Welcome to the VR Pathway

VR Software Setup

1.1 - VR Project Setup

1.2 - VR Locomotion

1.3 - Grabbable Objects

1.4 - Sockets

Challenge 1 - Architecture Review

The VR software landscape

Lab 1 - VR Personal Project Basics

Submission 1 - Share your Work

Mission 1 Quiz - VR Basics 

VR Software Setup 

Mission 1 Quiz 1 - VR Basics

Learn the basics of setting up a VR project and implementing simple interactivity like locomotion and grabbing objects.

In this mission, you will learn the basics of setting up a VR project and implementing simple interactivity.

In these tutorials, you will do the following:

Set up a VR-ready project with the room of your choice

Implement locomotion so that users can move around the scene

Add grabbable objects users can pick up and throw around

Set up sockets that objects can snap into

In the Challenge for this mission, you will apply your skills in an architectural review prototype. Then, in the Lab, you'll fill out a design document to lay out a concept for your own project, and then begin working on it. Finally, in the Quiz, you will test your new knowledge.

VR Basics

Unity VR Development

Dive into the world of virtual reality with Unity's VR Development Pathway. Learn to design immersive experiences, build VR games, and master Unity's VR tools. Start creating in VR today!

VR Development Pathway - Learn Unity VR Game Development | Unity Learn

 or have the equivalent experience, before starting Unity VR Development.

In addition, basic coding experience is recommended before starting the Custom VR Development mission, which can be obtained via the 

Ready to develop for VR? This guided learning Pathway will prepare you for a job in the VR industry!

Welcome to VR Development! This learning pathway is designed for anyone interested in learning to create experiences for VR. This pathway assumes a basic knowledge of Unity and basic knowledge of programming.

VR Development

2.1 - Audio and Haptics

2.2 - Activation Events

2.3 - Direct and Ray Interactors

2.4 - User Interface

Challenge 2 - 3D Painting

The XR hardware landscape

Lab 2 - Personal Project Events & Interactions

Submission 2 - Share your Work

Mission 2 Quiz - VR Events & Interactions

Learn how to implement more complex interactions in VR to make the experience more immersive, such as audio, haptics, and user interfaces.

In this mission, you will implement more complex interactions in VR to make the experience more immersive.

Apply new functionality to specific objects

Allow the user to toggle between multiple types of interactors

In the Challenge for this mission, you will apply your skills in a 3D painting prototype. Then, in the Lab, you'll implement the core functionality of your personal project. Finally, in the Quiz, you will test your new knowledge.

Events and Interactions

3.1 - Comfort and Accessibility

3.2 - Optimization

3.3 - Lighting

3.4 - Building and Sharing

Challenge 3 - Training Simulation

Keeping up with XR technology

Lab 3 - Personal Project Ergonomics & Optimization

Submission 3 - Share your Work

Mission 3 Quiz - VR Ergonomics & Optimization

Explore ergonomics and optimization for VR for making apps as accessible and comfortable as possible.

In this mission, you will focus on ergonomics and optimization for VR in order to make your app as accessible and comfortable as possible.In these tutorials, you will do the following:

In the Challenge for this mission, you will apply your skills in an industrial training simulation prototype. Then, in the Lab, you'll implement the core functionality of your personal project. Finally, in the Quiz, you will test your new knowledge.

Ergonomics and Optimization

What is in this mission?

Explore the sample scene

Set up the scanner

Code the scanning functionality

Balloon Inflator

Escape Room project overview

Number pad

Keycard reader

Sliding Door

Mission 4 Quiz - Custom VR Development

Clone with a twist!

Submit your final project

Learn to write scripts for advanced interactions in VR applications, and create your own unique VR project.

In the previous missions, you used pre-made interaction scripts provided to you as part of the Create with VR project. This mission will teach you to write scripts specifically for VR applications. You’ll write these scripts from scratch in the context of three separate projects.

In project 1, the XRI example scene created by the XR Interaction Toolkit team, you'll reference existing code and documentation to program some more advanced, customized interactables.

In project 2, you’ll follow guidelines from a project brief to create part of a VR escape room. Rather than following step-by-step instructions here, you’ll only receive hints.

In project 3, which you’ll submit to receive your pathway badge, you’ll create your own unique VR project. The challenge here is to create a clone with a twist: a version of an established VR experience, but with a unique alteration.

, you should already have a good foundational knowledge of scripting in the Unity engine to make the most out of this learning content.

