2. Whispers in the Clouds
Recording / 2024.4
#Unreal Engine #VR #EnvironmentArt
Whispers in the Clouds offers a serene retreat from the noise of modern life. Set against cloud-covered peaks harboring remnants of forgotten technology, this project inspires reflection on our relationship with nature and the tools we create.
The idea came to me at Mt. Wilson in Pasadena, CA, during a rare view of a cloud sea that made nearby technology seem distant and forgotten.
I was attracted by the scene in front of me, and for a moment I could not feel the existence of any living things around me. I felt that I existed outside the earth, annotating the only traces of human beings in nature, the antenna.
I wondered if I could capture that feeling of being out of place but surrounded by abandoned technology in a 3D world. Could this virtual space make people think about how we relate to technology and nature? I decided to use Unreal Engine, one of the most realistic rendering tools, with VR, a media that creates the illusion bluring the real life and virtual world, to mix real and virtual worlds for a more intense experience.
I started by testing different scenes with panoramic images to see what would best bring out that feeling of solitude.
The last low-fi prototype I have created. Move your mouse or phone to interact.
After confirming the concept's feasibility, I developed a virtual environment in Unreal Engine 5 and integrated it with the Meta Quest 2. Prototype testing revealed that the transition between a technology-dense scene and one stripped of human elements was crucial for replicating the sense of isolation. I crafted two distinct scenes where people interact with clouds to transition between these environments, enhancing the immersive experience.
