10 Great Tools for VR Development

Often associated with gaming, virtual reality is such a technology that has the potential to drive the future of a wide range of industries. Well, we can surely say that it is one of the technologies which is going to run in the future. The applications of Virtual Reality are way beyond entertainment, it can dramatically change the way people think about their work irrespective of the industry. With so much potential, virtual reality as an application is surely going to be the biggest headline as companies will try to capture its best features to make their success accessible to everyone in the best way possible.

There are many tools out there in the market which can help you with the development of your VR software. The virtual reality market is estimated at USD 6 billion in 2020 and is expected to reach USD 21 billion in 2025. It is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 28% from 2020 to 2025. So, the easy availability of affordable VR devices is the key factor driving the adoption of VR devices.

VR Use Cases And Its Growing Market

With just the use of computer software and hardware, VR content enables users to experience a 3D environment. The above numbers show that Virtual reality is a promising technology and has a promising future if done right.

VR Use Cases 

-> Can be used to create more engaging games and applications

-> With Virtual reality in your hand, almost every industry can benefit from it especially media and entertainment companies as they can create engaging content.

-> Marketers can easily create more interesting ads

-> Businesses can give their customers a virtual touch in order to showcase their products and services.

-> VR can also be used to improve operational efficiency in your organization.

-> Incorporating VR Based training can make employees engaged in complex jobs.

-> Allows organizations to improve the prototyping process of complex products by creating a safer and easy-to-understand design.

Top 10 VR Software Development Tools

VR has a lot to offer to the industry but virtual reality app development can be really tricky. You must understand all the right tools to find out which will be perfect for your business. Here we have compiled a list of the top 12 such tools which will help you with its app development.

1. Unity

Unity is famous for its game development and now it has stepped in delivering VR solutions. This platform helps you to build VR solutions for many other sectors too. You can easily create CR solutions for automotive manufacturing, transformation, media and entertainment, construction, etc with Unity.

Unity provides you with some valuable set of tools like a powerful editor to create Unity 3D VR assets, collaboration tools, artist and designer tools, and CAD tools. Unity has already worked with some of the biggest VR platforms like Oculus, Sony, and much more. The Unity support & services portal will enable you to access its detailed documentation as well as get the help you need. 

2. Google VR for Everyone

You can find Google in almost every top technology, as one of the giants in the world, Google offers a wide range of VR development tools. As a business owner, you can easily access them on the Google VR developer portal. These tools help with the development of VR applications using various platforms like Unreal, Unity, Android, iOS, etc.  All you need to do is to access the Google VR developer portal.

You also have the option to access them as an individual guide and as mentioned above Google VR developer platform has software development kits (SDKs) for all VR platforms it supports. Its comprehensive guide will help you easily develop VR software for Google Cardboard, Oculus, and other VR platforms.

3. Amazon Sumerian

Amazon also offers VR services through its VR engine. The best thing about Amazon Sumerian is that you do not need 3D graphics and VR programming skills in order to use it. Another amazing feature it offers is its advancement to use it with popular VR platforms like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, HTC Vive Pro, Lenovo Mirage, Google DayDream, and on android and iOS mobile devices as well.

You get some amazing features like editor, hots, script to write logic, asset management, and much more with Amazon Sumerian. It also supports various VR use cases like employee education, training simulation, field services productivity, etc.

4. Cryengine

Cryengine is very popular for 3D game development. As we all know that VR reality helps in rendering 3D structure easily and that is why using Cryengine as your VR software development tool. Cryengine has already worked with some very popular VR platforms like Oculus, Playstation 4, Xbox One, etc.

Some of the best features of Cryengine are that you can easily include excellent visuals in your application, easy to create characters, offers sandbox and other relevant tools in order to create VR app or VR games, offers built-in audio solutions, you can also build real-time visualization and interaction with Cryengine, which provides an immersive experience to your stakeholders. 

5. Unreal Engine 4 (UE4)

Unreal Engine also offers some powerful sets of VR development tools. With UE4 by your side, you can easily build VR apps on several platforms like Samsung Gear VR, Google VR, Oculus, Sony, etc. With UE4 you get some of the best features like multiplayer framework, gives access to its C++ source code and Python scripts, flexible editor, real-time rendering, blueprint visual scripting tool offered by UE4, easy to add sequence, animation, simulation, audio, etc. UE4 also offers extensive documentation which will help you to understand it much better.

6. 3ds Max

Aforesaid, 3D modeling and rendering is an integral part of VR apps. 3ds offers is very popular modeling and rendering application that helps you in designing, visualization, creation of video games and applications. It also offers some amazing features like quality 3D animations, an efficient and flexible toolset to create high-quality 3D models. It also offers options to create textures and effects in order to create an impressive array of 3D rendering, workflow, UI, 3D animation, etc.

7. Blender

Blender is another VR app development kit that is an open-source 3D creation suite. It is offered by an independent organization for public benefit. It has some amazing features like you can create your own 3D pipeline along with animation, rigging, modeling, simulation, composting, and motion tracking. It also supports video editing and the creation of VR applications. If you have someone who understands the API, then they can use its API for Python scripting to customize the application.

8. Maya

Maya is another VR software development tool from Autodesk, which you use to create some amazing 3D animations, VFX software, and motion graphics. Maya is a very powerful software as it offers 3D animations, 3D rendering, modeling, motion graphics, integration, etc.

9. SketchUp Studio

SketchUp Studio is a powerful 3D modeling tool that is focused on the construction industry and architecture. It can be amazingly used to develop virtual reality app development. It helps in interior design, landscape architecture, residential construction, and urban planning.

It offers amazing UI and designing which makes the process simpler in order to create VR applications. SketchUp Studio offers construction industry-specific features as you can easily create VR and AR apps using this tool.

10. Oculus Medium

Oculus is among the well-known VR platforms in the market. You must have heard of Oculus Rift S, Oculus Quest, and Oculus Go. All these are powerful VR development software. It is a comprehensive tool, which allows you to create amazing 3D assets. You can easily create models, and paint the VR assets you create. Even if you are a beginner, with Oculus Medium you can quickly create an immersive environment.

Planning to Launch A VR Solution for your Business

Here we have listed the top 10 virtual reality development tools which you can use to develop a VR solution. The development of a VR app can be really complex as you need to hire highly relevant VR development.  You can find many VR developers which can support you with end-to-end management support for this project.