Final Thoughts about the MS/Acer VR headset (I refuse to call it Mixed Reality)

About a week ago I got an Microsoft / Acer VR headset, which MS insists on called “Mixed Reality”. I reviewed it, I took it apart. I made some tests in Unity3D. I emailed MS support. Here are my final thoughts: Price It’s cheap. Currently priced at $300. While a few weeks ago I would have considered …

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Teardown of the Acer / Microsoft “Mixed Reality” VR headset

I wanted to see whats inside the new Acer VR headset that my company (Packet39) received a few days ago. So I took it apart and documented the process. Velcro comes off, then 6 small screws. Then the plastic “face cover” detaches, and the headband with it.       The two lens holders (or …

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Leap motion and the vive tracker

Here is a quick experiment to see if I can merge real-life objects and the Leap Motion hand tracking. Results are … mixed. See for yourself:

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3D modeling curved objects with a flatbed scanner

Here is a neat trick that can save a lot of time when modeling objects. Say you have an object that you want to model with high fidelity. And also say you are planning to attach a Vive tracker to this object and swing it around in VR (coming soon). Like so: How would you …

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Unboxing and first look at the new Microsoft “Mixed Reality” VR headset

Packet39 (my company) was lucky enough to receive a developer kit of the new MS “Mixed Reality” (ie, VR) headset, made by Acer. Here is a quick unboxing and review. Please keep in mind this is a developer model, and things might change before it’s public release. Mixed Reality or VR? First thing I want to …

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VR Teeth

I invited my dentist for a VR tour inside a room-size 3D scan of my teeth His jaw dropped. Har har.

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Increasing the HTC Vive FOV

This very simple hack will dramatically increase your HTC Vive field-of-view. The Vive comes with two face covers packaged in the box, wide and narrow. I opted to hack the narrow one since I wasn’t using it (I’m mr. big head). Warning – If you need glasses to use the Vive this might not work for you. …

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VRTO

I will be presenting two talks at VRTO on June 26-27 in Toronto! One about 3D Scanning for VR and one about VR game development. Come check it out, http://conference.virtualreality.to/  

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3D scanning using Photogrammetry and an automated turn table

I’m working on a VR game and I needed a bunch of household “old-timey” objects. Since my 3D modelling skills are limited to CAD, I decided to 3D scan these items. Luckily I happen to have a collection of antique cameras, so these were good candidates. After much experimentation here is the setup I ended …

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