How To Build For AR/VR (& Mass Deploy XR Content At Scale) - w/ Tom transcript

We've basically created a tool that makes it easier to deploy 360 immersive. Basically, you can do 360 videos. A lot of things, hardware still remains the ultimate factor. Of course, I think it is an important thing to make that the future we're headed towards is, in fact, full of these devices. The affiliate background in company wanted to create some simulations for training. We could even put them through that process, but we also have this public online web browser.

But it's a browser that's in browser that's only a special concept. Welcome to the Ready Set Do podcast, where we learn from journeys of not experts who are just two steps ahead of us. I'm Naman Pandey, and in this episode, we're not expert is Tom Shannon. Tom is a co-founder at Omnia, which is a one-stop shop for deploying XR content at scale. If you're scratching your head about what XR means, don't fret. It just represents the umbrella of items that fall under spatial computing, including both elements of AR and VR.

Another way to think of Omnia is simply as a YouTube for XR creators and brand. Tom walks us through this specific problem that Omnia solves and showcases one of the many stunning use cases of Omnia that is used currently by Realtors in Chicago. Stay tuned until the end for that entire demo, or you could just skip to the end using the video chapters below. Yes, that will hurt my feelings, but I understand. We also discussed what the next error that we're entering looks like with devices, such as the Apple Vision Pro and MetaQuest.

And how Omnia bypasses the entire problem of manually installing SDKs to individual headsets that companies have to do currently for XR training simulations and a bunch of other really cool use cases. In keeping with that theme of learning from somebody that's just two steps ahead of us instead of an expert, my goal with this episode is to showcase the incredible work that Tom is doing with Omnia and to hopefully get some gears turning in our heads to start building for XR.

If you are working on something or have any ideas, please do comment below. This is the "Ready Said Do" podcast and to support it, please subscribe to the YouTube channel and/or leave me up to a five-star rating on Spotify or any other podcast app of your choice. And now my friends, here's Tom. Tom, welcome to the show and thanks for having me at this amazing office here on this Sunday. Let's talk about station computing for the listeners just to believe that about five minutes ago was my first experience with the Apple Vision Pro.

I'm still kind of, you know, reading a little bit of a puzzle in the aftermath of just how cool it was. So really excited to, you know, dive deeper into the work you're doing with Omnia and how spacious computing comes into all of that. So can you walk me through what was it that first made you, you know, look at these devices as smooth as they are, but as it means to solving problems that probably didn't exist about five years ago from now. Yeah, that's a great question.

I think a special computing has kind of become this term that Apple has created to kind of almost like a second. I know I use that in my own video, which I think longer. Before that, it's AR, XR and things like that. And it's been a little here for a while. I mean, my first kind of experience with AR, XR, was that Pokémon Goby actually met my girlfriend through that. It's kind of a real life experience, or are you using your phone to? And what year was that in 2016? Yeah, it's the wrong one. It's like about eight years ago. So yeah, right on that time, I was in my first exposure.

And it's kind of, you know, about to these different headsets and meta-quests. And now Apple, this past year, is the, you know, the Vision Croak. And they really kind of are going more the realm of kind of personal computer. We're out trying to, you know, so it will bring you on this experience. Bring you on these planets. Right, so Apple ecosystem is connected to your, you know, your laptop. Things like that, you can actually use it for your work, right? You can, you know.

And what's cool about it, too, is like you can interact with what's in your space. They provide, you know, that actually it's really high-quality and kind of feed through passwords so you can see things in your space. And that brings a lot of unique things that I think about the way that we work currently It's just on a 2D screen. We do simulations on 2D windows, but what can we do now with this 3D space? It's a lot, just a lot more things you can see.

So from there, where there's only a common in terms of, you know, it sort of sounds like an electric talker through exactly what it is from your viewing. But what it sounds like to me is that we have this mechanism of taking something that's special and must deploy it with an electric, removing all the roadblocks that exist currently that come into, you know, developing an application. Maybe you already read something. And then reopening whatever device that we wanted in.

