SAM DRAZIN: Hi.
I'm Sam Drazin from
the Chrome XR team.
We work on advancing
the web to power
compelling virtual, mixed, and
augmented reality experiences.
Google is committed to
growing the immersive web.
And we believe that immersive
computing and the web
complement each other.
The web excels at
providing information
you didn't know you needed
right until you need it,
like how to fix a leaky sink.
Even if you installed
an app for this,
you'd likely uninstall it
as soon as you were done.
Situations where immersive
experiences shine
are often ephemeral or sporadic.
You might not buy
a sofa very often,
but when you do it likely
helps to see how big it is
or whether it will
fit your room's decor.
The web empowers users to
explore and discover easily,
and in the moment without
the burden of installation.
In addition, the web
also unifies hardware
and ecosystems.
It runs on laptops, phones,
desktops, even cars.
For XR hardware, like
virtual reality headsets,
there are already numerous
siloed app ecosystems
that exclusively cater to their
respective hardware platforms.
The web unifies these
device ecosystems
under one common XR
platform, while also serving
foreign factors like smartphones
and augmented reality headsets.
The web provides a clear
path to broadly access
users, devices, and ecosystems.
That, in conjunction
with compelling use cases
that are best
served ephemerally,
has driven us to push the
immersive web forward.
And we have some exciting
updates and user stories
to share.
Last year at CDS, we previewed
the WebXR device API,
an imperative API that enables
web developers to create
VR experiences for tethered
and mobile VR systems.
We're excited to
announce that the core VR
capabilities of the
WebXR device API
are available now
in Chrome 79 beta.
Next month, we will ship WebXR
in Chrome Stable in the 79
release.
We're ecstatic to be
joined by other browsers,
like Firefox Reality
and Oculus Browser, who
will also be shipping WebXR
before the end of the year.
This solidifies the foundation
for VR within the web platform,
completing what WebVR
started years ago.
Three.js continues to be a
flagship library in simplifying
and extending access for web
developers to 3D programming.
Version 110 and later
feature important updates
to its WebXR
support, taking care
of the heavy
lifting with regards
to rendering and
controller inputs.
For enhanced testing and
debugging of immersive VR
experiences, a WebXR
emulator extension
was created by Mozilla.
This extension
enables developers
to test WebVR experiences
from their desktops
with selectable XR
hardware emulators.
Another announcement
we made last year
was the introduction of
model-viewer, a web component
that makes it easy to embed
interactive 3D models to view
on the web and in AR.
Since then, we've added
features, such as advanced
controls to access and position
the camera, animation support,
and integrations to
view models in 3D
and AR via Quick Look on iOS
and Scene Viewer on Android.
It's been exciting to see
XR making waves on the web,
empowering developers
to innovate and address
real market needs.
Let's hear from a
few companies that
have applied some of these
tools to their sites.
DANIEL BEAUCHAMP:
In the past year,
we've made it possible
for our merchants
on our platform to upload
and manage 3D models
and to feature them on their
online store in the same way
that images and video work.
Now shoppers can see
products in a whole new way.
They can zoom in and zoom
out and rotate the product
to see it in any angle they want
down to the smallest detail.
And the best part is they
can tap the augmented reality
button to see what that product
looks like in their home,
see it outside, even see
if it fits in their car.
And the results
have been amazing.
Shoppers are up
to 2 and 1/2 times
more likely to buy when
interacting with 3D models
because they're more confident
in what it is they're buying.
JESSICA VANDERLELIE:
La Trobe University
is actively investing in the
future of university life.
Working with XHQ
and Google on WebXR,
we are seeking to unlock
the university experience
to students and the
community everywhere,
irrespective of time, location,
or technology platform.
We've began with the
construction of buildings
in the physical
world and embarking
on exciting opportunities
to build a virtual world.
We see the incredible
potential for technology
to enhance an
augment student life.
AMIT SION: Our focus
with XHQ is to create
an immersive experience
for the community.
With this project, we started
by creating augmented reality
and virtual reality apps
to engage the students
with the university.
SAM DRAZIN: There have
been great strides taken
towards realizing
the immersive web,
but this is only
just the beginning.
Here is what you
can expect next.
Through the W3C immersive
web community group,
AR incubations within
WebXR are ongoing
and have made great
progress, exploring
features like hit
tests and anchors
and how they enable powerful
AR experiences for the web.
You can try these experiments
out today in Chrome Canary.
For more information, check
out github.com/immersive-web/.
As a part of the gamepad's
module spec work,
a registry of controllers
is being developed
to provide more
detailed information
about the capabilities
and layouts of controllers
for XR hardware systems.
This includes providing
free-to-use rigged
3D models of known controllers,
which will enable sites
to dynamically load
controllers that
match what the user is holding
for a variety of systems.
For more information, check out
github.com/immersive web/webxr
input profiles.
For model-viewer, we plan to
ship version 1.0 in early 2020
with noteworthy improvements,
including support
for Draco encoded models,
support for soft and real time
shadows, and integrating
animations from interaction
prompts.
For more information,
check out modelviewer.dev.
The future of the
immersive web is bright.
And we're hoping you'll enjoy
exploring the possibilities.
If you're interested
in learning more
or have specific questions,
swing by the XR Sandbox
at Chrome Dev Summit and say hi.
You can also find links in
the description for details
about how to learn more and
get started with the features
and tools mentioned today.
Thanks and enjoy
Chrome Dev Summit.
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