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AR/VR Tools User Guides

The KAUST Visualization Core Lab (KVL) provides augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) hardware, software, and technical support. KVL provides a wide variety of AR/VR devices as well as high-end Windows workstations for AR/VR development. KVL also provides access and support for AR/VR software such as Avizo, Unity, GetReal3D, and SimLab Composer. In some cases, KVL also provides development support and collaboration for special projects. Contact us or watch this presentation to learn more.

AR/VR Hardware

Users who wish to quickly access an AR/VR workstation can book our Vive facility. Contact us to request access to other AR/VR hardware below (we also have legacy hardware available, e.g., HTC Vive, Meta 2, Magic Leap One, Oculus Rift).

AR/VR Software

Below are the main software solutions that KVL supports for data visualization and interaction in AR/VR. If your data or research problem requires something else, reach out to us to discuss possible collaboration.

Avizo

The easiest way to bring your data to VR is by using Avizo. If you can load your data in Avizo, then you can visualize and interact with your data in VR by following a few steps without the need for any programming. A big advantage of this approach is that it works out of the box in three different KVL facilities that users can book: 1) Vive head mounted display, 2) Zone 5 immersive display, and 3) CUBES immersive display. Zone 5 and CUBES are great for giving impressive demonstrations/presentations that can wow your audience with a unique stereo 3D visualization experience. Another advantage is that you can also use Avizo as a powerful tool for processing your data, and it works on your laptop/desktop as well.

Unity

Users can also develop their own AR/VR application using the Unity game engine. KVL can provide Educational Unity licenses upon request. If your dataset is or can be converted to a mesh format, e.g., FBX, OBJ, DAE, then it is relatively easy to bring your data into an AR/VR application in Unity. If your dataset is tabular, e.g., csv, then you can use the DXR toolkit to create glyph-based plots. We recommend using Unity's AR or VR project templates as starting points for development since they are typically pre-configured to work with most hardware via OpenXR. This Coral Reef Restoration Planning and Visualization application is an example of a Unity-based VR application developed by KVL with KAUST collaborators.

GetReal3D for Unity

GetReal3D can be used to bring a Unity application into our immersive displays: Zone 5 and CUBES. This can be done by using the GetReal3D for Unity plugin which can be requested from KVL. Install it into your Unity project using the following steps:

  1. Select “Assets” → “Import Package” → “Custom Package” from the main menu.
  2. Navigate to and select the GetReal3D Unity package file.
  3. Click “Import” to import everything.

Follow the instructions on how to enable and run GetReal3D from the developer guide in “Assets/getReal3D/Doc/DeveloperGuide.html”.

Note that if you are converting an OpenXR-based VR application into GetReal3D-based VR you have to:

  1. Enable old input system in Player Settings –> Active input system –> Input System (old).
  2. Disable OpenXR in Player Settings –> XR Management –> Uncheck OpenXR option.
  3. Replace the XR Origin (with camera and hands) with GetReal3D's Generic Player Prefab.
  4. Add getReal3D/UI/EventSystem prefab into your scene.

Below are the compatible Unity versions:

GetReal3D 4.1:

GetReal3D 4.3:

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