Creative Work

This 360-degree experience is a prototype developed as part of an academic assignment. It is based on the "Breaking the Ice" exhibition produced in collaboration with the Antarctic Heritage Trust. "Breaking the Ice" explores Carsten Borchgrevink's Southern Cross expedition by showcasing artefacts left behind in the two huts at Cape Adare. These artefacts include scientific equipment, clothing, and sledging supplies, offering a glimpse into the explorers' journey.

The project aims to deliver an immersive museum experience for users who cannot attend the exhibition in person or wish to revisit it from the comfort of their homes. By incorporating gamified principles, users can explore the exhibition through a PC, making the experience engaging and interactive.

The tour experience offers two distinct modes: "Explorer" and "Guided." In "Explorer" mode, users can freely navigate the exhibition and interact with 3D artefacts at their own pace. "Guided" mode, however, provides a structured pathway with a virtual tour guide who offers detailed insights into the history and significance of the artefacts.

We began by creating an initial prototype using Storyline360, which allowed us to effectively represent the scene flow, narrative, and user interactions. Our minimum viable product (MVP) was then developed for PC platforms using the Unity3D engine and the Insta360 camera.

The development of this project involved close collaboration with fellow students, a museum curator, and a subject matter expert. This teamwork, combining academic perspectives with real-world expertise, was essential to the project's success.

• Prototype Development: Integrated design concepts into Storyline360 for rapid prototyping.
• Mechanics: Developed interactive elements and user interfaces using C# within Unity3D.
• Locomotion System: Implemented teleportation mechanics for user movement.
• Multimedia: Imported and managed videos and sound effects within Unity3D.
• Animation: Created simple animations using Unity's Animation system (Mecanim).
• Visual Effects: Designed custom shaders with Unity's Shader Graph tool.
• Optimisation: Addressed performance issues with Unity's profiling tools.

Integrating the 360 images and videos we captured from the exhibition into Unity was demanding. It involved creating mesh spheres with custom shaders to flip the surfaces by culling the front and mirroring the texture coordinates. Additionally, each sphere represented a 360 image, enabling users to teleport between scenes by pressing interactive buttons. This provided the sensation of moving through different sections of the exhibition, and it required the implementation of fade-out transitions to ensure a seamless experience.

.NET Standard C# Unity3D Shader Graph Mecanim Adobe Photoshop Adobe Premiere Storyline360 Insta360

This project significantly enhanced my technical skills in Unity3D and shader graphics, showcasing the potential of 360-degree interactions for diverse applications. Teamwork and collaboration were essential to the project's success. Additionally, the experience offered valuable insights into creating immersive content and optimising graphics performance.