Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities: Theory and Practice for Next-Generation Spatial Computing

Building for augmented and virtual reality means working across disciplines: the experience has to make sense to people, feel right in three-dimensional space, and function across demanding hardware and software. Creating Augmented and Virtual Realities brings those concerns together, connecting design and digital art with the engineering behind spatial-computing applications.

Erin Pangilinan, Steve Lukas, and Vasanth Mohan take readers from interaction and sensory design through tracking, cross-platform development, data visualization, and real-world applications. The result is a broad, technically grounded look at how AR and VR experiences are conceived and built.

Design for people in digital realities

The opening sections consider how people interact with computers and what it means to design for the senses rather than for devices alone. The book then turns to creating 3D art in VR and optimizing that work, including topics such as topology, baking, and draw calls. Together, these chapters put human experience and practical production decisions in the same frame.

Understand the systems behind AR and VR

For readers interested in the underlying technology, coverage includes computer vision, calibration, mapping, tracking, and relocalization. The authors also examine challenges in multiplayer AR and the role of platforms such as ARKit and ARCore. Later chapters address cross-platform theory, game engines, VRTK, locomotion, audio, and common interaction approaches.

Bring data and intelligence into spatial computing

The book explores how data and machine-learning visualizations can be designed for spatial environments, with attention to interactivity, 2D and 3D representations, and development workflows. It also introduces character AI and behaviors, then considers applications of VR and AR in areas including health, sports, and enterprise training.

Who may find it useful

This intermediate-to-advanced book is suited to developers, artists, and designers who want a wider view of spatial computing than a single tool or platform can provide. Its mix of design principles, implementation topics, examples, and hands-on material helps readers connect creative choices with the technical realities of building AR and VR experiences.