XR Projects
November 2022
To design and build a seamless riding experience for non-technical players to drive and listen to music around unique space environments without high levels of nausea or intervention
Capstone Project for AR/VR Development & 3D Graphics Program with NYU Tandon School of Engineering using Unity, Rhino 3D, Grasshopper, XR Interaction toolkit, C# and more.
Concept & Storyboarding
For the 3D architectural and design elements, I decided to go with a combination of parametric and organic fluidity-based design styles to create a futuristic world that feels less machine and more organic. Additionally, colored RGB accents provide a bit of energy and will be used to highlight areas and objects of interest for the user to interact with.
Designing the project interactions & motorcycle mechanics in VR presented a number of new UX challenges and opportunities — below are a few examples of specific interactions designed to make the experience feel more natural to users
Handlebar Interactions
The brake and throttle hand pose animations were necessary to configure in order to make the user feel like he or she is naturally grabbing the handlebars of the vehicle. Fixed rotational & lever-type interactable scripts were then created to mimic the mechanical interfaces on a sports bike to control the throttle and brake respectively.
Steering Mechanics
Horizontal rotational inputs across the Z-Axis and Vertical acceleration inputs across the X-Axis were borrowed from existing keyboard & mouse input controllers and then re-mapped and re-calibrated to the XR Interaction Toolkit's input system.
Known Issues
Moon Cruizer Asset
Left Brake doesn’t slow bike down Right Hand Throttle rotation doesn’t correspond to acceleration Leaning left and right on bike isn’t 1:1 with the user Haptics don’t toggle on/off in the moon scene Need to update to MC3 design Bike doesn’t drive forward anymore if you get out Interactive HUD display for accelerometer & music player Music player buttons aren’t responsive sometimes Music player in an awkward location - accidentally interact with the UI while you’re turning bike on or off
Optimization Issues
Moon scene occlusion culling Tree Geometry optimization Terrain displacement optimization Mesh optimize complex geometries (bio pavilion, Forum design, apartment, Music Player, MC models 1-3, spaceship, differential fits)
Watch AR Menu
Ray Interaction toggle when opened Need to update UI for hover response Back to Lobby turns camera off and game stops Exit Game fades out but doesn’t exit
