Instructions on how to make virtual reality glasses. How to make virtual reality glasses with your own hands

Cardboard glasses virtual reality immerse a person in completely new sensations. With them you can ride a roller coaster or feel like the main character in your favorite horror movie without leaving the couch. To do this, you just need to figure out how they are designed and how to use them.

To preserve the cardboard case, Google Cardboard is shipped folded only. Therefore, if virtual reality glasses were bought as a gift, then the birthday person will be pleased if his gift is collected in advance. This is done simply and excitingly, reminiscent of a construction set or a puzzle. The main thing is to comply step by step instructions and everything will work out. For complete convenience, we recommend that you lay out the body and additional parts as shown in the diagram below.

Step 1.

Insert the eyepiece with lenses (part 2) into section 1.1. as shown in the picture. In this case, the front side of the eyepiece should be directed towards you.

Step 2.

Carefully fold the body (part 1), alternately bending it along the lines from right to left, i.e. from paragraph 1.4. to 1.5. As a result, the eyepiece will be closed on 4 sides. In this case, it will be possible to align its holes with the protruding parts of the eyepiece.

Step 3.

To fix the resulting structure, we need to secure two sections. To do this, it is necessary to remove the protective layer from the self-adhesive strip 1.6. and fasten sections 1.4 with it. and 1.5. For strength, all protruding parts should be fitted to the corresponding holes. If it seemed to you that the band is 1.6. If it doesn't hold everything as securely as we would like, you can use tape.

Step 4.

Install the partition (part 3) into the holes of the eyepiece and section 1.1. After this, insert the magnetic ring (part 5) into the oval hole located in section 1.5. Place your smartphone on the border between section 1.1. and 1.7. to assess the suitability of its size with the glasses. If the smartphone turns out to be smaller, then for comfortable use of the gadget, install an additional step (detail 4.). Now all that remains is to drag assembled body with a harness (part 6) to completely secure the structure.

Step 5.

Attach a special elastic band for glasses holder if you purchased them in one set along with Google Cardboard.

Step 6.

Smartphone with operating system Android or iOS is the "heart" of Google Cardboard. Paste it into section 1.7. Launch the desired application and secure the cover with the Velcro fasteners. Now you can ride a roller coaster;)

Search for applications.

There are more and more interesting applications - games, virtual excursions, video, etc. To find applications compatible with your smartphone, use the following keywords:

• cardboard;
• google cardboard;
• stereo pair

To search for videos on YouTube, use two tags - “stereo pair” or “sbs”.

A few tips.

• Google glasses apps drain your phone's battery significantly. We recommend turning on airplane mode or at least not moving far from the outlet;
• Some apps can put you into a state of active gesticulation. Therefore, try to stand or sit further away from objects that can be accidentally broken;
• using headphones, you can immerse yourself even deeper into the virtual world;
• It’s better to buy glasses along with an elastic band holder so that your hands don’t accidentally drop the gadget at some unexpected moment.

Virtual reality technology in lately is becoming more and more relevant and in demand. The only problem is that the current cost of devices is quite high level, which makes the technology not accessible to everyone. In this article we will look at basic information on how to make virtual reality glasses on your own, using only improvised means.

What do you need to understand before creating homemade VR glasses?

Before you develop virtual reality glasses with your own hands, you must be familiar with the principle of their operation. If possible, you should test a factory sample. This is quite simple to do - in shopping centers devices with virtual reality technology are beginning to appear en masse, providing a number of games for their visitors.

Homemade VR glasses and how they affect vision?

Having decided to make virtual reality glasses at home, remember - these types of devices are designed so that after a certain amount time the user thought that the virtual world was real for him. Accordingly, the natural principle of vision must be preserved. Although modern developments have virtually no effect on the quality of vision, after developing your own prototype, we recommend not to spend too much time using it. This can be bad for your eyes.

How to make VR glasses with your own hands?

