Recent Changes -













Plan


1 Our resources

2 How we used those resources

3 How you can benefit from those resources



































Our resources

"Who" is VRLab Brussels

Mohamed Ouedarbi

Role : Organizer

  • Hardware Workshop and thinkering
  • finding sponsors
  • finding a space
  • gathering an local enthusiastic crowd

Working on a prototype : VRMOTION

Fabien Benetou aka Utopiah

Role : Co-Organizer

  • writing down the content of workshops
  • gathering an local enthusiastic crowd

Fabien is also playing with vAtelier.net , his main motivation for discovering webVR.

Where is VRLab Brussels?

  • World Trade Center, 25th floor at F/LAT
    • 28-30 boulevard Albert II, Brussels, Brussels

Easy to reach using public transport and with an impressive view, even though not as impressive as VR ;)

Please note than if you arrive after 7pm or during the weekend you will have to pass through security using the Rue Willem De Mol entrance. Your name must be on the RSVP list else you will not be granted access.

See here an example on how to reach this entrance from Gare du Nord, the north station deserved by trains, buses, public bike stations and trams.

Curious on how to get there inside the building? Trying our on-going 360/VR experience.

Please also note that parking is available only during week days and before 7pm. Outside of those hours it's recommended to find a spot on the NorthWest of the tower, in direction of the canal.

VRLab Brussels in numbers (as of June 2016)

  • 350 VRLabers
    • with tight link with Be.VR and its 920 members
  • 16 past events with webVR workshops and hardware testing sessions
    • 10 workshops
    • 3 presentations
  • 5 types of commercial Hardware devices available
  • 2 working DIY hardware prototypes
  • 2 Upcoming Workshops with established locations during the next 3 months
  • 3 organizers
  • 1 Twitter @VRLabBrussels account
  • 1 permanent physical space
  • Founded in November 2015

With a VR infographic presentation https://output.jsbin.com/pemege

viz

Arduino

Stock : 1

The reference for easy fast prototyping hardware the Arduino paves the way for Do It Yourself input and environment shaping VR hardware.

Google Cardboard

Stock : 50

A simple bare piece of cardboard with 2 lenses. Slide your modern mobile phone with an up to date browser in it, load a webVR page and there you have it : affordable virtual reality.

Kinect 360

Stock : 1

Using your body as the controller you'll be able to steer your car, shoot the bad guys and fight your opponents in games designed specifically for Kinect. Kinect for the Xbox 360 frees your mind and hands and will give you an experience that has until now gamers have only dreamed of! Full in-game interaction games that aren't restricted by wires and control pads.

Lakento

Stock : 1

VR headset for mobile phones that works with mobile phones that have a minimum of 4 inch display and a maximum of 6.4 inches

Occulus DK 2

Stock : 1

The Oculus DK2 is the latest development kit for the Rift.

Razer Hydra

Stock : 1

Using magnetic motion sensing, the best available technology of its kind, the Razer Hydra’s compact base station can compute the exact location and orientation of controllers in your hands, down to a millimeter and degree..

Revol VR

Stock : 1

3D printed, handmade VR controllers packed with a lot of love

Vico VR

Stock : 1

WORLD'S FIRST WIRELESS 3D SENSOR FOR VIRTUAL REALITY



































How we used those resources

Thursday 14 April 2016

Hosted by

Going further

For participants

  • repeating animation requires both from/to attribute

And maybe just as importantly, if you want to go on... together check out the upcoming workshops!

For instructors

  • about 10 participants in the afternoon, 5 in the evening
    • about 10 seriously tried the webVR workshops
      • more than half finished the workshop
      • Aframe issue with transparency
      • clarification required on repeating animation requiring both from/to attribute
    • Hardware part
      • partly working Oculus DK2
  • bypassing CORS was OK
  • On Unity - exchange of ideas with people that already tipped their toes into Unity and the Cardboard SDK
    • Cardboard's Event-based interface is good for standard pre-built interactions, but extending it for some physics-based interactions (e.g. when you need to find the exact point of the raycast intersection) requires deep knowledge on how the Unity's Event system operates. For quicker and more straightforward (and better in terms of learning) approach, the standard Unity raycasting and polling approach may be better.
    • The Cardboard SDK automatically copies all the properties of the main camera to the two cameras in the stereo rig. The workaround involves caching the variable that you want to keep and reintroducing it right after the duplication of the main camera properties

Wednesday 30 March 2016

ICAB for JavaScript Lab Brussels

Organized by

Video recording https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9R5jj6lDqI

Obviously this should be experienced with a Cardboard or proper VR HMD : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajBiOge0_HA There is a lot more to see e.g. stack (and even an Easter egg, hint you can look back!)

