VIRTUAL USE IN BIOLOGY

This book presents the process of creation, development, testing and results of a Virtual Reality (VR) simulator for the plasma membrane. It was developed as a didactic resource to assist the teaching-learning relationships of Cellular and Molecular Biology in higher education. The software was developed by an interdisciplinary team and in the process of building the product, a bibliographic research was performed as theoretical basis, followed by the modeling of the plasma membrane and animal cell, in the 3D modeling software Blender. As well as the integration of the modeling to the VR environment, through the Unity 3D game development engine, culminating in the programming of phospholipid movements, transport of small substances through the plasma membrane and forms of user interaction with the virtual environment. For immersion in the cellular environment in VR, the VR headset, HTC VIVE Óculus, consisting of motion sensors, interaction controls and immersion glasses, is used. The product test was performed by teachers and students of higher education courses in Biological Sciences and Biomedicine.