Create(x) Halloween Experience

Introduction

The concept for this project stemmed from our VR/AR course, where we utilized Create(x) projection equipment at the University of Hawaii West Oahu to create an immersive experience using wall and floor projectors, audio, Unity, and C#.

Development Process

This process began with brainstorming sessions to generate ideas for what goes into a Halloween experience, which allowed me to begin looking for references for my 3D models, lighting, sounds, and pre-made assets from the Unity asset store that we could use. Unity was pivotal in creating this virtual environment and integrating it with their Create(x) projection technology. One of my favorite ways that I used UH West Oahu's Create(x) technology was with my bat 3D models, which was a simple model made in Maya that had both a varying motion C# script to simulate its flight and bat audio attached to it. So when it would fly around the room, because of their surround speaker system sounded like it would encircle the viewers. Although early on some issues were getting accustomed to using their technology, we persevered and it made for a fun and interesting learning experience in XR possibilities.

Key Features

Some features that I wanted to highlight here were the effects and lighting, which through Unity gave the scene the ambience and spookiness that it needed to match the objects and the overall scene. I also have learned a lot about developing a layered scene in a projection, because, unlike previous projects I've worked on, this required a viewer to feel like they were moved into the scene. This meant creating layered backgrounds of trees, objects, and fog to give a sense of realism to the viewers.

Demo Video

Conclusion

This collaboration with Create(x) has allowed me to learn more about XR and projection experiences than I ever thought I'd be able to do. Moving forward, if I were to go back and redo this project I think it would be an incredible space for storytellers to fully immerse viewers in an interesting and new way. For instance, I would take my scene reduce the background sound, and utilize the ambiance and sound effects during the Halloween season for a place where people could come and listen to spooky stories. I think this could also apply to a variety of holidays, where people could come and sync their stories with different background effects to fit their stories and entertain viewers in a new way. Overall, this was a great experience and I'm very excited to possibly work within this field again, and see how this technology can be used in the future.