S’pore firm opens up new vistas in VR

SINGAPORE — The fantasy of consumer virtual reality (VR) has arrived and promises to transport users to dystopian urban environments, or orbital stations in the cosmos. Previously mere worlds of imagination, these places have become more interactive and accessible with VR.

Now, almost anyone can create their own VR world with the help of a local start-up.

People with 2D or 3D artworks can convert their pieces into VR worlds without any knowledge in coding, as Presence Pictures provides the tools to easily input their design and output it as an immersive VR environment. They can also make VR worlds through basic modelling classes.

According to Mr Edmund Lee, founder of Presence Pictures, VR is a way for a user to actively engage with the story rather than passively watch it unfold.

“Let’s say I can walk in the world of Avatar, I would rather go inside and walk in that world than follow the lead character,” he said. Knowing that there are many other people who want to create such worlds but lack the knowledge in coding pushed him to start Presence Pictures to bridge the gap.

Due to their complexity, interactive VR worlds can only be created by those few adept at 3D modelling and programming.

Firmly believing in experiences where he can literally walk in the story, Mr Lee chose to utilise the iPhone’s motion sensors to track user’s movements and reproduce them in VR. This means that with every turn of your head and every step you take in real life, the user will also move accordingly in VR.

The Presence Pictures headset will also make use of the iPhone to display the VR visuals, which are in turn stored in a mobile application on the phone. The portable gadget comes wire-free, unlike many other VR headsets that require a computer or game console. The mobile application is still in beta development and will be available for Android devices in the future, while the headset will retail at S$128.

Mr Lee said the movement aspect of the device allows for a “greater feeling of immersion in VR”. By allowing generally all types of VR worlds, the use of a Presence Pictures VR headset extends beyond the gaming arena.

For example, Mr Lee had worked with the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), to create a world where the user “becomes” an abused pet trapped in a cage. Users get a first-hand view of what pets go through when abused. The iPhone vibrates whenever the computer-generated “human” lashes out at you, the pet.

The movement aspect also means VR can be used for education and rehabilitation purposes. The company is in talks with different parties to create simulations for patients who had a stroke to learn how to walk using VR. Mr Lee is also in discussions to develop training environments for firefighters who battle infernos.

“Such VR immersions can send strong messages and create greater empathy for the world we live in,” he said.

Three weeks ago, the company teamed up with 10 animation students from LASALLE College of the Arts to breathe life into their 3D artworks. Students went through a one-day masterclass, followed by a week working to convert environments and characters from their 3D school project videos into VR.

“I actually get to walk inside the environment I worked so hard to make, so it feels really good to see (the environment) that way and actually reacting to what I’m doing,” said Xavi Aseniero, a 25-year-old animation art degree student.

According to animation lecturer Ken Loh, the industry is “dynamic and volatile”, especially for companies that only stick to animating for films. The 39-year-old hopes the students will become leaders in the sector by incorporating new technologies such as VR into their animation to possibly “craft out a new area in the industry”.

The public can experience VR at the LASALLE Show Exhibition 2016, which ends at 8pm tonight. The annual exhibition at the McNally Campus showcases more than 800 works by graduates and students.

Visitors to the show can put on the Presence Pictures headgear and be transported to the vibrant surroundings created by the students. They can either navigate an obstacle course filled with swinging blades or test their guts exploring a graveyard. Just by jogging on the spot, visitors get to roam around video game-esque regions.

Beyond animation, the exhibition also presents other artworks from the faculties of media arts, fine arts, performing arts, creative industries and design.