Travel to Far-Flung Lands with “Realities,” a New Kind of Virtual Reality

Virtual tours are taken to whole new level with Realities, a VR collection of highly detailed virtual environments made using a method called photogrammetry. Realities launched on SteamVR, along with the HTC Vive.

The app features a virtual globe that’s about the size of a beach ball as its menu. From there, you’ll be able to move, rotate, and zoom into the globe using the Vive’s controllers.

Photogrammetry is a technique that is able to use hundreds of high-resolution photos and mapping to determine the distance of objects. The photos are all stitched together by determining surface points within the photos to help measure distances.

The team behind Realities is using photogrammetry to create entire rooms and complexes that are so detailed they look like a 360-degree video. The main difference is that what you’re seeing is actually 3D geometry. A 360 camera would allow you to look all around you. In contrast, 3D geometry lets you move within the virtual landscape.

Realities is now available for free on SteamVR, granted that you have an HTC Vive.

This report prepared by Futurism.