Before you make glasses with your own hands, you must get all the necessary tools and materials that will be needed to complete the work. Then you can proceed to the following procedures.
Diameter measurement required lenses. To do this, the smartphone is placed on a flat (!) stable surface, and then the user turns on a program on it to recreate virtual reality. The master's task is to view the screen through the lenses, changing the distance until an ideally high-quality picture is achieved without blurry outlines and corners. This will allow you to understand what lenses may be required, what the focal length should be, and so on.
At the next stage of creating virtual reality glasses for the phone, the master must personally create a cardboard box that acts as a case. Alternative option will be a scan downloaded from the Internet. It is necessary to ensure that the body does not have such a long bottom as upper part. Don't forget about the hole for own nose. Having made a protrusion, the smartphone will fully rest on them. Don't forget about the cutouts for the buttons located on the sides of the smartphone.
To achieve maximum picture quality in VR glasses, you need to paint all the insides black. This will prevent reflections and glare that can negatively affect the viewing experience.

How to make lenses?

Many people wonder how to make lenses. You won’t be able to create them yourself, but there is one life hack - you can use lenses from old unnecessary flashlights. The main thing is that they are the same. Accordingly, you will have to acquire two flashlights.
Two holes are created on the cardboard, which are just a little short of the diameter of the lenses themselves. In this case, they will be inserted as tightly as possible into cardboard or other type of thick paper. To prevent them from falling out, you should additionally secure the lenses with hot glue. A few drops will be enough.

If you don't know how to make VR glasses, you don't need to first look for instructions on how to make them yourself. You must first familiarize yourself with the list of materials that will be required to create a homemade product. Our virtual glasses will be made from the following materials:

1. Smartphone with Android operating system;
2. Pen;
3. Scissors;
4. A pair of lenses;
5. Ruler;
6. Cardboard box.

Step by step instructions

A chart of points is available online and can be found by searching Google Cardboard. If this seems too simple, you can make the design yourself. In order to use glasses without problems, cardboard sheets must be extremely durable. This is the only way to guarantee wearing safety.
Initially, all parts are cut out from a cardboard box. In the figure below you can see the diagram of the blanks by which all the parts are prepared:
Before you start cutting out blanks for VR glasses, you should make drawings on cardboard. To do this, use a pen and ruler.
Once the drawings are prepared, you can start cutting them out using scissors. If you make a mistake, you can eliminate it using a glue gun. Once all the parts are cut out, all that remains is to connect them into a single whole.

Sheet of hard cardboard

To make virtual reality glasses with your own hands, you will need durable material. As practice shows, virtual reality glasses made of cardboard would be a good option. But if the task is to create a durable structure, you will need corrugated cardboard to make glasses.

Glasses cutting template

Before cutting out parts, you need to download drawings with dimensions. Finding them is quite easy on the Internet. You should select a template for virtual reality glasses made of cardboard depending on the size of your device, or customize them individually. The main thing is to get a high-quality image in each eye.

Lenses in the amount of 2 pieces

You can't do without lenses. If you don't have flashlights with you, you should use educational lenses for school. They are also suitable for creating virtual reality glasses. The main thing is to give them the desired position and play with the distance in order to ultimately get a good resolution.

VR content to check

Having created glasses for your smartphone with your own hands, all you have to do is go to the Android application market and download the programs you like. Make your choice according to your own taste.

Conclusion

Once you learn how to make VR glasses, you will notice that it is a fairly simple procedure. The hardest part to design is the eyeglass frame, but in the end you will be happy with the job done.

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Many smartphone users have heard, but due to their high cost, they could not afford such a purchase. However, quite quickly people realized that all the sensors that function in virtual reality glasses are also in ordinary smartphones, thanks to which you can easily make excellent VR glasses from them with your own hands, you just need to attach a very ordinary case and a few lenses.

In fact, all the designs of glasses that you can find on the Internet are made on the basis of drawings (from English “cardboard”), and the only difference is in the source materials. Some people are happy with cardboard of any thickness found at home, others go to the office supply store for thinner ones, and some craftsmen have distinguished themselves by making their VR devices from metal, polycarbonate, foam plastic and other foam materials.

The lucky owners of 3D printers immediately began printing the template. Using this pattern, it’s easy to understand how to make virtual reality glasses with your own hands, and we will help you with this by giving some tips.

