The Technology Behind Virtual Reality: Coding and Design

Virtual and augmented reality are becoming more accepted technologies in app and website design for businesses. Right now, gaming continues to be where most VR or AR coding is done, but demand is growing across several sectors, including health care, education, and tourism. For businesses, VR or AR coding can be used for collaboration, training, product design, and product demonstrations. As the use of and demand for VR and AR tools increase, so will demand for programmers who can create these technological tools. Fortunately, the core of VR design lies in programming languages that are already popular and widely used for other purposes.

The Seven Most Popular Programming Languages for Virtual Reality Development

C#

C# was designed by Microsoft engineer Anders Hejlsberg in 2000 as a general-purpose language. It was released as a closed-source product, but in 2004, an open-source version named Mono was released. The language includes strong typing, component-oriented, imperative, functional, declarative, and generic programming disciplines. Mono later joined the Microsoft stable of products but remains open-source.

Coding in C# in Unity for Beginners: Unity is a program to build gaming apps, and C# is one of the languages used on the platform.
Fundamentals of Computer Programming With C#: Loops, arrays, and recursions are just some of the concepts explained in this e-book.
Top 25 C# Programming Tips: C# has a lot of aspects, but these tips will help coders avoid common mistakes.
C# Coding Guidelines: It’s important that coders know and follow accepted guidelines for any language they attempt to use so that their code is clean and conforms to best practices.
C# Basics: This course guide is designed to lead beginners to a thorough, workable knowledge of how to best deploy C# in their projects.

C/C++

C++ was developed by Bjarne Stroustrup as an extension of the C language. The language has evolved over time and now has generic, functional, and objected-oriented features along with the ability to manipulate low-level memory. Typically, it is used as a compiled language, and many compilers are available across multiple platforms. It was initially designed for large systems and resource-contained software but is also used in other contexts, including video games and e-commerce.

How to Avoid Bugs Using Modern C/C++: Clean, effective operation of programs and applications requires bug-free code.
C/C++ Code Guidelines: Understanding the guidelines for a programming language is key for writing workable code.
C vs. C++: Some Important Differences: Coders must know which coding language is the best fit for the goal of their project. Some languages are quite similar, so it’s important to understand their structural differences.
Defining Your C/C++ Project’s Development Environment: Being able to define a project’s development environment is an often overlooked part of coding a project that meets all of the requirements for the finished product.
Tools for C/C++ Programming: A variety of tools are available to make coding an easier process.

Java

Java is a general programming language designed to allow programmers to “write once, run anywhere,” which means that properly complied Java code can run on all Java-supporting platforms without needing to be recompiled. It’s a class-based, high-level, object-oriented language. The syntax is similar to both C and C++. It was designed by James Gosling, who at the time worked for Sun Microsystems.

What Is Java? Java is both a software platform and a coding language.
Java Tutorials: Oracle provided these tutorials as part of their documentation package.
Learn Java Programming: Designed for beginners, this tutorial explains how the language was designed to let coders and developers write code that runs on almost any platform.
JVM Tutorial: Java Virtual Machine Architecture Explained for Beginners: JVM, or Java Virtual Machine, is what makes it possible for developers to “write once, run anywhere.”
Code Java Tutorial: A variety of exercises can help beginners hone their skills with Java.

JavaScript

JavaScript confirms to the ECMAScript specification. It features dynamic typing, first-class functions, curly-bracket syntax, and prototype-based object orientation. JavaScript is part of the backbone of the Internet, along with CSS and HTML. The majority of browsers have a JavaScript engine built in to properly execute this code.

JavaScript Basics: JavaScript is a dynamic programming language created by one of the founders of Mozilla.
14 Fundamental JavaScript Concepts Explained Simply: Code structure and variables are some of the concepts examined in this guide.
JavaScript Definition: The history and functions of the language are fully explained in this overview.
An Introduction to JavaScript: Learn JavaScript with this up-to-date tutorial.
JavaScript Basics: Stanford created this explanation of how JavaScript works.

Python

Python’s design philosophy is that the readability of code should be emphasized. It depends on an object-oriented approach that assists coders in creating code that’s clear, logical, and scalable. Python was developed to succeed the ABC programming language at the end of the 1980s, and it’s still a highly popular coding language.

Python for Beginners: A thorough overview from the official Python website can help everyone better understand the language.
Introduction to Python: This intensive course can prepare coders to use Python in their applications.
Python Programming Language: Python is a very popular language used in a variety of software applications and programs.
What Is Python Used For? A Beginner’s Guide: From testing new software programs to building websites, the many uses of Python are explained here.
What Is Python? One of the benefits of Python is its ability to be scaled to the size of a project.

Visual Development Tools

Visual development tools are a form of software that assists coders in the development of new software programs and apps. They include GUI builders, debuggers, compilers, and visual programming tools. Sometimes they are grouped in with other programs in a developer’s toolkit. They allow programmers to create code to conform to the human mind instead of in the language that the computer thinks in.

What Is a Development Tool? PC Magazine provids a helpful definition of exactly what a development tool does in the coding process.
What Is Visual Programming? Most coding is done in a text-based environment that requires the coder to think more like a computer than a human, while visual programming lets the user focus on coding in a way that makes more sense to human brains.
It’s Time to Embrace Visual Development: Visual development tools allow coders to build highly effective apps quickly.
Programming Without Code: The Rise of No-Code Software Development: This article provides an overview of visual development tools that can speed up coding on a multitude of platforms.
What if We Never Had to Look at Code to Build an App? Visual development tools offer a chance to revolutionize how apps are built.

Swift

Apple developed Swift as a compiled, multi-paradigm, general-purpose programming language and released it in 2014. The language was designed as a successor to Objective-C, which Apple had been using since the 1980s. It was specifically designed to work with the huge library of Objective-C code Apple already owned and used. Due to the use of the Objective-C runtime library, Swift, C++, and Objective-C can all run in the same program.

Learn Swift: Swift is a language that works across multiple platforms, and this step-by-step course allows beginners to learn how to use the language to program their own projects.
Swift: Apple describes Swift as a powerful language that’s also easy to learn, and once understood, it can be used in developing a variety of apps.
The Definitive Swift Tutorial for Beginners: Functions, subclasses, and loops are explained in an easy-to-understand way in this tutorial.
A Swift Tour: The official website for Swift explains how the language works.
Swift Documentation: Structured, clear code is the standard all programmers aim for, and this documentation helps coders make sure their work meets agreed-upon standards.

Additional Programming and Design Information for Virtual Reality

Designing for VR: A Beginner’s Guide: Learning how to develop and program virtual reality apps and programs is an important skill as companies like Google make huge investments in the field.
Creating Augmented and Virtual Reality Applications: Current Practices, Challenges, and Opportunities: As the field of AR/VR design matures, it’s important to stay up to date with current issues and advances.
How to Create Original VR Content: Everything You Need to Know: The steps of building virtual reality content and the different paths to consider are thoroughly explained here.
Virtual Reality Production: Where Do I Start? The BBC produced this in-depth guide to VR production.
Virtual Reality Content Creator: Creating VR content is a viable career, and this guide can help people learn how to get started in the industry.