RAISING HISTORICAL AWARNESS

The VR storytelling project was created to commemorate the 73rd anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising. It was the first VR project to be implemented by our Client’s Public Institution; a tribute of Warsaw’s residents to those who fought and died for independent Poland and its free capital.

Client

Museum

Sector

Education

Services

VR simulation development

UI/UX design

Technology

Oculus Rift

Unreal Engine

Visual results video

Challenge

Show the visitors how it was really like during the Uprising

The project’s objective was to attract more visitors to the museum and to present the history of that period to the young generation in an innovative and engaging way, as well as to give them the opportunity to get an impression of what it was like back then.

The client had no previous experience with VR storytelling yet, but they had enough space to accommodate such a solution.

The software solution was aimed to resolve challenges related to:

The actual challenge was to immerse the participant in the world of WW2 for a short time (up to 3 minutes).
The client wanted us to convey the message about the brutality of war but without any graphic scenes.
The main objective of the VR storytelling app was to allow visitors to travel in time so that they could feel as if they were participating in those events.

Business Value

The VR storytelling app provides a truly lifelike historical experience

We managed to create an experience that makes quite an impression. The result is mixed feelings – participants see something fascinating but it is the context that strikes them the most. For a short moment, they can feel what a traumatizing and dreadful experience the uprising was.

Our client was satisfied because we managed to capture the essence of their message and at the same time the proposed VR storytelling was still suitable for young audiences.

Thanks to new technologies, the world becomes more connected than ever.

For the world around us to evolve in a positive way we need to apply a broader perspective, instead of just taking care of our backyards. That is why such projects are important.
This is no ordinary storytelling – it is a way to become part of the story.
Miguel Rodriguez was right to say: “Virtual reality is coming and it is going to change the way we keep our memories.”

Process and project scope

Scope

The presentation was to last no longer than 3 minutes and be playable within an area of 4 square meters in single-player mode, with the plot being controlled by the player’s direction and position. The player is partly an active participant and partly a passive observer.

For this project, we created a three-dimensional city, putting a lot of emphasis on the atmosphere of particular places. The time of day, lighting and all additional props were equally important. We meticulously modeled and animated people (insurgents in the ruins of the city), machines and weapons.

Service

At the beginning, the director from the client’s side visited us and we did some brainstorming together. From this, the basic script and further details of implementation emerged. From then on, we employed an iterative approach.

Collaboration

We presented the results of our work to the client 3 times, once every 2 weeks on average. Each time, the director drew conclusions, fine-tuned the details and slightly changed the script so as to keep it interesting all the time.

Unity - the main tool used by 4Experience

Technology stack

The best of VR technology in the service of historical education

The project was developed using Unreal Engine 4. Textures were designed in PBR software. Faces were photo-scanned and clothes were modeled with MarvelousDesigner.

Characters were modeled with Maya software and models of buildings were prepared in 3ds Max. The sound for the app was created using 3D spatial sound technology.