Using a regular knife, a pair magnifying glasses and cardboard you can make with your own hands from an ordinary smartphone similar to it. However, many people don’t know how to make virtual reality glasses from a smartphone, which is why they buy expensive models or order cardboard kits, like Google Cardboard.

The design of homemade glasses has several advantages over a custom-made case, because the lenses in it can be moved along an axis that is located relative to the screen. Thanks to this, virtual reality glasses can be finely adjusted to the vision characteristics of any user.

To make 3D glasses for a smartphone with your own hands, you need to:

1. Measure the diameter of the lenses you will need. To do this, you need to place your smartphone on a stable, flat surface and turn on the virtual reality application on it. Look at the screen through the lenses while adjusting the distance. This way you will not only understand what lenses you need, but also decide on focal length.
2. Next, try to either design a cardboard box yourself, which will serve as the body, or download a scan from the Internet. The main thing is that the bottom of the body is not as long as its top, because do not forget about the hole for the nose. Make ledges for your smartphone to rest on. Also, don’t forget about the cutouts for buttons on the sides of the phone.
3. Paint the insides of the body black. Thanks to paint of this color, you can avoid various glares and reflections that will interfere with concentrating on viewing.

Another option for making glasses for a smartphone with your own hands:

1). For thicker cardboard, it is better to take a stationery knife; it is more convenient for them to work directly on top of the sheet. If you want to assemble the glasses manually by inserting the keys, then you need to cut out the cardboard along with them, as in the picture. If your homemade glasses virtual reality will be subsequently glued together, then there is no need to leave such a reserve.

2). Next, you will need 2 lenses, preferably biconvex. Google recommends taking lenses with a diameter of 25 mm. The focal length of the lenses should be 45 mm. Craftsmen even take lenses from hardware stores, and some video bloggers on Youtube, when making 3D glasses for a smartphone with their own hands, use improvised means instead of lenses.

So, for example, you can cut from a regular plastic bottle 4 identical circles, glue them together 2 pieces with a blowtorch, leaving a small distance at the top. Then water from the tap is drawn into the syringe, the space between the biconvex “lenses” made of plastic is filled with it, then the remaining gap is also sealed, and in your hands you find yourself with almost completed home-assembled virtual reality glasses.

3). Some smartphone models support magnetic switching, which allows you to control the device without removing it from the box. To implement such an idea you will need simple system magnets: neodymium ring and ceramic disk with a diameter of about 19 mm and a thickness of about 3 mm. But even without them, all control will be simple and convenient; it is enough to make a hole for your finger in the design of homemade virtual reality glasses on the bottom or side.

4). When almost everything is ready, all that remains is to solve the problem of attaching the smartphone to the glasses. To do this, you can use a rubber ring and 2 Velcro strips (approximately 20x30 mm) to secure the cover.

DIY virtual reality glasses for smartphones: frequently asked questions

— Is it really possible to make virtual glasses for a smartphone with your own hands that will be comfortable?

For regular use, of course, it is better to purchase inexpensive but comfortable glasses with a factory mount, for example, or more expensive and high-quality ones, etc. Do-it-yourself VR glasses for a smartphone are more likely to be suitable as a device for the first acquaintance with virtuality.

— How to make virtual reality glasses from a smartphone if you have never done anything like this?

This is where the Google Cardboard drawing, widely circulated on the Internet, and our article come to the rescue. Even if you don’t succeed the first time, don’t be discouraged, because the materials are practically free, and homemade virtual reality glasses for a smartphone can be modified at any time. For example, follow the example of those who made them from ceiling tiles - light and invisible, they can easily withstand the weight of a smartphone.

— How to make virtual reality glasses for a phone that does not have an accelerometer?

Unfortunately, such glasses will not be able to support operation correctly.

So, we can say that making VR glasses for a smartphone with your own hands is quite simple; the whole question is the ease of use of such a device. Indeed, in addition to glasses, quite a lot of devices for more deep dive into virtuality, with which viewing photos and videos becomes a whole adventure, and games do not allow you to relax for a second, keeping you in suspense.

For example, virtual reality in controller gloves allows you to touch objects as if in reality, and some VR chairs almost instantly react to the movements of your head, turning your body in the same direction. The future is very close, you just need to feel it.

