We recently showcased a Virtual Formula 1 Car Exhibit at 2016 Formula 1 Grand Prix in Melbourne in the RMIT Marquee within the Industry and Innovation Precinct. The work was invited by the Vice Chancellor of RMIT to showcase the VR capabilities of the Centre for Game Design Research. The showcase featured a detailed virtual Formula One Racing Car embedded in a garage environment that visitors of the Grand Prix could explore in VR using our SpaceWalk platform.
SpaceWalk, is an experimental VR prototype platform that provides an immersive single user full body virtual reality experience. The platform enabled free exploration of the virtual Formula 1 Racing Car at 1:1 scale. SpaceWalk combined a Head Mounted Display (Oculus Rift), with a camera-based motion tracking (Kinect2) to capture movements of a single user’s body within a 10 sqm space. The platform is easy to setup, requires no calibration by the user and allows a low encumbrance full-body immersion in virtual reality. The system has been been used by hundreds of conference and exhibition visitors in the past to showcase the virtual heritage environment ‘PureLand Unwired’ and the virtual art environment ‘Out of Space’. Approximately 7600 visitors came to see the RMIT Marquee and over 500 visitors got to try the 2016 Grand Prix F1 Car VR Experience.
The Formula 1 Grand Prix VR Experience was developed by students, volunteers and recent graduates from the RMIT Bachelor of Design (Games) program and the Bachelor of IT (Games Graphics Programming) program and led by A/Prof Stefan Greuter.
Project Team
Stefan Greuter – Experience Design and Project Lead
Yvette Wouters – Programming
Stephanie Kelso – 3D Environment and Interaction Design and Sounds
Henrique Alves Severini Dos Santos – F1 Car 3D Model Design