Tutorial: Virtual Reality using V-Ray SketchUp and Google Sketchup

Virtual Reality (VR) can be translated simply as "As if Real". When it comes to Virtual Reality, I imagine someone wearing a  special helmet with monitors on both eyes attached to a computer with  thick cables. I also visualize "Neo" and "Morpheus" in the Matrix movie. The hunger to simulate reality using computer seems a hard to believe fiction in the past; but this idea is already happening. Pilots use flight simulations in aviation; likewise soldiers are being trained using war simulations and VR games. Today, were more likely to hear someone use the words virtual environment (VE) to refer to what the public knows as virtual reality. We'll use the terms interchangeably in this article. Whether we use VR all VE, these simulations needs an environment codified and rendered using computers. V-RAY and Google SketchUp could also create and render virtual environment (VE).

Four months ago, I have created a detail tutorial on how to do this in the interior and posted it in my main blogsite. You can access this tutorial using the below links:

WIP: VR in Vray SketchUp

VR Reality Part 2

One of our online friend Edgar Navas, co-creator and co-administrator of http://foro.sketchando.net/ and contributor in this site, shared an exterior version of virtual reality using  V-RAY and Google SketchUp. I would like to recognize Edgar in this tutorial and thank him for allowing me to share this tutorial here. I also would like to thanks him for sharing me an html code in embedding the VR output in this site.

Here is Edgar Navas tutorial: Exterior Panorama with V-Ray + Pano2VR  

Software: Sketchup 8.0, V-ray 1.49.01, Pano2VR http://gardengnomesoftware.com/pano2vr.php
Others: Spherical HDRI file as Image base light source
            Spherical HDRI image converted to jpeg. file

First here is the Panorama

We will start with a simple model for the purpose of practicality with render time.

Step 1:  Use Position Camera Tool
Use Position camera tool and click the exact location were you want to place the camera.



Once clicked, the camera view will be updated.





Step 2: Camera Height Position
We can change the Eye height in the "measurement box". Here I used 2.00m. The height will depend on you.

Step 3: V-RAY Camera Option
Open V-RAY Camera Option. Under Type, choose Warped Spherical. Tick Override FOV and enter 359.9 degrees.




Step 4: Environment Setting.
Load the HDRI files for both GI and BG map options. In this example I use a visopt by ArqEstevez but with modification so that the shadows are consistent with the background I am using. You can use your own settings here.





Step 5: UVW Mapping Type

Once the maps were loaded, you need to change the UVW mapping type for both GI and BG HDRI map to "Spherical"



Note: The map for GI color is "hdr" file, while thee map for BG color is "jpg" file converted from original hdri file




Step 6: Render
Now we can click the render button.

Clicked the render button. Below is the rendered panorama image with an output image size of 3000pixels X 1450 pixels



Step 7: Creating the VR image
Open Pano 2VR software and choose "Select Input"





Under input, select "Auto"


Then Open the rendered image that we have saved and done with V-RAY SketchUp



Under the output, choose your output size and click "Add". In this example, I used Flash output format.



Under the output options, in my case Flash Output, choose the settings. In my case again, I choose High for both Tile and Display settings.



Then click create all.