Perhaps this video will help you:

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An interesting story turned out with Google Cardboard; in general, Google developed them for an exhibition as a mockery of the ever-increasing trend of virtual reality, but the idea spread to the masses and now 3D glasses for smartphones are one of the trends.

In the android market and store iOS applications You will find many games and entertainment applications for Google Cardboard, they are both in the paid section and in the free programs.

How to make 3D glasses for a smartphone

Making your own Google Cardboard is very simple, download the drawing from the link below, insert two lenses and assemble these homemade 3D glasses using your smartphone as a screen.

Download Google Cardboard drawing Can .

The only problem may be the lenses; you need biconvex magnifying glasses with a diameter of 40 mm, magnification 3x, focal length 80 mm. But they can be ordered online.

Look at the animation on how to properly assemble 3D glasses from cardboard.

As you can see, no problem.

By the way, people make a lot of money on these 3D glasses!

During the Geek Picnic 2015 festival, these cardboard boxes were sold for “only 990 rubles”!

The funny thing is that this Google Cardboard set can be ordered from China for $3!!!

But visitors loved the cardboard 3D glasses!

And many who do not know their true price bought them, and took more than one copy, but also took them with them to give a gift to their loved ones.

Work 3D Google glasses Cardboard with almost any Android smartphone or iPhone. For Android, the only limitation is that the OS must have a version of at least 4.1.

The standard Cardboard application for Android is a set of mini-utilities that demonstrate the capabilities of 3D glasses. All applications are displayed in the form of a ribbon of icons, which can be navigated by turning your head left and right. The very first thing you should do is launch the Tutorial program - a very short and simple video teaching how to work with 3D glasses.

In addition to the instructions, the package includes the following applications:

Earth: you can fly in 3D Google maps Earth.

Tour Guide: Visit Versailles with a local guide.

YouTube: Watch popular YouTube videos on a virtual screen.

Exhibit: Explore cultural artifacts from every corner of the planet.

Photo Sphere: View your own or other uploaded spherical photos.

Street Vue: Drive around Paris on a summer day.

Windy Day: Interactive cartoon from Spotlight Stories

Also pay attention to the VR Cinema program.

VR Cinema for Cardboard - Virtual reality cinema for Cardboard

Thanks to this application you can watch movies on your VR display. The application splits any MP4 video. The screen is divided into two halves with the same picture on both sides. It's not real 3D, but the feeling is comparable! Videos are downloaded from the memory of your gadget or from Google Disk. VR Cinema allows you to watch videos captured on your gadget's camera. The app also has a VR camera feature that uses front camera. It's a funny effect, but I didn't appreciate it. The application has not yet been finalized and you can feel it. In future versions, the developer promises to introduce control using a magnetic ring, the ability to transfer video online and will increase the number of processed formats.

If you cannot get lenses or they are offered to you at a price above $3, then order right away Google ready Cardboard worth $3.2!

All you need to do is fold these 3D glasses from the disassembled state, insert your smartphone into them and you can enjoy 3D reality!

Buy Google Cardboard Can

Virtual reality on your smartphone! It is under this slogan that Google invites craftsmen to make a virtual reality helmet from cardboard and a smartphone. Let's figure out what it is and how it works.

This helmet was first presented at the conference Google I/O 2014. View the presentation of the helmet at Google I/O 2014 you can, the official page of the helmet is g.co/cardboard.

Anyone can make a helmet, provided that you managed to find all the components: cardboard and lenses for assembling the helmet itself, Velcro so that the structure is collapsible, magnets to control virtual reality, an elastic band for fixing the smartphone and, an optional element , NFC tag so that the smartphone knows that it has been placed in a virtual reality helmet.

Some of the components to assemble the helmet will not be easy to find. It is noteworthy that after the publication of templates for self-assembly helmet, within a few hours a kit called Google Cardboard VR Toolkit appeared in one of the American online stores, which includes pre-cut cardboard and all other parts. It's a pity that no one guessed this before.

When all the components for the helmet are ready, you simply assemble it by inserting your smartphone inside, look inside the helmet and enjoy virtual reality.

So, what do you need to create a Google Cardboard virtual reality headset?