Going further

For participants

For instructors

  • ~30 participants
    • ~15 didn't try VR at all
      • they could ALL try a Cardboard demo during the beginning of the talk
    • 0 tried the Vive
    • 5 tried the Oculus
    • 3 programmed webGL
    • 0 programmed anything in VR
    • gave away 10 cardboards
    • comments via Meetup
    • 1 participants came after the talk and said very quietly "Wow... it was in 3D from the start, I didn't notice, I thought everyone around me did so I didn't know how to react but that was really impressive"
  • difficulty of making a meaningful presentation for both VR newcomers and VR experts, JS newcomers and JS experts
    • assessing with introductory questions help to better understand what could be done
    • code presentation at the end was probably too short and too late for people who wanted to integrate VR to their existing framework
      • yet also too long and too complicated for newcomers, presenting the ECS architecture and why it matters in a matter of minutes might not be enough
  • no video yet
  • to improve for next time if the audience is actually consisting of programmers (should be assessed quickly via introductory questions) with some knowledge of VR
    • re-factor to better highlight key principles
      • Custom element e.g. <a-box> to remove all veil of mystery
      • registerComponent() to insist on the importance of JavaScript at large and the benefits of three.js in particular
      • registerShader() depending on the knowledge of the crowd
      • scene.hasLoaded with total lack of magic
        • and its importance for getAttribute()/setAttribute()
      • using emit('myEvent') with <a-animation begin='myEvent'>
    • skip querySelector()/getElementById() but instead focus on querySelectorAll() as it shows a lot more potential
    • move all images to the asset section with meaningful names
    • don't just present mixin or <a-assets>, start with the pain point THEN show the solutions

Thursday 17 March 2016

Photos

360 selfie - Spherical Image - RICOH THETA

With a low resolution partly annotated VR equivalent.

Hosted by

Going further

For participants

  • ...

And maybe just as importantly, if you want to go on... together check out the upcoming workshops!

For instructors

  • about 20 participants
    • about 7 seriously tried the webVR workshops
      • 2 finished workshops
      • 2 tried and finished the first mission to get the cardboard
    • Hardware part
      • no brain imaging headset to test
  • bypassing CORS seems OK now
  • consider isolated AWS setup
    • ansible ( npm n JSBIN (node asset uploader) (showcase exdorter) )

Wednesday 2 March 2016

Photos

Hosted by

Going further

For participants

Based on recurrent remarks here are some potential solutions

And maybe just as importantly, if you want to go on... together check out the upcoming workshops!

For instructors

  • 24 participants
    • about 15 tried the webVR workshops
      • 5 finished workshops
        • 4 without programming experience
      • 1 tried and couldn't find the starting link
      • 1 tried but didn't follow the link at the end of mission 0
        • could be fixed by
          • making the very first mission much simpler and requiring to follow a link
          • give the links back in the starting page or previous page (as done in previous workshops)
      • 2 tried the other workshops
      • 0 joke on lightbulb shared
    • Hardware part
      • All participant have tried the VicoVR and enjoyed it!
      • many tried the OSVR HDK and the dance floor demo from Olivier.
      • François shared his work about Kinect merging skeleton with participant.
      • 1 researcher took the a Razer Hydra to work with it.

Friday 19 February 2016

Photos

Hosted by

Co-organized with support from
-

Going further

For participants

  • ...

For instructors

  • ...

Wednesday 13 January 2016

Photos

Hosted by

Co-organized with support from
-

Going further

For participants

For instructors



































How we can help you

  • Showcase your hardware products amongst interested developers and users in the area
  • Giving a workshop in your school as we did at FABlab Brussels in March 2016
  • Participate to your VR event as we did several time for EU.VR Brussels in 2016
  • Give you tips about your idea, products, art projects, etc, we have expertise that we can share


Come explore your own ideas and learn VR!