Cenotaph For Newton
VR Interactive Game
Date: 2023 December
Instructor: Jeffrey Anderson
Team: Yuhang Tao & Wei Wang
University of Pennsylvania
Documentation :The ‘Cenotaph to Newton’ by Boullée, Étienne-Louis, was a proposed resting place for the great scientist, planned 60 years after his death, although it was never made. Had it been built it would surely rank as a manmade wonder of the world.
This project explores the evolutionary advancements made that now allow us to fully inhabit digital worlds through Virtual Reality. Leveraging the Game Engine unity and Metaquest 2 Patform, we design an immersive, photo-realistic models of the unrealized architectural leagcy, the “Cenotaph of Newton.” Users are invited to not merely observe but actively interact with this virtual space, offering a firsthand encounter with its grand scale and tangible materiality.
Enhancing the immersive encounter, our project integrates with interaction design script with C#, audio, and visual effects. These elements synergize to add an additional layer to the experience, effectively communicating the sublime and solemn qualities inherent in the project.
Beside this immersive experience, we seek out new and optimized processes of data management for utilizing Unity as a platform for visualization and pushed to develop new storytelling and interaction techniques way of presentation.
Documentation : At 500ft (150m), the cenotaph would have been the tallest built structure in the world, overshadowing the then tallest building – Strasbourg Cathedral at 466ft (142m) – and the Great Pyramids of Giza at 455ft (139m).
Storyboard: A user storyboard visually articulates the essential scenes and interactive design components, enriching the UX/UI aspects of the project's immersive experience.
User Journey Flowchart: A user journey flowchart is of a user's interaction with a interaction design, illustrating the steps from initial engagement to goal completion. It aids in understanding and optimizing the user experience by identifying touchpoints.
User Testing: Critics from Design and VR industries involved testing and interacting with the space of a VR prototype using Oculus VR goggles.
Arrival Plaza: The user begins at the arrival plaza and experiences the sublime and monumental quality of the architecture in distance.
Scene: In the central space, users can check the status of Newton. They may activate the chandelier mechanism, observing the descent and scene change.
FOREST
PLAZA
COURT
CORRIDOR
DOME
ROOFTOP
Chapter: The entire VR immersive experience of the project consists of six scenes, each showcasing a unique architectural or material quality of the space.
