CITY VR Tour is the first Virtual Reality application of a city in Romania, currently present in Cluj-Napoca. The application is an interactive computer-generated experience taking place within a simulated environment (virtual reality) and offers anyone fond of new experiences the chance to make a “live” impression of the atmosphere of a specific location. Using High Tech VR glasses, they can move above the city in any direction and observe every detail they consider important and attractive.
Experience Cluj
Unity
Experience Cluj
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
THE CHALLENGE
The application needed to not only showcase the sights and attractions of the city, it also needed to enhance the experience for the user. We had hardware work together with the software side in order to better convey the experience for the users.
Case details
Client name:
Own product
Completed:
6 months, 3 developers
Category:
Unity
PROVIDED SOLUTION
The initial shooting for CITY VR is done with a 360º camera at 8K resolution, connected to a drone. The flight path of the camera is taken as a reference for creating the route model.
The tilt of the camera is transmitted to an Arduino processor via the USB interface. The processor, being connected to a gyroscope attached to a specially designed chair, compares the inclination of the virtual camera to that of the chair and, when necessary, tilts the seat in the desired direction until the target position is attained.
Modeling is done using a 3D modeling software, 3DS Max. The initial model is optimized, after which textures are created. The completed model is exported to the VR application program, Unity.
The illusory environment that completely surrounds you and the chair that simulates the movements from the means of transportation you are traveling with above the city give you a full immersive experience. The user can explore and experiment in VR the atmosphere, the weather, the amenities and much more of the future destination.
KEY PRODUCT FEATURES
- Custom 360º videos, showcasing the desired route while making sure the points of higher interested are focused upon
- Enhancement of the videos using 3D models and particles for a rich and more vibrant experience
- Overlaying information – pointing out key historical places or points of interest
- Specially designed chair to enhance user’s experience
THE OUTCOME
The users can study, visit and inspect the sights without being physically present in that location. The current version of Experience Cluj in VR has 3 unique experiences that allow panoramas of 360º, the “movement” being at a height of about 70 meters, at an average speed of 50 km/h: a ride in a rollercoaster over the city, a tour of the city center in a winding paragliding and a flight over the Feleacu piste. Today, City VR is successfully used by the Cluj-Napoca City Hall. The app has a huge potential to be used in every city, especially for tourism purposes (city tours, sightseeing, points of interest, ancient monuments etc.).