I MM E R S I VE

T E CH NOL O G Y
MANUA L
COMPLEX GUIDE
TO VR/AR/MR SOLUTIONS

1
START YOUR VR /AR
JOURNEY NOW

New technologies create countless

opportunities for us – users, developers,
educators, industry specialists, and business
owners. Innovation drives people towards
better solutions for everyday work and a more
comfortable life.

For example, solar panels allow us to produce

green energy, MRI (magnetic resonance
imaging) technology is used for precise
medical examination, and so on.

Virtual reality and other immersive

technologies hold the same potential,
which materializes when we talk about the
human experience.

Giant Lazer specialists are here to present it

to you – clearly, comprehensively, and with our
professional expertise.

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SAY HI
TO OUR EXPERTS

Jakub Korczyński
CEO @ Giant Lazer

+48 693 543 261

jakub.korczynski@giantlazer.com

Mateusz Tokarski
Co-CEO @Giant Lazer

+48 664 720 172

matt@giantlazer.com

Michał Rypel
Marketing Spec. @Giant Lazer

+48 505 144 820

michal.rypel@giantlazer.com

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TABLE OF
CONTENTS

NUMBERS & STATISTICS 5

VR IS NOT A ROCKET SCIENCE 6

WHY WOULD YOU CONSIDER VR/AR/MR IMPLEMENTATION 7

WHAT TO THINK ABOUT BEFORE STARTING A VR/AR PROJECT 8

KNOW YOUR VR/AR HARDWARE 9

IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION 12

IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS 20

GOOD TO KNOW 26

SUMMARY 27

CONTACT 28

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NUMBERS
& STATISTICS

VR/AR market is now dynamically gro – wing
and seems promising in terms of medical
systems, educational applica – tions, and
corporate training. However, the primary VR/
AR market – entertainment – is split between
gaming and so – cial media projects.
From Steam VR, through AR Spark on
Instagram, and VR chat, to Pokemon-GO
frenzy. We’re experiencing a mas – sive boom
of immersive activities that can also stimulate
e-commerce and retail markets.

Let’s start with some numbers:

$12 bln 40% 66%

VR market was worth $12
billion in 2020 with a massive
annual growth rate of 54%,
resulting in a projected
valuation of $72.8 billion by
2024 (Snap Consumer AR
Global Report, 2021).
of small to midsize
businesses are currently
evaluating AR/VR (the
number is expected to rise to
70% by 2022). (AR and VR in
the workplace, IBM, 2020).
of people say they are
interested in using AR for
help when shopping. (Google
Consumer AR Survey, Global,
2019).

600 mln
Every month, over 600
million people use Spark AR
on Facebook and Instagram
(Tech@Facebook, 2020).
43%
VR training reduces the
occurrence of workplace
injuries by 43% (Chaos
Theory Games, 2020).
90%
of educators agree that
VR tech – nology is
quite an effective way of
providing differentiated
and personalized learning
experiences for students.
(Getting Smart, 2020).

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VR IS NOT A
ROCKET SCIENCE
What does society think about Virtual Reality?
When it comes to mainstream media, the
term is being less and less associated with
still-developing technology and something
that’s not at all handy. Because of its
misrepresentation in everyday life and still
developing target of users, we can easily
acknowledge that VR is not yet understood
properly. However, its status is changing
towards financially and technologically
inclusive and available innovation.
It’s important to note that the times when
virtual reality was an absolute novelty
are behind us. Since 2018, the immersive
technology became easy to implement – to
the point where Lenovo Mirage Solo became
the first serious commercial offer for everyday
VR consumers. All because of its standalone
feature (the headset works without cables
or separate tracking devices like those for
HTC Vive).
However, the first breakthrough was the
Oculus Go system (presented in 2018 by
Facebook), which was also a standalone
headset with two remote controls.
Unfortunately, it supported only three
degrees of freedom (just head movements),
which means that the experiences were
much more static. Despite that, Oculus Go
helped promote virtual reality throughout the
companies and institutions that weren’t aware
of the capabilities that came with virtual
reality in many cases.
Today, virtual reality is used in logistics,
education, culture, produce, healthcare,
military, and many more industries on different
economic levels – from small businesses to
global corporations. The information needed
to work with this technology is available for
anyone interested, if not already well-known,
for commercial web/mobile interface users.
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WHY WOULD YOU
CONSIDER VR/AR/MR
IMPLEMENTATION

✎ long-term economical benefits

✎ immersive applications nearly

eliminate human error issues

✎ engaging way of presenting content

for students/employees/visitors

✎ single development process

provides countless offhand uses

✎ easy progress-tracking solutions

for trainers

✎ one device can run many

applications

✎ innovation useful in employer

marketing and brand building

✎ attractive, event-friendly
technology

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WHAT TO THINK ABOUT
BEFORE STARTING
A VR/AR PROJECT

✎ what kind of issues does employer see that could

be fixed with the immersive software?

