Interaction - Bachelors
RiverCity is an immersive VR experience set in a 1:80 scale recreation of Brisbane’s inner city. Built in Unreal Engine 5, this experience features bespoke motion controls, detailed landmarks, dynamic trees and pedestrians, adjustable time of day and realistic visual effects.
I acknowledge the Yuggera people and the Turrbal people as the Traditional Custodians of Meanjin (Brisbane), and pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging.
Trace the route of Maiwar from Teneriffe all the way to Toowong, and change the time of day using the bespoke interactive timeline. Spot the roaming CityCat and soak in the atmosphere as Jacarandas sway gently in the wind. Every element has been designed to completely immerse the user in the beauty of Brisbane. RiverCity harnesses the medium of VR to encourage the user to explore the inner city in an engaging, interactive and playful way.
Extensive user testing has helped to ensure that the experience is accessible, intuitive and fun. Interactive elements adjust automatically to users who are sitting down, and the movement system has been specially designed to prevent VR sickness.
To create the space, OpenStreetMap data was imported into Unreal Engine 5. This included roads, buildings and green areas. Then, the world was manually populated with trees, terrain, detailed landmarks, clouds, pedestrians and atmospheric effects. Custom materials for the river’s surface and trees help make the space feel dynamic and alive.
Darcy is a passionate interaction designer and environment artist with interests in modern technology, virtual reality, music, video game and urban design, social justice and the arts!