Unreal, Unity and CRYENGINE might be vying for the attention of VR developers right now, but a popular open source engine just got its own makeshift support.
YouTube user William Culver recently uploaded the below video of his work bringing support for the HTC Vive into the platform, with full Room Scale integration. It’s far from official, but Culver dangled the headset around to prove that tracking was indeed working. In-HMD is a field with a statue in the center. This isn’t the first time he’s worked with the tech, either, as can be seen in this 360 video showcasing VR construction ideas.
Blender itself is often used for 3D modelling and can even be used to 3D print virtual creations. It’s not hard to imagine just how useful VR could be to this platform, letting you accurately inspect a scale virtual model of a product before producing a real one.
As you’d expect, Culver has made all of his work available to download for Blender already. The disclaimer for the video warns that Culver won’t be able to deliver lots of bug fixes and implement new features, as this was created in his spare time to help him with his work. His instructions for installing the support can also be seen word for word below (we didn’t want to mess it up), and he’d also be happy to collaborate with another developer to help bring it up to scratch.
Later down the line, Culver wants to implement motion controllers such as those that come with the HTC Vive itself, adding more options such as controller model drawing. We certainly hope he can fix up some deeper integration with the device soon; this seems like a pretty much perfect use for the HTC Vive.
Installation Instructions:
Blender – User Preferences – Add-ons – Install From File… – pick the zip file.
Virtual Reality Viewport – Tick Box.
Virtual Reality Viewport – Display Backend – HTC Vive.
Use Instructions:
You will need to be running SteamVR, with lighthouses running. Currently may crash otherwise.
Blender – ‘T’ key. – Virtual Reality tab – Virtual Reality to start.
Currently may crash on stop. Will fix.
Pausing works