✎ do I need portable or stationary device?

✎ should my application be available on

a smartphone, tablet, goggles, or glasses?

✎ is the group that would use VR big enough to work

with it regularly?

✎ does the company have enough time to outsource

software development?

✎ would users have enough space to use virtual

reality gear freely?

✎ is there a person that would be able to train the

staff in using VR/AR tech?

✎ do I know the budget for R&D

projects and the estimate costs of the technology
and the software production?

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KNOW
YOUR VR/AR
HARDWARE

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→ KNOW YOUR VR/AR HARDWARE

A headset is a piece of wearable

hardware (HMD – head-mounted display)
that can be used to operate with VR, MR,
or AsR applications.

Virtual reality headsets come with a cable Most of the headsets work with remote
set (PC headsets) or a built-in computer controllers (however, sometimes it’s just
(standalone gear), two screens, special lenses one pilot). Controllers communicate with
(that help users see one coherent image), and the headset through the emitted light
cameras that help it to track the position of (installed LEDs).
the headset and are sometimes helpful in case
of hand tracking support. In addition, some of
the headsets come with base stations (as in Examples of VR headsets:
the HTC Vive set). Oculus Quest 2, HTC Vive Pro, Pico Neo 2,
Valve Index
Others need just built-in cameras that can
scan the surroundings and gain orientation by
the characteristic elements localized around
them. Depending on the setting, headsets
come in 3DoF (degrees of freedom) or 6 DoF
technology. It means that we can either use
them to look around (3DoF = rotating the head
in one place) or move around (6DoF = walking
in 3 dimensions and looking in 3 dimensions).

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→ KNOW YOUR VR/AR HARDWARE
Mixed Reality headsets work with two main
elements: lenses (that serve as screens just
by themselves thanks to the technology of
waveguide lens) and scanners (cameras) that
map the surroundings to place UI/application
assets in near space. They usually work as
standalone. However, some of the available
gear needs portable computers/batteries.
Examples of MR headsets:
HoloLens 2, Magic Leap
Assisted Reality glasses are indeed the
lightest of the immersive devices. The
technology uses different display solutions:
a screen (LCoS, Oled, and many more) +
a prism (the most basic and low-cost solution),
a holographic film (light and compact), or
a birdbath lens (good quality of view). The
difference between each other results from
the viewing method, e.g., one-eye or two-eye
displays, or immersion level.
Examples of AsR headsets:
Epson MOVERIO BT-300, Realwear HMT-1,
RoKid Glass 2
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IMMERSIVE
TECHNOLOGY
DISTINCTION

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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION

Specialists are nowadays able to

distinguish four different levels of
immersion and the specific technology
that allows us to experience them. So
let’s take a while and focus on VR, AR, MR,
and AsR to discover their purposes and
potential in different industries.

VR (virtual reality)

Virtual Reality is – by design – a technology But starting with much more common use, we
that creates a separate world for its users. should focus on the types of applications that
It means that the work we make in it stays are the most popular on VR headsets.
inside and can be shared with others through
pictures, videos, or networking applications.
Thanks to innovative applications, employees
can work together in virtual offices, sharing
projects, insights and even ma – king
team conferences.

