Abstract:

In this paper we investigate virtual reality (VR) content creation software tools and compare them to determine which is the most suited to creating virtual learning environments (VLEs) for industry-based employee training and how they compare to in-person, on-site training.

As VR becomes more mainstream, moving beyond gaming into more industry-based applications, enterprises across multiple sectors are seeing the value of using immersive training as part of their employee onboarding programmes, skill development and reskilling, and marketing. Immersive training has shown to offer more comprehensive, hands-on learning activities involving fewer resources and in a safe environment. Trainees can engage in more independent learning with more control over repeatability, and the freedom to make mistakes and safely experience the consequences. Use of immersive experiences within training can reduce the time trainers spend shadowing new trainees and trainees themselves are ready to ‘hit the ground running’ when undertaking the task in real life.

There are many tools on the market for the creation of 360-degree interactive immersive content. Software can support the creation of real-world environments created using 360-degree cameras as well as computer generated imagery (CGI) developed using gaming engines. The quality and capabilities of this software output varies and can be impacted by many factors. Our research compares three such tools potentially suitable for use in the creation of high-quality, industry-based, pedagogically valid, immersive training material in the form of interactive 360-degree videos.

Our case study for this research was the development of immersive training on the use of a fire truck. We attended the in-person training carried out for fire fighters on-site at their fire station by the truck company training staff. We filmed the process using 2D and 360-degree cameras. The data collected was predominantly used to create a complete immersive fire-truck training experience for the fire station which is now in use. To perform the research described in this paper, a representative sample of the data collected was taken and processed using three popular immersive technology software packages: 3D Vista virtual tour software, Unity gaming engine and Unreal Engine gaming engine.

We created identical VR headset training experiences with interactive content and compared them under the following criteria:
- expertise required
- technology required and documentation available
- complexity of operational processes
- technical capacity and capabilities
- hardware requirements
- user friendliness of output
- value as training medium compared to in-person training on-site

We show that our analysis of these tools, benchmarked against the baseline of on-site, in-person training, demonstrates a validity to the use of immersive experiences as a training tool. We show how and why gaming engines are a more suitable and intuitive medium for creation than popular virtual tour software, are more practical than in-person training and have the capacity to offer pedagogical advantages and improved learning outcomes over other training media. We demonstrate the limitations of this technology in industry training, how these limitations may impact learning. Finally, we will estimate at a preliminary level which medium we determine to be the most suited to the user/trainee experience from a user-friendly and pedagogical point of view and why.

Keywords:

Immersive experiences, virtual reality, industry training.