The Virtual Reality Primer (McGraw Hill Series on Visual Technology)

Beyond the media fascination with virtual reality lies a fast-developing technology which has extraordinary - and quite real - commercial applications. And not just in the entertainment industry: VR applications hold tremendous promise in the manufacturing, engineering, medical, educational, architectural, and military fields, among many others.Now you can discover exactly how virtual reality works, where it's going, and what impact it will have on your industry in the years ahead. This no-nonsense, jargon-free reference gives you the complete picture of how VR is being used today ... and its potential for tomorrow.Packed with invaluable - and easy-to-understand - information, The Virtual Reality Primer reveals what you need to create a virtual world ... from hardware and software, to networking capabilities, to audio/video requirements - and how the various components work together; current and future prospects in a host of industries; objective reviews of representative VR products; the latest advances in R&D, players in the field, and who's investing in it; and glossary definitions of more than 200 terms.As compelling and fascinating as the concept itself, the book is must reading for anyone with an interest in this high-potential technology.