Image caption: headset

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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION

Simulators Showcases

A simulator is software that mimics specific Showcases can work as interactive

phenomena, situations, or real life scenarios.
Its purpose is to allow the user to play a part
in the simulation or passively experience it. For
example, one can explore the surface of Mars
inside the VR application. Still, it depends on
the program if they could choose the path of
the tour (or interact with the virtual objects in
many ways) or simply be guided through the
planet’s landmarks without any control.
presentations, in which the user is allowed
fundamental interactions in order to
understand the theme of the showcase. For
example, it can be a new car model, a project
of an intelligent home system, or an animated
graph of the water cycle in nature.
Example:
Smart Home Technology Showcase

Example:
Forest Maintenance Simulator for
Environmental Education
✎ “the game features nearly 120 different
3D models”
✎ “observing the forest is visually enriched
by the arrangement of plant models
made in different seasons, from early
spring to late autumn”
✎ “high standard VR home with modern
and fashionable living space, as well as
the outside vacation environment for an
additional scenario”
✎ “with the choice of immersive medium
comes the feeling of really trying out
all the prepared solutions in close-to-
natural circumstances”

✎ “mathematical and technical activities:

⟶ determining the age of trees by

counting the rings,
⟶ measuring the breast height of a tree,
⟶ controlling the time of felling the tree
by the harvester,
⟶ measuring the wolf and dog tracks.”

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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION
Training Systems
Training systems can be simulators or
showcases, but their crucial element is the
UI, which must be very clear and helpful
for students or training participants. In
addition, such applications are usually
equipped with progress measurement and
grades (dependent on the equity of the
user’s choices).
Example:
Acadicus Virtual Simulation Lab
✎ “multi-user feature enables participants
to join a simulation from any location”
✎ “virtual simulation content pack includes
assets for basic wound treatment in an
emergency room environment”
360-degree movies
Interactive movies for VR are usually recorded
in 360-degree technology with spatial sound.
Thus, users are often just observers of the
action and can look around in the 3DoF
spectrum. Sometimes such videos are enriched
with UI that allows users to make decisions
or interact with movie elements, change clips,
etc.
Example:
Wingsuit Flight VR
✎ “360 video footage of daredevil Gabriel
Lott’s wingsuit flight”
✎ “experience the high adrenaline thrill
of wingsuit flight in virtual reality first
person point of view”
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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION
Games
VR Games are probably the most advanced
applications in terms of the number of
possibilities they present (especially when
we talk about multi-player software). Unlike
VR experiences or 360-degree movies, games
give users more control over the system,
allowing them to immerse more and become
the functional part of the created world.
Depending on the mechanics, players can
interact with the application differently
through the built-in VR receptors and
remote controllers.
Example:
Flying Things
✎ “flying vehicle creator, allowing users to
build their own plane-like models, using
just their creativity and two bare hands”
✎ “Each airplane is powered solely by
a mechanical force generated by the
player pulling the levers and moving
the cranks”
Social Rooms
Social rooms are nothing else than virtual
spaces that people can share with other
users in order to interact with each other in
real-time. They can be simple, like a room
with avatars and microphone audio, or more
advanced, using hand tracking and face
tracking systems, offering detailed spaces and
interactive objects (boards, pointers, markers,
etc.).
Example:
Spatial
✎ “Create your 3D-realistic avatar from
a single selfie in seconds”
✎ “Sit next to each other from across
the world”
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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION
AR (augmented reality)
Augmented Reality is designed to en – rich
our natural surroundings with 3D elements
displayed on smartphones, tablets, or
glasses. The level of immersion offered by AR
gear is generally lower than VR because we
feel like using a tool that changes just the
fragment of our reality. Nonetheless, AR is
a valuable technology in terms of knowledge
popularization, e-commerce, marketing,
and more.
In the education sector, augmented reality
serves as a handy way of translating
theoretical issues to visual and interactive
representations (for example, using AR, we
can scan QR codes to visualize equations as
XY axis). In the case of e-commerce or retail
business, AR can be helpful as the medium
for consumers that want to know the product
better or check its properties in real space
(some applications help visualize furniture
inside the room through the camera or check
if the design of the shoe fits us the way we
want it to.
In marketing, AR can become useful as an
immersive game or experience – – based
software, engaging users by original plot,
interesting mechanics, or social character
(there are quite a few examples of AR-camera
use in product promotion, such as scanning
pictures to unveil secret content). Augmented
reality also means entertainment. We can
easily see that through the success of
PokemonGo or Harry Potter: Wizards Unite
mobile applications.
Example:
QuiverVision
✎ “Augmented Reality coloring app
that creates engaging, immersive
coloring experiences”
✎ “open the Quiver App, press play, then
scan with your camera and watch your
coloring leap from the page like magic”
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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION

MR (mixed reality) Example:

Anatomy X
What is mixed reality? The answer is simple:
it’s something between VR and AR, but leaning
towards the latter. MR means we can interact ✎ “allows students and professors to
with objects displayed in the environment on – learn and teach individually or in
for example – special lenses. The technology shared sessions”
makes the augmented reality experience much ✎ “anatomy platform for holographic,
more immersive because of the broader view mixed reality. Created by physicians
angle (52 degrees) and sometimes also good and engineers to explore and teach
hand tracking. The MR headsets are great for human anatomy in the most engaging
enhancing creative processes in corporations way possible”
or technical training in healthcare. The
systems can connect many users who are
able to see the same 3D object from different
spots in the room. Mixed reality can be useful
in prototyping, designing, engineering, or
education (for more engaging classes).