So with that, just I just think that probably context, do you mind walking us through, you know, the problem really that Army is taking us off? So Army is a way to easily deploy transit on these headsets. And traditionally, it's very difficult to develop for X-bar. You have to have a very, you know, now big knowledge base of like developing an application You have to pick up Unity or now they're delivering OS. So do they go in some form?

And it's very hard for creators, especially in consumer space or even in enterprise space to get that kind of scale set and create something that can actually be deployed to this headset. And that way we're trying to make it easier. So we allow, we basically have created a tool that makes it easier to deploy, you know, 360 inverses, basically 360 videos. You can do big panoramics, 3D models that can easily deploy to you like the headset.

So it's about construction, you think about real estate, these are kind of big areas that can, you know, have this kind of cool use cases and deploy. And you take the bottleneck of the app development and allow the average payment to deploy the I think that opens it all kind of give up a lot of potential problems solving that will likely go around once we, you know, enter this new, almost head off, not just computing, but we gave the data to these devices that come in.

So what can you tell us about what that development kind of is like? So if you're trying to build an app or a platform or anything for, you know, in this case, it's these VR headsets for the uninitiated is that like the ecosystem where it's cross compatible between absolutely headsets and non Apple have six and like, what's the learning curve for, you know, developing something like this platform? So I would say the biggest tool that's used right now for cost development and cleaning some over as the biggest tool, there is a little bit of a learning curve.

There are companies that, you know, build applications already. The main thing though, with this is especially for enterprises that have thousands of headsets for training purposes, they'd have to deploy content on all of those. They have to create a package in unity first to have that the knowledge base and create Secondly, they have to package it up and then go through the process of installing these And there's no way like now to do this like, you know, maybe a human interface or something that must deploy on various devices, it just doesn't exist right now. Not in an easy way in this way.

So what we're, we're trying to do it on is also harness the power of webex on serving content over the web and serving VR content in VR concept to me, you know, immersive content So you can do different interactive experiences, you can do, you know, 360 videos, all these Go in and out there. Like for instance, like training videos for like real estate videos of different apartments. We can host that and serve it to a wider audience or even like a private space for your enterprise.

So the lead dependency in terms of hybrid is the existence of more of these assets or is there a way you could say that it is also accessible just we are. So I guess I'm saying if I didn't have perhaps that what I still need to use or see what's Yeah, that's a great question. So for us, we are really kind of interested in this cross platform. So you can actually any content since it's served over the web. You can view it on the headset. You can view it on a phone as well. So you've been like, if it's a 360. Like the apartment.

3D pictures kind of that you can move around to say something. So we have it on, you know, phone, you know, running computer as well. So we have all these different ways to distribute content. And I've seen some people make like DIY VR, it's a time to see that like they just fake a few card boxes and club them together with your account on things. And it sounds like what you're saying is if they have needs to connect to the internet, they can still see what you're putting out there. So it does sound right.

It's so interesting to me that a lot of times hardware still remains the ultimate front view. Like probably if I were, you know, working with you, I would want everybody in the world to have a headset because that's the best way to leverage what we're putting out there. But I think, personally, I think it is a reasonable way to make that the future we're headed towards is in fact full of these devices and like they're not going to go away.

They're just going to get cheaper and better, more accessible. So does we like the best time to enter stuff like this, is right now? And this is kind of what's interesting. We're still kind of in the early frontiers of this space. But we're getting to redefine, you know, what this looks like and that's really cool. A lot of these headsets are kind of accessible at the moment and they kind of dig on your So as foreign factories become smaller and you're accessible, we'll get that bigger consumer So from your experience so far, you mentioned a few industries that you've already been able to buy what we have so previously. You mentioned some simulations based trainings that go on.