The picture below shows all the necessary parts for making a helmet and a description with original links, mainly to the Amazon store.

1. Cardboard

This must be corrugated cardboard(it is recommended to use micro-corrugated cardboard class E - with the number of corrugations 295 +/− 13 per 1 meter and a thickness of 1.6 mm). You can read more about corrugation categories in Wikipedia (English version). This type of cardboard can be found in craft stores. To achieve good result look for durable, thin cardboard. The minimum sheet size is 22x56 cm, thickness 1.5 mm. The guys from Google suggest buying cardboard and .

2. Lenses

This component is the hardest to find. The helmet requires lenses with a focal length of 45mm to operate. Biconvex lenses work better because... they prevent distortion at the edges. Google helmet developers used a set of lenses Durovis OpenDive Lens Kit, available (USA) and (Europe).

3. Magnets

You need a ring-shaped neodymium magnet, like or, and one ceramic disc magnet, like or. Approximate size 19mm in diameter and 3mm thick.

4. Velcro

You'll also need a ruler, glue, scissors, a paper cutter, or access to a laser cutter.

For cutting cardboard, the masters from Google offer two templates: one for cutting on a laser cutter (file laser_cut.eps in the archive) and a second one for cutting with a paper knife (file print_yourself.pdf in the archive). In the second option, you need to print the template on paper, stick it on cardboard, matching the numbers in the light and dark circles (the light one is glued on top of the dark one) and cut it out. Templates can be downloaded from Google's website or here.

Google Cardboard Templates Version:1.0
Templates for making a Google Cardboard virtual reality helmet. File laser_cut.eps for cutting cardboard on a laser cutter and file print_yourself.pdf for printing on a printer.
06.08.2014 611.02 KB 3620

Once everything is ready, the helmet is assembled as shown on g.co/cardboard, and your smartphone is inserted inside.

The Cardboard demo program must first be installed on your smartphone, within which you can select one of the following demos:

- Earth, where you can fly Google Earth;

- Guide, where you can visit Versailles with a local guide;

- YouTube, where you watch a video on a massive screen;

- Exhibition, where you can view cultural artifacts from all angles;

- Photosphere, where you can look around while inside the photospheres (I couldn’t take a screenshot here because this demo didn’t start for me);

- Street Vue, where you'll ride around Paris on a summer's day;

- Windy day, where you watch a cartoon that takes place around you.

Unfortunately, that's all there is for now. But we should hope that more programs for the helmet will appear soon Google Cardboard. True, you can try games for Durovis Dive, but for this you will need to attach a helmet to your head and connect some kind of gamepad to your smartphone.

Which smartphones are suitable for the Google Cardboard virtual reality headset?

Now let's figure out which phone is suitable for a helmet. It must be a smartphone running Android versions 4.1 and higher. Preferably with support for NFC technology. Below is a list of phones that are compatible with the helmet.

Fully compatible smartphones:

Google Nexus 4 and 5;
- Motorola Moto X;
- Samsung Galaxy S4 and S5;
- Samsung Galaxy Nexus.

Partially compatible smartphones:

HTC One (magnet control does not work);
- Motorola Moto G (magnet control does not work);
- Samsung Galaxy S3 (magnetic control does not work, head tracking problems, rendering problems).

Development of your own programs

If you are a programmer, then you can independently develop programs for the Google helmet. To do this, Google is offering an experimental VR Toolkit. Why experimental? Because Google is not going to support the VR Toolkit at the same level and with the same quality as the core Android SDK and libraries. This toolkit can change or break at any time, because work on it continues.

However, there are tutorials and documentation for the VR Toolkit for those interested. In addition, there is the possibility of feedback from developers.

Conclusion

To summarize everything written, it is worth thanking the group of enthusiasts from the company Google, who created such affordable helmet virtual reality and shared your idea with everyone absolutely free of charge. Thanks to them, we can enjoy the virtual world using our smartphone and special software. It should be noted that this approach has far-reaching prospects. After all, it’s enough to connect game controllers to your smartphone and you can not only contemplate virtual reality, but also participate in it. In addition, all interested developers can create their own software for helmet Google Cardboard, because for this Google provides tools VR Toolkit. We will await the development of the project with interest.