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→ IMMERSIVE TECHNOLOGY DISTINCTION
AsR (assisted reality)
If mixed reality is a hybrid of VR and AR,
then assisted reality is a version of it but
somewhat less immersive in terms of freedom
of interaction. Simply put, AsR is usually used
by smart glasses – devices that allow users
to see and collect information on lenses in
a couple of ways – through the gestures,
through the voice, or signs spotted by
a built-in camera. This is a popular solution
used in logistics and industry, especially when
collecting objects and assembling products.
Other than that, assisted reality can be
a useful addition for medics or athletes who
need impromptu information about specific
and various stats. It’s also helpful in terms of
remote collaboration when employees can
help each other without going the distance.
Finally, you can see that AsR is a smart, easy-
to-control system of content display that’s
also usually light and portable.
Its properties make it very interesting as
a future consumer-market product, but for
now, we cannot see many valuable examples
of AsR applications or everyday-use systems.
Example:
Vision Picking at DHL
✎ “Smart glasses worker assistance
in the realm of AR technology has
profound effects on inspection and
quality assurance”
✎ “Vision picking powered by smart
glasses enhances the traditional
picking procedure”
✎ “AR enables its users to intelligently
understand their surroundings by
integrating contextual information
into their field of view through
smart glasses.”
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IMMERSIVE
APPLICATION
DEVELOPMENT
PROCESS

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→ IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
1. Concept development
The process begins with the idea for the
application, supported by technical arguments,
a general gameplay outline, and an example
of a primary mechanic. At this stage, further
work on the project depends on the quality of
the idea, its immersive potential, the economy,
and the approval of other parties (client,
partner, management).
The next step is to prepare the app premise,
which in practice means the formulation
of a catchy (2-3 sentences) text intended
to draw the recipient’s attention to the
principal values of the story. Premise serves
as a primary determinant of the clarity of an
application idea. If it is easy to understand
and engaging, the studio recognizes that the
team can further conceptual work.
After that, the company moves on to
brainstorming, an organized, creative work
that helps to crystallize the most critical
points of the project.
We say it’s organized because the process is
always supposed to lead the team to answer
some quintessential questions in line with the
Design Thinking method:
⟶ for whom the studio creates the pro –
duct and what are the needs of the
audience (Empathy map)
⟶ what elements included in our idea
meet/do not meet the needs of the
recipient
⟶ what other elements not included in
the idea could contribute to a better
reception of the project
⟶ what the product should look like
concerning the current assumptions
⟶ what are the technical assumptions
about the product
⟶ what will distinguish the product
Achievements:
✎ general assumptions are created
✎ project objectives are specified
✎ potential errors are predicted
✎ main story/use scenario is written down
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→ IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

2. Creating a software
prototype

a) VR space construction – the use

of tools such as Tvori, Tilt Brush,
Google Blocks to be modeled in VR

This part is intended to visually represent the

basic spatial elements, not to get the target
aesthetics of the application. By using the
right tools, the team is able to verify the
usability of the project and potentially sense
the level of playability. In short, the key is
to check basic app mechanics using simple
shapes as placeholders.

b) Implementation of complementary
mechanics

This is the moment when the company decides

which mechanics are missing to get a fully
functional prototype. At this point, our task is
to define the problems and needs of the user
as well as design solutions and add them to
the project.