So for those trainings, I'm trying to kind of understand better how that would work. So maybe we can take the example of, you know, like a truck simulation. I know those are really common because it's really hard to put many words in which, you So can you just for us to visualize the process behind how it, you know, goes from start to completion using audio, how we're creating, say, I'm like a truck ride or train company and trying to leverage this tool has really, really gives my incidentally, so to speak. So what would be the process like for that type of thing? So for that case, there's a couple of different ways.

So we helped blind and fries this kind of with this process and even consulting the space. So actually, for instance, like, if a truck driving a company wanted to create some simulations for training, we couldn't even help them through that process. But essentially, all like, for instance, you can do training visualizations for 360 cameras. You can invite like, you need to go 360 camera for a couple of hundred bucks.

And essentially, you know, create a course out of this or even an immersive experience if you're interested. And would it be interactive in that, can you interact with it just like a view only? Yeah, for 360 videos, they're not interactive. So you can do WebXR experiences that are interactive. So that can be also served over the internet. We help companies do that as well. And so when it kind of just be like, you know, you watch something happens and then maybe you get two options. And then of course, the big option is to kind of like that. And we also partnered with companies called NSFlow.

They're specifically trading kind of XR company that goes these kind of flows for you that you can do interactive choices and the experience for change based on how you react to it. So if I do then, I mean, I guess that kind of covers the enterprise side of things. So appreciate that. From that, what, you know, I'm really tempted to think about the possibilities in terms of the more, you know, consumer side. So before I start asking you to point to questions around that, what can you tell us about the, you know, any thinking or work that you might have done already.

If that's at all, in your platform, I know that's a, but how do you think that whole thing that I'm sort of like, is there anything correctly in the industry that is centered towards the zoom is or is it still kind of floating this in stage and for that. Um, with only that is really are involves the consumers at this point, those, it's, it's hard to get access to these headsets and we just, we truly believe that they are the, the changing point where people will adopt it. You know, think about smart glasses.

Yeah, I've got to do that. It really does. And then once they have come to integration is that, well, you see how there is real want to. I think that will be a big turning point. What we see really big opportunities there for us to think about education, and see a 3D model with a whole class, and you can dissect those things in detail, whatever you're watching the same thing. So that's one big piece of that says, so do the so and we said, so I make sure I'm saying saying it in a classroom, there will be headsets available for our students that would all be watching, you know, something that is hosted on the web end up so learning.

That's pretty, yeah, that's really interesting. And the other thing that people personally comes to mind is, you know, almost like a new deal for a lot of like, you know, special myself. Could be, you know, with the whole ecosystem where you can watch stuff that people are making and many of the experience that it's not just watching anymore, because you're in it, you're in the other thing. And then if you think about, you know, people making landscapes, worldscapes, you know, maybe some reality some made up, and it can be like, you can take, you know, life or vacation, then that's a definite swing to go on Tom's.

Yeah, and that is something that we're trying to build out to, so we have kind of our enterprise login flow, you can have your trial, you know, virtual training in your space, but we also have this public web browser. So it's a browser, that's a special concept. So things that are just like 2D facts and things that are on the normal browser. If you think about it, maybe their article has a 3D model that they want to incorporate into their, you know, their website, they can actually, you know, serve that content over us and also vendor in your space.

So it's the top behind having a browser, the fact that you didn't then have your hands or be able to do that stuff by as inflows, because it's just an interesting thing, you know, like a browser in order that for instance. Yeah, so I think for us we want to essentially show a lot of different things. If it's a web app, right. A lot of those things may not do like, fully 3D. We want to do that showcase of his browser, right, that has all different types of content and we want to showcase that, make it up one soft place to increase even immersive content.

And so I guess that would also mean that on the websites that this would automatically be created for your web browser, because, you know, at the end of the day, at first, yeah, you can't have, but that's a good thing, right. Would you disagree. I think it creates a certain issue, especially if we can get the exception of it. I just think there's a product like in the same way to have, you know, it's initial creation, you know, there's just a few adopters that really.

