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16.03.2020 | Questions: support@vrdirect.com

Step-by-Step Guideon how to create & publish

a Virtual Reality project using VRdirect

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Step-by-Step Guide

• Register for a VRdirect account

• Download & install the VRdirect Studio

• Create a VR project with the VRdirect Studio

• The Studio environment

• Add a scene

• Add a connection

• Add an object

• Add an interaction

• The art add-on

• Preview the VR project

• Publish the VR project

• Share the VR project with an audience

Table of Contents

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Register for a VRdirect account

Go to www.vrdirect.comClick on the ”Sign-up free" button in the menu bar on top of the VRdirect website.

Step 1

A registration form is opened, which new users must fill out with their details.

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Register for a VRdirect accountStep 1

By filling in the fields and submitting the form, the account has been successfully created.

The first 30 days of your license are completely free-of-charge! Use this time to get to know the VRdirect Studio.

You can cancel your license anytime during these 30 days.

If you don’t cancel, the billing cycle will start after 30 days and you will be asked to provide your payment details.

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Download & install the VRdirect StudioStep 2

After finishing up the registration process you will automatically get to a download page.

Download the VRdirect Studio and install it on your Mac or Windows

What is the VRdirect Studio?The VRdirect Studio is the software that is used to create and publish Virtual Reality projects.The Studio runs on macOS and Windows.

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Create a VR project with the VRdirect Studio

After the login, the Studio opens immediately in the “Creation” environment.

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Open the installed VRdirect Studio and login with your account details.

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Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

When opening the studio for the first time five picture tutorials will be displayed in a window. These describe really briefly what’s what in the Studio.

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Tab bar:Here you can switch between the Creation and Publishing tab.You can also find notifications and your profile options here.

Storyboard view:All scenes are displayed and managed here. New scenes and connections can be added here as well.

Scene view:This window shows the inside of a scene. Here you can add objects and look around in the scene (360°environment) by dragging with your mouse cursor.

Tool bar:The tool bar is only shown in the Creation side of the Studio. Save your project, delete or duplicate scenes and objects.

Sidebar:The sidebar shows properties of the selected object or scene. As well as the overall project options and the background scene.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

The Studio environment

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When opening the VRdirect Studio for the first time, after the tutorial images, you will see this screen. Start your first project by adding 360°content – either per drag and drop or by clicking into the field.A scene with your content will be created.

Alternatively, you can click on the plus button for “Add Scene”.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add a scene

What is a scene?A scene represents a 360°environment that the user stands in. Scenes are filled with 360° images or videos.

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To keep the project organized change the scene’s name in the properties sidebar to something descriptive.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add a scene

When your scene is still “empty” you can add content by using the drag and drop field in the properties sidebar.

What content can I add?You can add 360° images (PNG or JPEG) and 360° videos (MP4). We recommend a resolution of at least 4K. The 360° content needs to be equirectangular monoscopic, stereoscopic side-by-side or top-bottom.

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Add a second scene.

The steps already performed are repeated.The second 360° image (in this example: ”Wohnzimmer”) is uploaded.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add a connection

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Both scenes are connectedby clicking on the small magenta circle, holding and dragging the arrow to the second circle (”Wohnzimmer” scene). Thus a connection has been created.

The process is repeated in the other direction in order to connect the scenes in both directions.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add a connection

What is a connection?“Connections” connect two scenes with each other. It allows the user to move or jump from one scene to the next.

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Back in our first scene ”Flur" we now want to add an object that triggers the connection we earlier created.

A click on ”Add Object" creates a new object in the scene that is selected. This object can be placed freely in the 360°scene.

An image is then uploaded to the object via the drag and drop field in the sidebar.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add an object

What object types are there?Depending on what content you upload to your object - they can be images (PNG and JPG), videos (MP4), audio (MP3) and spatial audio (TBE).

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The size and placement of the object within the 360° scene can be set in the properties sidebar.

Here you can also set the distance to the user. This is mainly relevant in Virtual Reality as you have a real perception of depth there.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add an object

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Select the previously added object and scroll down to the interaction section.

Add a new interaction by clicking on “Add Event”.Choose how the interaction should be triggered by a user – either by selecting the object (Select), by gazing/hovering over the object (Gaze in) or by gazing away/leaving the object (Gaze out).

Furthermore, choose the action to follow and the target (in this example: the name of the target scene).

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

Add an interaction

To enable a scene change and therefore trigger a connection, an ”Interaction Event" is added.

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Then, add further objects withinteractivity that allow the user to jump back and forth between the scenes.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

To make your project more extensiveadd a third scene and connect it with the second scene.

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To do so, we must add a hidden object and make it show once another object is clicked/selected.

In this example: Add an object in theliving room and place it on top of thepicture on the wall.

Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

The art add-on

Let’s add an art piece on the wall that appears once the user clicks on a little plus symbol.

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Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

The art add-on

Now fill the added object with an art piece of your choice by uploading a png or jpg picture in the drag-and-drop field in the sidebar.

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Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

The art add-on

In this example, we are using the Marilyn Monroe tableau by Andy Warhol.

Position and scale it up on the wall so that it covers up the picture behind.

Then, check the checkbox “Invisible by default” to make the art piece invisible when entering the scene.

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Create a VR project with the VRdirect StudioStep 3

The art add-on

Add another object on top of the Marilyn piece and fill it with a plus symbol image.

Now, add an interaction event to the plus symbol that actively shows the Marilyn piece when being clicked.

Select > Action: Show Object > Target: Marilyn Image

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Preview the VR projectStep 4

Congrats! You’re almost done!Now it’s time to preview what you have created so far.

To do so, navigate to the first tab (Home icon) in the sidebar. Click on “Start Preview” and a window will open with your VR project.

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Publish the VR projectStep 5

After previewing and saving the project, the finished project is ready to be published.

In the Publishing tab of the VRdirect Studio, you can upload and publish your projects in order to share them.

To do so, click on the plus symbol ‘’Upload & Publish Project” and enter the title of your VR project.

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Publish the VR projectStep 5

In the following window, all general information and further meta data about the project and the creator (Author) can be entered.

With a click on "Save Information" you can save the title, author and description of the project. This information will be shown in the app.

You can also add a preview image toyour VR project.

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Publish the VR projectStep 5

In the next step upload, preview and publish your project.

The saved project (.vrprj file) is uploaded via the button "Upload”. After the upload was successful, preview the project one last time and then go ahead and publish it.

The act of publishing releases the project into the VRdirect Cloud and makes it globally available. Find out how to distribute and sharethe project with your audience in step6.

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Share the VR project with an audienceStep 6

Scroll down to the “Share Project” section and find the distribution links.

Project Code: Enter the 6-digit code into the search field of the VRdirect app (on smartphone and VR headset) and your VR project will start.

App Link: Click on the link that automatically opens the pre-installed VRdirect app and leads to your VR project (on smartphone).

Web Link: Click on the link that will open a Web Browser and show your interactive VR project in VRdirect'sWeb Player.

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Share the VR project with an audienceStep 6

You can also embed the Web link into your website.

Embed your VR project into your website, just like a YouTube video, by using the embed code.

When clicking the icon, the embed code generator will open and lets you generate the HTML snippet that you need to insert into the source code of your website.

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Congratulations! You now know how to create and publish your own VR projects