Virtual reality (VR) is an exciting new medium with broad applications in entertainment, marketing, design, and more. Every bit as flexible and dynamic are the professionals who specialize in creating and adapting content for virtual reality. VR content creators use two main methods to create VR content: computer-generation, wherein every part of the world is synthetic, designed and integrated into an interactive experience using code; and 360-degree video, where video is taken using an omnidirectional camera and edited to create an immersive experience.

360-Degree Immersive Video

By far the least expensive and speediest method of creating virtual reality content is 360-degree video. Of course, that doesn't mean it's easy or cheap: video is shot using an omnidirectional camera, spliced together using special video stitching software, and edited further in order to be optimized for viewing on a head-mounted display (HMD). Frequently, content creators will fill more than one role on a single project, but VR content creators who work in this medium can take on a number of jobs, including:

• direction—conceiving and leading the project;
• filming—setting up tripods, guiding the Steadicam, or piloting a drone-mounted camera;
• audio capture—setting up lavalier mics or even sitting directly beneath the tripod; and
• postproduction.

As far as the projects themselves, 360-degree video can support fictional narratives and nonfiction documentaries, just like traditional video, but it's particularly effective when it comes to marketing and event management. The ability to live broadcast VR content allows sports games, concerts, conferences, and trade-shows to become immersive experiences for audiences at home, while brands take advantage of the eye-catching medium to capture viewers on sites such as Facebook and Youtube. Video-based VR also has cutting-edge applications in fields such as tourism, real estate, education, and surveillance—military and otherwise.

Interactive 3D Development

The "virtual" in virtual reality is why most people tend to picture this kind of content when they think of putting on a VR headset. If creating video-based VR content is like making a film, then creating interactive VR content is like developing a video game. Creators use 3D game development software—called "engines"—to build entire worlds from the ground up. This often means creating original 3D models and animations with software such as 3DS Max or Maya; using applications such as Photoshop or Zbrush to add color and texture; using the engine's built-in tools to add lighting to the scene; and designing original sound effects to bring the visual content to life. Perhaps most importantly, interactive VR content creators write code—using the advanced functionality provided by the game engine—to tie everything together.

While this method of creating VR content is much more expensive and time-consuming than shooting 360-degree video, it has the advantage of interactivity—thanks to the code—meaning that users can do much more than just look around. The ability to pick things up, move around, and edit virtual objects in an immersive environment makes interactive VR excellent for computer-aided design (CAD) as well as video game-style entertainment. Autodesk’s VRED, for example, is a virtual prototyping software for automotive designers that allows them to see and edit their designs at scale without needing to build a model.