Yeah, so as we progress, I think, you know, want to go kind of adopt these kind of greater tools. So, how much are you, I guess, willing to talk about, you know, the building, like the tech, actual side of it. So, it is what I'm getting at is say, if I like me personally today wanting to, you know, maybe just make something for these headsets. So, let's say that I believe that is something that could be good, that would blow up, what can you roughly walk me to know what it would take to build for specifically for these headsets in terms of like that.

So, if it's mostly the same next step or is it a different niche set of tools that you have to use to build these things in terms of like an application more like a, you know, Webex, but yeah, it's probably the lack of the luck. Okay, so for an only experience, basically, you just need like an iPhone 15 pro, you can say, spatial videos. You can also do 360 cameras, like I mentioned before, it's very easy for a customer to get their hands on that to couple hundred bucks, and you can create a really cool concept.

Yeah, so there's basically what I'm getting is this family, the lowest values when it comes to deploying one stuff or the other for that. And then if you want to create it simply exist in Iraq, it takes a little bit more knowledge base there, because you have to design for the web and there are just tons of tools for that. One of them, namely is a frame, which is kind of like a job of spirit, kind of framework for creating Webex thought content.

Interesting. Yeah. So it helps if you have knowledge in those states, because that means you do, right. The great thing about building Webex arts content over, you know, a traditional application, the unity is that you can deploy changes in an instant. Whereas if you're building that patient in unity, you have to build it to deploy it installed on each of these devices, but with serving content over the web, you can just deploy it to the web, and then it's across all that sets, they don't have to update it.

Yes, I'm just going to remove the clunky movie man that was just being annoying. Right, there's no time, but there was just no way to. So, was the web exercise, the, it sounds like, you know, that they find a moment where this change. So, that's not very good. But I guess what I'm getting at is. This whole time, they were not able to do what I'm doing. Why I guess it's my question. Yeah, it's a target early there was platforms like a wall in Zapar. These are kind of what those thing also for Webex are experiences, but they're probably targeted towards experiences for marketing purposes.

Oh, and you can use those on the phone. So you just go through like a URL. And basically, there's like this temporary experience that shows like a little animation in your space. And that's going to be where it really took off. Some of the challenges, though, of serving over the web, it's just also file science. And if you think about it, like these 3D model their big experiences. So, over time, we've got a faster Wi-Fi and better devices that can handle these types of things.

So, as fast as this progresses, they would just want to get better. So, just to do one question, we'll speak through the enterprise applications of, you know, we'll just say, yeah, I've got it. How far do you think we are from a world where, you know, as I said, that example, it is stuff that we've had kids in a school, I mean, all our answers to that. Obviously, it's been for a better school. Sometimes like our schools give kids laptops nowadays that's fairly common, but that we then go into headsets, you know, kids will be learning at the end.

Other stuff we were discussing before we, you know, hit record with such as, like, yeah, obviously the real estate example that we mentioned this honestly, it's actually hard to think of things that is not at the leading. So, in that space, what are some things, you know, that could help anybody trying to build it this basically differentiate themselves when it comes to delivering a really strong product, in fact, if you think about it.

But I, in terms of like creating a great, you know, your experience or, you know, heads out to, it's really kind of happening in people's emotions like with 2D content, you can do a limited thing. So, the VR comes in to have this in spatial awareness. Can you spatial sound, incorporating different kind of sensation into feelings that, you know, maybe someone feels something towards someone who's kind of work, people can differentiate, you know, the content.

And there's a lot of, like, you know, the zoom, essentially populations, I'm showing those facts. Yeah. So, how far are you from, you know, you can do more for just this stuff and sounds like that very well could be on the road. Yeah. But how do you think, you know, the experience will shift once you know I'm creating something for other people that there's no one in place is involved with it. Yeah. That's a great question. I think it turns, there's already a lot of, like, work in the space. There's these big film festivals like South by Southwest that for like spatial.