If you don’t already have a foundational understanding of scripting, now is an excellent time to learn. We recommend you complete the 

If you feel almost ready but want to brush up on a few skills without doing the entire Junior Programmer pathway, why not check out the 

Custom VR Development

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Choose hand models

 Add a grabbable object

Hide hands and disable anchor control

Fine-tune the throwing experience

Add an object with a handle

Organize the Hierarchy

Recap

Extensions

Comp-L2-Prog.VRp: Beginner VR Development

Beginner VR Development

aaron.sharp@unity3d.com bCXcG*RnEp9O!6@q

1.3.ext - Magnifying Glass.mp4

1.3.E3 - Notebook-with-hinge.mp4

1_3_1_v2.mp4

1_3_recap_v1.mp4

1_3_3_v2.mp4

1_3_4_v2.mp4

1_3_6_v2.mp4

1_3_5_v2.mp4

1_3_2_v2.mp4

In this lesson, you will learn how to configure objects for basic grabbable interactivity in VR. By the end of this lesson, users will be able to pick up objects in the scene and throw them around. 

This lesson is part of the Create with VR course. 

By the end of this lesson, you will be able to:

Set up a grabbable object in VR with all required components and properties in order to be picked up and manipulated by a user.

Configure a grabbable object’s attach point in order to ensure it is positioned and oriented properly when it is picked up by a user.

Use the relationship between units in Unity and real-world scale in order to ensure that objects in the scene are proportioned accurately. 

Understand the properties of a grabbable object in order to ensure it behaves as desired in VR (e.g. movement type, position smoothing, etc). 

VR Developer Pathway Facilitator Kit.zip

VR Developer Pathway Facilitator Kit (Google Drive)

Unity Educator Hub

The VR Developer Pathway Facilitator Kit includes everything you need to successfully bring this Pathway into your learning context including a syllabus, complete lesson plans, standards alignment, teacher preparation guide, and more.  

Games

Film

Automotive

Skill-L2-Prog.VRp-2: Develop a VR app that demonstrates common interactions using Unity's XR interaction toolkit.

o-L2-Prog.VRp-2.1: Implement locomotion in VR.

o-L2-Prog.VRp-2.2: Implement grabbable objects and sockets in VR.

o-L2-Prog.VRp-2.3: Implement a worldspace UI in VR.

o-L2-Prog.VRp-2.4: Implement controller- and object-based interaction events in VR.

o-L2-Prog.VRp-2.5: Implement spatial audio in VR.

Develop a VR app that demonstrates common interactions using Unity's XR interaction toolkit.

1 - VR Basics

Unit 2: VR Basics

VR basics

You can choose the models to represent the user’s hands in VR rather than just using simple spheres.

In the Project window, open Course Library > Prefabs > VR > Hands, then determine which VR_Hand option you prefer.

In the Hierarchy, select XR Rig > Camera Offset > LeftHand Controller. 

In the XR Controller Component, for the Model Prefab property, drag and drop your hand prefab of choice to assign it.

In the Hierarchy, select XR Rig > Camera Offset > RightHand Controller 

Repeat the same step as above to assign a prefab for your right hand.

When you test your app, you should now see the hand models you selected instead of grey spheres.

Project window displaying a directory with a selection hand models. In the Inspector, the Model Prefab property is highlighted and set to VR_Hand_Gray_Right.

Now that you can see your VR hands, you should add objects to grab with them.

Go to Course Library > Prefabs > Objects > Sports.

Drag a ball onto an accessible surface in the room.

Add an XR Grab Interactable component to the ball.  

Note: This will automatically add a Rigidbody component to the ball object as well.

Reposition the XR Rig to be in front of the table with the grabbable ball object.

Test grabbing the object by aiming your ray at it and pressing the Grip button.


4.  Make sure that the object is the correct scale:

In the Hierarchy, create a new 3D Object > Cube object, and rename it “Measuring Stick”.

Use Google to determine the correct official diameter of the ball and then convert the dimensions you found into meters.

In the Measuring Stick’s Transform component, set the X and Z Scale to 0.01 and the Y scale to the length you calculated.

Position the measuring stick next to your ball to make sure it’s accurately sized. If it is not, use the Scale tool to correct it.

You should now be able to pick up the ball using the Grip button, release the grip button to throw it.


Note: If you are using the XR Device simulator, you can toggle a controller with T or Y, rotate it to point at an object by holding the middle mouse button, then press and hold G to grab and hold an object.

XR Grab Interactable component highlighted with the Rigidbody component displayed above it.

Currently, the hand model overlaps the object you’re holding and you are able to change that object’s position in your hand with the controller. This is not optimal for interacting with the scene.

