of Saturn hundreds of miles beneath you is truly breathtaking.

https://www.vgvids.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/lone-echo-...

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#38

Post by DaveSapien »

llamathrowaway wrote: post #8

I wonder if people’s perception of 'modern' paintings will change if they view them through VR. Many modern paintings are massive in scale (bigger than my bedroom in some cases) and/or have many thick, voluminous layers of paint. Jackson Pollock is a good example. Those paintings look plain and childish when viewed on a tiny screen that fits in your pocket, as you don’t feel their scale, you don’t sense the depth of…

THIS! This is exactly what I have spent the last few years working on. Though its on one of these small screens, I've been striving to bring a greater appreciation of the old masters with gameplay mechanics. (You basically repaint the paintings in the game (in a fun way)) I feel this, and what I'm working on is only the beginning of a growing group of technologies and design that brings understanding and appreciation to a large audience. It's really exciting to think that more and more people will give these beautiful wonders much more than a passing glance, but rather a develop meaningful connection with them.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#39

Post by criddell »

xur17 wrote: post #21
pault wrote: post #2

On the subject, I just received an oculus quest, and I'm pretty blown away by it. I know that it will never compete with a PC-tethered device on image quality, but the quality is good enough and they have nailed almost every inconvenience that would stop the layperson from using VR regularly. It's lightweight, it's wireless, you don't need a dedicated room, the UX is seamless; you can just pick it up and start playin…

I keep reading rave reviews about the Quest, and I'm getting really really close to buying one... I'm most worried about the longterm playability of the device. Will the novelty wear off, or is it actually something I'll continue to use.

If it were made by anybody but Facebook, I'd be a lot more interested.

Maybe it's irrational, but I just don't want to support that company.

Re: VR is opening up new ways to experience art

#40

Post by corysama »

departure wrote: post #22

What is the best way to create VR art? I'm very interested in the medium but currently do not have a rig or capable home computer, but am not opposed to picking one up. Any recommendations?

Repeating that art in VR is pretty much always made using Unreal, Unity or maybe Three.js

But, if you are specifically interested in making art IN VR, there's https://www.digitalartsonline.co.uk/features/hacking-maker/7... There's also https://www.notch.one/for-vr/ which is pricey for pros but £99 for private use.

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