Building a VR IDE With WebXR

Early work-in-progress showcasing voice coding in virtual reality

With the introduction of the Apple Vision Pro, Apple marks its entry into mixed reality, signaling a shift in professional computing tools. Moving beyond traditional mouse, monitor, and keyboard setups, this innovation leans towards vision, gesture, and voice as primary computing interfaces, resonating with the Voqal ethos. Imagine a workspace where code and application architectures exist in a three-dimensional space, where you can shape the virtual world around you with your voice and see updates in real-time.

This article explores the development of such a future, leveraging WebXR to create a voice-controlled VR-native IDE. The prototype, currently in its early stages, showcases the potential of a VR IDE that's both immersive and intuitive, offering a glimpse into the future of software development.

Virtual Reality IDE

The shift to virtual and augmented reality interfaces calls for completely reimagining traditional IDEs. The existing approach of remotely accessing desktop-based IDEs in a VR setting falls short, primarily due to the disconnect between the immersive VR experience and conventional mouse and keyboard interactions.

Developing a VR-native IDE involves integrating key elements that redefine the traditional coding environment. Being so, here are three foundational components:

1. Utilizes Existing Development Tools

A VR IDE should be compatible with existing development tools, like IntelliJ IDEA, Visual Studio Code, and others. This compatibility ensures developers can leverage their existing workflows and tools, making the transition to VR coding seamless. The Voqal Assistant, an AI-powered IDE plugin, fulfills this requirement, offering additional controls and features to existing IDEs.

2. Voice and Gesture Controls

Voice and gesture controls are essential for a VR-native IDE. These controls allow developers to interact with the virtual environment, manipulate code, and navigate the workspace using natural language and gestures. The Voqal Assistant, with its voice coding capabilities, is a perfect fit for this requirement, offering a natural and intuitive interface for developers to interact with their code. Gesture controls, such as hand tracking and controller interactions, will be introduced in future iterations.

3. Immersive 3D Visualizations

A VR IDE should offer immersive 3D visualizations of code, application architectures, and other development artifacts. Visualizations are necessary for creating an engaging and interactive coding environment that leverages the spatial capabilities of VR headsets. This is the primary focus for our current prototype, which we'll explore in more detail in this and future articles.

Effectively combining these elements is crucial for a VR-native IDE that is viable for professional development workflows and offers a compelling alternative to traditional coding environments.

Implementation

Developing such an experience requires combining specialized technologies to craft a VR IDE that's both intuitive and progressive. To achieve this, our current prototype combines the Voqal Assistant with WebRTC, Three.js, and WebXR. These technologies provide a robust foundation for developing interactive and immersive coding environments. Let's explore how these technologies contributes to facilitating a VR-native IDE. First, we must establish a connection between the VR headset and the IDE.

WebRTC

Establishing a direct connection between the VR headset and the IDE is vital to creating a seamless VR coding environment. WebRTC, renowned for its use in video conferencing and live streaming, is perfect for this purpose. It facilitates real-time, low-latency peer-to-peer connections, which are essential for transmitting IDE code, user interfaces, developer focus, gestures, and raw audio/video data efficiently.


The diagram above outlines the connection process in three steps. Initially, the VR headset and the IDE signal their readiness to connect by contacting a signaling server. Then, they exchange network addresses using a STUN/TURN server. Finally, the process concludes with NAT traversal, establishing a robust P2P connection that functions reliably, even behind firewalls. This method ensures a stable and streamlined connection, leveraging WebRTC's capabilities for an optimal VR coding experience.

Three.js

With the IDE and headset connection established through WebRTC, attention shifts to the user interface within the VR environment. For this prototype, Three.js has been selected as the primary UI layer. Known for its ability to create and display animated 3D content in web browsers, Three.js is well-suited for developing dynamic and interactive interfaces in our VR IDE prototype. The current implementation is built with flexibility in mind, allowing for the future incorporation of various UI layers. This could include native interfaces, Unity-based environments, or other 3D rendering technologies.



The rotating low-polygon horse, as visualized above, is an example of the kind of dynamic 3D rendering possible with Three.js. This specific visualization showcases the library's ability to produce engaging 3D models, a feature that can be leveraged to create immersive and interactive coding environments.

WebXR

Finally, WebXR is used to transform Three.js scenes into fully-fledged AR/VR experiences, complete with head tracking and controller interactions. WebXR is compatible with a wide range of VR headsets, from the luxury Apple Vision Pro to the more affordable Meta Quest 2, each headset offering different levels of immersion and tracking capabilities. Adopting WebXR as our primary framework for the VR IDE allows us to cater to this diverse array of headsets and accommodate a broad audience, including high-end and budget-conscious software developers looking to leverage VR for their coding needs.



The above scene, rendered using WebXR and Three.js, depicts a virtual roller-coaster. On a regular display, it's presented as a 3D scene, visually engaging but lacking physical immersion. In contrast, when experienced through a VR headset, it transcends to a more convincing realm. Such is the goal of WebXR, allowing the creation of AR/VR experiences that can be seamlessly consumed through a browser.

If you have a headset, you can experience this roller-coaster ride by clicking the "Enter VR" button.

Demonstration

Putting all the above together and integrating the Voqal Assistant, we are left with a transformative software development environment. Developers can completely immerse themselves in their coding projects, surrounded by a virtual representation of their work. This setup enables intuitive interaction through voice commands, significantly enhancing the coding experience by making it more dynamic and engaging.



The video above reveals an early-stage prototype. Although it's rough at the moment, it underscores a foundational framework set for rapid improvement. In its unrefined state, this initial version showcases the considerable potential of what more advanced and developed iterations might look like, setting the stage for a more polished and feature-rich future release.

What's Next?

  • Switching to three-mesh-ui for better integration and moving from pixel-based code visualizations to textual & vector-based displays.
  • Release of an early alpha version along with an example repository.
  • Additional articles covering the VR IDE's development in more detail.

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