Favourite Kit: Julia Sourikoff
Tool of North America's head of VR & 360, Julia Sourikoff takes us through her Favourite Kit.
Here earbuds
When it comes to immersive media, I think audio is one of the most effective mediums to play with. These wireless earbuds are paired to your smartphone through an app that lets you augment sound in real time. You can apply special effects like bass boost and reverb to everyday conversation for super-trippy results.
Ricoh Theta
This handheld 360° camera is handy for testing and scouting on VR shoots. Its dual fisheye lenses capture spherical photos and video that can be live streamed on YouTube 360°. It’s a great consumer buy for anyone with an itch to get into cinematic VR.
VRDoodler
MIT’s Open Documentary Lab has developed a genius solution for VR pre-viz and storyboarding. This browser-based tool is made for 3D sketching and volumetric design that can be viewed through a VR headset like the Oculus Rift. Consider it a gateway drug for the HTC Vive’s Tilt Brush illustration application.
HTC Vive
If you haven’t tried room-scale, motion-tracking VR, prepare to have your mind blown. This system lets you interact with highly stylised, virtual worlds rendered in real time. I love getting lost in experiences like Lune and Blarp! by Cabbibo [aka Isaac Cohen], an interactive artist and digital philosopher who recently joined the VR lab at Tool.
Figment VR
Google Cardboard, step aside. This successfully-funded Kickstarter project is an all-in-one smartphone case and VR viewer. If you haven’t yet discovered that your mobile screen can be used as a stereoscopic, 360° display, this product says it all.
oPhone
The future of storytelling will be about engaging all of the senses. This bluetooth-synced device emits smells – referred to as oNotes – in congruence with eBooks and Tablet-based apps. The olfactory system taps into the most primal areas of the brain and has the power to trigger memories and emotions buried deep within our subconscious. Scent, along with things like haptics [pertaining to touch] and 3D audio are key tools for creating truly immersive experiences.
Apps
Marx transforms the real world into your creative canvas through the power of image recognition and augmented reality. Currently still in beta, it’s built to be a social platform for sharing AR content. Truly the best use case for mobile AR I’ve seen. I think it could be the next Snapchat.
Cardboard Crash developed by Canadian creative technologists NFB/Interactive, this is a great demo for mobile VR. The experience questions the ethics of self-driving cars and the growing trust that we are lending to artificial intelligence.
Voices of VR podcast Technically I listen to this on the Stitcher app, but I had to include my favorite VR podcast on this list. Its host Kent Bye has contributed tremendously to educating listeners about industry trends and forecasts.
Quiver I’m a sucker for technology that empowers everyday users to be more creative. This AR colouring app brings your creations to life and is adored by kids and adults alike.