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→ IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
d) Preparation of the prototype for
testing
They are completing a version that will fully
present the assumptions of the application
fragment selected before the prototyping
process. This is when developers have the
opportunity to make corrections and finally
verify whether the system is ready for
further tests.
e) User tests
The developer’s eye will catch a lot, but his
gaze will always be technical and focused on
elements such as performance or functionality.
Therefore, the prototype testing process must
involve users from outside the team, who
will be able to assess the advantages and
problems of the initial application objectively.
f) Conclusions
At this stage, the most important thing is to
obtain formal evaluations of the prototype –
e.g., written down as part of a survey or
collected as pros and cons notes. Detailed
and reliable assessments are essential. The
more insights the company gets, the greater
the chance that it will present another
prototype or a new version of an existing one
to the client/partners. If the prototype did
not work, the company started working on
a new prototype.
Achievements:
✎ virtual space is planned
✎ main mechanics are checked
✎ app aesthetics are defined
✎ main demo is created
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→ IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS
3. Project approval
After the prototype development, the
company decides to transform the illustrative
fragment of the application into a fully-
fledged product, entering the moment of
advanced works.
Achievements:
✎ the prototype is accepted or refined
✎ the application is set for pre-production
4. Pre-production
Pre-production is a key moment in evaluating
the complexity of graphic and programming
tasks. During it, the company learns the pace
and effectiveness of the team’s work assigned
to production.
This is the stage of work, which consists
primarily of the gradual prototyping of
subsequent application mechanics. First,
the studio takes selected concepts to the
workshop and creates prototypes based on
them for testing and internal evaluation. In
this way, successive iterations are created,
and thus, a set of adequately functioning
program elements is built.
Achievement:
✎ all of the stages/spaces/scenes are
checked and set for production
5. Proper production
Based on prototypes and estimates made
during pre-production, the team can plan
the work during the actual production and
build a production line with places for team
members. After that, it is up to the Project
Manager and his view of the work and
capabilities to date, so at what pace and in
what order the individual elements of the
project will be implemented.
Proper production is the moment when
creative and corrective action is combined,
i.e. both the creation of new elements and
their ongoing testing, improvement, and repair.
Each of the latest iterations is added and
tested – the sooner, the better.
Achievements:
✎ final assets are created
✎ main programming is done
✎ work progress is being regularly
presented
✎ gradual testing is in progress
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→ IMMERSIVE APPLICATION DEVELOPMENT PROCESS

6. Testing phase 7. Final phase – distribution.

It’s the crucial part that is also called post-
production – a moment to search and repair.
Developers test the application as a team
and divide tasks as needed. Each of them
should aim for finding possible bugs, fixing
them, and checking if the problem does not
appear anymore after that. It’s a methodical
and gradual work that needs to be
conducted carefully.
The project is presented and handed over
to the client/distributor. For this purpose,
the team offers an apk with documentation
and a set of promotional files to embed the
application on the selected platforms.
Achievement:
✎ the application is ready to use

Achievements:

✎ errors are corrected

✎ application is checked for distribution

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GOOD TO KNOW

Boxes to check before contacting VR/AR/MR 7. Dedicated physical space

development studio properties:

⟶ square meters
1. Estimated number of potential ⟶ internet connection
application users ⟶ owned hardware

2. The purpose: 8. Needed level of immersion:

⟶ education ⟶ 25% AsR (smart glasses + mobile

⟶ process enhancement – training devices, small display, visible
⟶ brand-building surroundings)
⟶ product promo ⟶ 45% AR (mobile devices, regular display,
⟶ entertainment not wearable, visible surroundings)
⟶ 70% MR (headset/glasses, near-eye
display, visible surroundings)
3. User needs ⟶ 90% VR (headset, near-eye display, no
visible elements of surroundings)
⟶ employees/students – clients
⟶ visitors
9. Specific questions related
to the industry branch, technical
4. Preferred development timeline aspects, etc.

5. Multiple users at once / 

Single user

6. Self-financed / grant-financed / 
co-financed project

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SUMMARY
Knowing the technology, the potential,
and the process behind the VR/AR/MR
applications distribution, you can now better
understand how immersive technology
became one of the most important innovations
of our times.
Furthermore, the possibilities of its use in
industrial companies, IT, healthcare, education,
and entertainment confirms that future
generations of virtual or augmented reality
devices can truly change not only the way we
consume the content but, more importantly –
the way we live, work, create and stay
connected with each other.
Some specialists see immersive technology as
the next technological step after smartphones
in terms of personal-use devices. It’s hard to
say when it will happen, but we are not at all
far from that.
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CONTACT

ul. Ołtaszyńska 92C/6

53-034, Wrocław PL

+48 693 543 261

+48 664 720 172

zap@giantlazer.com
giantlazer.com

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