There are times when an artist feels like a magician who waves his hands and conjures a jewel out of thin air. This process of creating often feels mysterious and intangible but, with the right incantations and sacrifices to the gods, ideas become reality, or in this case virtual reality. Our development partner iLogos hit a major milestone by completing work on the robot ELLIS and it was truly magic when I put on the Oculus Rift to see ELLIS drive around and explore the life hutch. As you can see in this video capture from the Rift, ELLIS has been fully rigged, animated and scripted to perform a number of actions on demand... Abracadabra! ELLIS is alive!
Production continues on Life Hutch VR with a new draft of the script and more concept design work underway. This recent prototype has also reinforced the importance of good sound design in VR storytelling and we are focused on the importance of music, sound effects and dialogue as a way to immerse users and guide their experience. More to come...