active: early 2005

VR App Switcher

Experimental Menu System for VR Applications

The "Switcher" was an experimental interactive menu system for VR applications at the VRAC. It was a sort of VR operating system layer built on VR Juggler. The core functionality of this system was designed and implemented by Josh Brown. Andres Reinot and I implemented an instance of Josh's switcher framework: the "Cityscape Switcher." All artwork in the Cityscape was created by Josh Larson.

In the Cityscape Switcher, a miniature planet is populated by a tiny city skyline where each building represents a distinct VR application. When a building (application) is selected, the building explodes, the Cityscape fades out, and the application fades in. Later, quitting the application returns the user to the Cityscape.

Cityscape with flat shading
Cityscape with flat shading
Cityscape with baked lighting
Cityscape with baked lighting