Chaos Group Labs Releases ‘Virtual Reality Guide’—Helps Pros Venture into VR

Los Angeles, CA based Chaos Group Labs, has released a free virtual reality (VR) guide that teaches artists how to create successful VR projects with pre-rendered content and V-Ray. Common pitfalls associated with VR are addressed through scientific research and production insights, culminating in step-by-step instructions that explain how to make VR stills and video.

The paper was written by a trio of artists with vast experience in professional visual effects and architectural visualization. Contributors include: Christopher Nichols, Director of Chaos Group Labs; Justin Denton, a VFX Supervisor who leads Legend3D’s VR Division; and Kim Baumann Larsen, a former architect and current Creative Director for The World Building Institute.

Seeing that virtual reality was exploding and one of the most exciting opportunities to hit the production landscape in over a decade, the team wanted to provide a snapshot of current best practices for the medium that could be used by new and experienced users alike.

Sample Subjects Include:

• What are the differences between the current headsets?
• Where should I place my camera to create the best experience?
• How do I make sure people don’t get motion sickness?
• Is there a correct height or scale that people will respond to best?

“When you use this guide, you’ll have all the known information on angles, measurements, scientific studies about eye distance and more at your disposal,” said Christopher Nichols. “And since what we know about VR will continue to change, we’ll continue to update the guide as big developments occur, so it can remain a resource for the community.”

01 – Two sample projects have also been provided, giving viewers an incredible look at how pre-existing content can be transformed into a VR experience.

The samples feature the architectural visualization work of Aldo Garcia, who depicted Tadao Ando’s “Church on the Water” and Bernard Benoit, who reconstructed the famous Salle Labrouste reading room in the Bibliothèque nationale de France.

The VR Guide can be downloaded now at the Chaos Group Labs website.

What We Think

VR technology was all the rage at the latest AIA National Convention back in Atlanta. Architosh covered the many competing software VR options as well as discussed the hardware options that exist. We think architects will only continue to venture into VR as it possesses exciting abilities to present new designed spaces to clients and other project stakeholders. What Chaos Group has done is really smart and a lead indicator of why V-Ray is a popular choice in architectural visualization circles.

About Chaos Group

Chaos Group creates physically based rendering and simulation software for artists and designers. Founded in 1997, Chaos Group has devoted the last 18 years to helping artists advance the speed and quality of one of their most important tools. Today, Chaos Group’s photorealistic rendering software, V-Ray®, has become the rendering engine of choice for many high-profile companies and innovators in the design and visual effects industries.