1.  Stop the user from moving the object with the left joystick:

In the Hierarchy, select XR Rig > Camera Offset > LeftHand Controller object.

In the XR Ray Interactor component, disable the Anchor Control setting.


2.  Make your hand model disappear when you grab an object:

In the XR Ray Interactor component, enable the Hide Controller on Select setting.


3.  Apply these changes to your right controller:

Repeat the steps above on the RightHand Controller object.

Your hands should now disappear when you pick up an object and you should no longer be able to move or rotate the object with the joystick.

XR Ray Interactor component with the Anchor Control property de-selected and the Hide Controller on Select property selected.

The object can be grabbed, but there are some minor aspects of its behavior that need to be tweaked.

In the Ball object’s Sphere Collider component, locate the Material property. 

Click the circular button to assign one of the provided Physics Materials. 


2.  Prevent a dropped object from going through the floor:

In the Ball object’s Rigidbody component, set the Collision Detection setting to Continuous Dynamic.


3.  Allow the ball’s rigidbody physics to work while in your hand:

In the XR Grab Interactable component, ensure that the Movement Type is set to Kinematic so it can physically interact with other objects in the scene.

In the XR Grab Interactable component, enable the Smooth Position and Smooth Rotation properties. 

The ball should now bounce, not fall through the floor, and move smoothly in your hand.

Sphere Collider component with the Material property set to PhysicsMaterial_Bounce_Medium.

Rigidbody Component with Collision Detection property set to Continuous Dynamic.

XR Grab Interactable component with Movement Type property set to Kinematic, and with the Smooth Position and Smooth Rotation properties enabled.

You have added a ball object that is held at its center and where orientation is not important. Now you will add an object that will be grabbed at a very particular point and orientation.

1.  Add a sports racket, paddle, or bat into the scene:

Drag one of the sports implements onto the surface next to the ball.

Select the new object and add an XR Grab Interactable component. 

In the XR Grabbable component, enable both the Smooth Position setting and the Smooth Rotation properties to decrease jitter.

In the Rigidbody component (which was added automatically), for the Collision Detection option, select Continuous Dynamic to prevent it from going through the floor.


3.  Create a specific attach point for the object:

In the Hierarchy, right-click the object and create an Empty child object. 

Reposition and rotate the Attach object so that it matches the position and orientation your hand model should be when you grab the new object. 


4.  Assign the attach point to your sports implement:

In the Hierarchy, re-select the parent sports object.

In the XR Grab Interactable component, locate the Attach Transform property. 

Drag and drop your new Attach object to assign it to the Attach Transform property.

You should now be able to grab the sports implement object by the handle and hit the ball with it.

Attach GameObject highlighted in the Hierarchy, which is the child object of the Tennis Racket GameObject. Above Scene view, the Local coordinates setting is enabled rather than Global.

Before you get too many objects in the Hierarchy, it’s good to set up an organizational system for your objects.


1.  Make organizer objects in your Hierarchy:

In the Hierarchy, create new empty GameObjects named “XR,” “LIGHTING”, “STATIC,” and  “DYNAMIC,” 


2.  Organize your objects into categories:

Drag objects from your Hierarchy onto the organizer objects - the advantage of this technique is that it keeps your Hierarchy nice and neat.

Alternatively, drag your objects underneath these organizer objects - the advantage of this technique is that it keeps your objects easily accessible. 

The Hierarchy should now be more usable, organized into categories.

Hierarchy showing all organizer objects selected, including: XR, LIGHTING, STATIC, and DYNAMIC.

Collision detection modes
(discrete vs continuous dynamic)

Movement types
(kinematic, instantaneous, velocity-tracking)

If you want to further develop your skills, explore new concepts, and improve your project, check out some of the optional extension activities below. 

Each one is tagged as [Easy], [Medium], [Difficult], or [Expert] and will also include a [Requires Programming] tag if some coding is required. 

Add fun decorative and grabbable objects to your scene to make it feel more interactive, even if those objects aren’t fully functional yet:

Browse through the Course Library > Prefabs > Objects folders for ideas. 

2.  Experiment with the grab interactable properties [Easy]

Add a new grabbable object to your scene and experiment with the various properties of the XR Grab Interactable component, including:

Movement type: Kinematic vs Instantaneous vs Velocity Tracking

1.3 - Grabbable Objects

Overview Video

1. Choose hand models

2. Add a grabbable object

3. Hide hands and disable anchor control

4. Fine-tune the throwing experience

5. Add an object with a handle

6. Organize the Hierarchy

7. Recap

8. Extensions

Complete this tutorial