Yeah, they have films that are specifically for headsets. And they're pretty incredible, like, in terms of the, of raising things that you can do that you can't do a traditional film, especially like spatial audio, all these kind of cool things that you can do. Um, really have a great experience the next level. And in trying to get to that point of that next YouTube, right. We need easier ways to create this kind of content.

And, and so driven by the creators, there's no even to begin with. Exactly. So that's also one thing that we're going to try to do, follow me as we kind of progressive creating tools to make it easier to create concepts. And I think it always sounds like that example where Tesla made their super shows it's really compatible with every other EV manufacturing, because the more adoption that is the more the industry benefits there by the more Tesla benefits.

So it's all the sounds like what it's saying is kind of in that book where really what you're like a bill here is that entire ecosystem, the more people that get used to it. More creative, you know, that big stuff for them, like everybody that was from that point. Smell is something that we could see coming to this space because it's covered, like some of us even covered the audio, sorry, the visual. But take it this way to incorporate more sense and then respect their honor. And really for a smell. Yes.

When I went to South by South West, a year ago, there is actually an experience that put you up into these haptic seats, well, for like feeling, but they also put this like nasal thing on time here. Now is, and as the experience went like a film about getting it in. So they put you in almost different haptic suites that for like simulating this weird experience of you being in and, and as you want through the push different sense in your house. So, it's very interesting. Yeah, it's very interesting. It's cool. It's definitely happening. It was too much on the sunset.

Well, no, I think it was a very cool experience. I think it's just like one of those experimental things. I think it's just a lot. Yeah. I mean, I just feel like they have this pixel, all of these devices really are showing me. I think I generally the vision growing in particular. And maybe because there's something with the way I put it, the products, there's just, yeah, the best I do. But I know that you're a meta-quest that existed for a very long time.

Yeah. Well, I think there's something about the vision for that really really seemed like, you know, almost like the next iPhone, you know, a lot of it. So it's really cool to be all that is the first hand of amazing work that you've been doing, but this cool device that I know that, you know, you're only going upwards and onwards from here. So yeah, really appreciate the time to not just walk me and, you know, have me experience for the first time.

So, you know, a vision throw, but yeah, it's really really exciting to me. So yeah, thanks for having me on. So I always get to share what we're building and see it resonates. So this is the on the web browser. And basically we can serve different types of content over on the immersive content. So for instance, this is a real estate example where you can kind of get a peek into what an apartment looks like. So right here we have a spatial video that's being served over the web and can view it in a immersive space.

Walk through the space here and kind of like get a sense of what the apartment looks like. This is really great for different apartment complexes. You can also view 3D models in space essentially, kind of get a floor plan like what it looks like here and what else you walk in. And this was actually created with polycan, which is a mobile app on the iPhone that allows you to create floor plans of apartment complexes. So anyone who has an iPhone can create content just like this within a few minutes, which is really great. We also have the ability to do splats.

So this was also taken with an iPhone kind of as you would space with the overall apartment, which is really cool. This one's kind of rough, but you can get pretty high quality splats and get into space. We're working on making this immersive at the moment so that you can actually go in full 360 immersive space and walk around the apartment, which is really cool. And then also you can do kind of big panoramas so you can get a sense of how big space is. So let's go into that quick.

So here, well, this is just a panorama that you can take on your iPhone and you can just go into a immersive space. And it creates this like one any view that really makes you feel like you're there. So there's a lot of different cool things that you can do with Omni and deploy different types of experiences. And that's kind of what we're trying to make it easier to do as a creator in an instant enterprise. So see, catch you next time.

That brings us to the end of episode 33 of the Ready Set to podcast. Thank you all for sharing these episodes with those that continue to benefit from them. If you would like to support what I do, please subscribe to the YouTube channel. Leave me up to a five star rating on Spotify Apple music Amazon Prime music or any other app of your choice. Finally, please do check out the links in the description as there are other ways to support me using those links as well. Catch you all in the next one new episodes every Wednesday.