Virtual reality is the most infamous and widespread example of emerging technology. The specific technique that we explored was painting within a virtual world. The process as very straightforward and involved no setbacks, It involved us putting the headset on and operating the virtual world using 2 small joysticks. Painting in 3D was hard to get used to, since now instead of only being able to paint to the sides you could also paint forwards and backwards to add depth to your paintings. Due to being used to traditionally 2D forms of art it took me a while to grasp the possibility of 3D so my early experiments were 2D.
Surprisingly, I struggled with adapting to the joystick controls. In hindsight they were very simple to understand, but I kept mixing up the buttons which slightly hindered m learning process, I was also not used to holding a controller of this shape. Although, it was a simple obstacle to overcome, and the more I experimented and drew the more I got used to the controls and my line work became steadier and more comprehensive.
On the LEFT, me figuring out how to navigate the UI and interact with it. On the RIGHT, me drawing a 2D chinchilla after figuring out the basics of tool and colour selection.
Shortly after I got more comfortable with the idea of 3D, and attempted to experiment a 3D design using an existing mannequin preset in the app. It taught me the basics and got me to be comfortable with depth and using a variety of tools to achieve a more desired result. (Unfortunately photographic evidence for this is not present).
The reason I chose to do so was to give myself a template for a smoother and more beginner friendly experience into transitioning to 3D. This was a good decision, since it gave me anchors and to follow which resulted in a more visibly 3D result and gave me the confidence to be more ambitious in my experiments. My desire to press buttons and dig around in settings has been very beneficial in my experiments, since it allowed me to create a model using a variety of tools and brushes which Id have overlooked otherwise, for example the ruler tool which limits your brush strokes to always be perfectly straight.
Beyond that, I did not explore these VR features further. Whilst there were a few emerging technologies which I neglected more than others, I saw a potential use in all of them in my project even if I make no concrete plans to implement then; however, I see no viable way to use for VR in my work. Whilst it is a very fun tool to play and experiment with, I consider this to only be useful when used recreationally, or at best as a mind mapping tool to gather ideas before starting a project similarly to scribbling on a piece of paper until something sticks. Unfortunately since we have been introduced to this technology relatively late, all of my mind mapping and project planning has been complete beforehand. I also cannot mentally connect VR drawing to my desired pathways, not to UI/UX nor to general design, at least not in terms of creating final outcomes. I see how it might be useful for mockups, but if I was to use 3D mockups I’d rather integrate AR instead since it has an easier set up and is less inconvenient overall.