Do you know what’s cooler than watching a YouTube video of a person build something? Being there yourself as the artist makes their creation, that’s what.
Thanks to a collaboration with Oculus and Tested (a website run by Adam Savage dedicated to showing off his works as well as those of other creators), owners of Oculus Quest and Oculus Go headsets can get a front-row seat to their favorite creators as they work on their latest projects in Tested VR.
Upon starting the app, you choose from among several episodes; each featuring a different workshop and creator. The creator then gives you an intimate step-by-step guide on their work ethic and process as the video goes on.
Aside from the starting room, the VR app features an on-rails camera which moves around as the video plays. The camera provides you with the best view of the making process, and while you can move your head around, this only affects the direction sounds are coming from relative to what the video is currently playing.
But this doesn’t mean to say Tested VR will be a boring virtual roller coaster; far from it. In each 15-minute episode, you’ll be able to see sparks fly from welding tools, sawdust blow from chainsaws, and even… puppets getting puppeted? Makers including sculptor Griffon Ramsey, puppet designer Rick Lyon, and Adam Savage himself already have their own episodes, with more creators soon to be featured.
According to Savage, the idea to implement VR came about from his wish to allow people to get a closer look at the creative process that goes on in these often tucked-away spaces. Naturally, when something is done in front of you, it becomes easier to understand as opposed to reading it in a book or viewing it from a fixed perspective. With Tested VR, he hopes to reduce the barrier between creators and the folks watching them.
Tested VR currently has a total of eight episodes and is totally free to download for the Oculus Quest and Oculus Go.
