2118 GETAWAY: A VR EXPERIENCE

In this experimental, science fiction Virtual Reality piece, experience what a getaway will be like for people in 2118 - a private lodge, with an infinity pool...in the sky!

Created in Unreal Engine and built for the HTC Vive.

Characters designed in Adobe Fuse, rigged in Mixamo, animated in Unreal Engine.

 INSPIRATION

Characters can add such a dynamic, crucial element to pushing certain narratives forward. I really wanted to explore how to build characters and integrate them into an XR experience with this project, and animating movement to bring them to life!

I also wanted to explore space as “home” - building dwelling structures that allowed audiences to feel they are within indoor and outdoor rooms much as they would in real life, but importantly in structures that would never be possible to exist on Earth (yet).

 THE PROCESS

Direction and creative vision

For this experience to have the suspenseful impact I desired, it would be really important that the maze be difficult to navigate - so I turned to Maya3D to build a unique structure:

I then brought the maze from Maya3D into Unreal Engine to create the experience. After making and applying polished materials to the walls of the structure, I added some color and spotlights in strategic placements to provide some differentiation to the maze walls’ presence. And with inciting fear being a priority, I made the environment pitch black:

Desiring to add visibility with a sense of awe that one couldn’t encounter in real world environments, I created an emissive element:

And built an emissive path that highlighted wonder and separation…and the importance of each step!

In addition, the emissive path would provide an immediate indicator that this is either some technologically futuristic or entirely alternate world to set expectations that this reality might not play by previously learned rules for settings - adding to the suspense.

I then added fire animations to dial up the terror:

In the essential final aspect of the project, I worked on a VR Pawn for the player in a n Oculus headset to be able to possess control of a “camera” (their first-person view within the headset) in the scene, and be able to move through the environment in Unreal as they moved within the headset in actual reality:

First-person views: