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Virtual Reality Projects

I have a huge fascination with Virtual Reality. Since acquiring my Oculus Quest 2 headset in the summer of 2020, I have been active as a VR development hobbyist. I was an administrator and advisor for Wentworth Institute of Technology's VR club. Development included creating worlds and assets in programs such as Unity and Blender. I've also used VR as a tool for product design. Through the use of the program Gravity Sketch, I'm able to rapidly create CAD projects that can be exported to Fusion 360 and Solidworks. VR CAD has advantages to get a true sense of scale and presence for my projects without the need for fabrication. Here is a collection of VR-related projects I've been working on.

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Warren Lotas Fan Helmet

I designed a helmet in the fashion of the influential streetwear brand Warren Lotas within VR. The VR CAD file was then edited in Fusion 360, and 3D printed into a tangible product. The project is an excellent example of how VR can be used to bring virtual designs into the real world.

Creature Assets

I'm working with some friends on an indy VR game that involves catchable creatures. By creating the creatures in VR, we can design them to be suitable for a virtual platform. The VR files are exported to Blender, in which I texture them, give the creatures a skeletal rig, and provide them with animation. Here is a gallery of some of the designs and the design process to bring these creatures to life.

VRchat Avatars

I've been in the business of creating and editing VR avatars for the popular virtual platform known as VRchat. The modeling and exporting workflow is similar to the asset creation protocol for making professional video games. I model the avatars within the VR software Gravity Sketch and then export them as a .obj for further editing. Texturing, skeletal rigging, and shape keys are applied in Blender and then exported as a .fbx. The .fbx file is then brought into the Unity Engine, where it is configured for the VRChat platform and then uploaded to the game's server. Avatar creation is a great practice to keep my skills in Blender and Unity Engine. It has been a fun freelance that allows me to take commissions and test my design skills.

Animation Capstone: Blood Heist

A dear friend of mine hired me to create the 3D models and animate them for a film he was working on for his senior capstone project. I worked closely with the character concept artist and turned their designs into 3D assets. Afterward, working with the director, a team of animators and I would bring the movie to life. The short film is called Blood Heist and it's a film about a couple of vampires stealing blood from a blood bank. It was a really fun project to work on. Here is a link to my buddy, Ali,'s website. He is a very talented animation director and animator: https://ahouraibi.wixsite.com/alihouraibi

CAD in VR

Here is a collection of CAD models made within Gravity Sketch and further edited in Fusion 360 and Blender.

Graphic Design in VR

I feel most confident expressing art through a 3D medium, but I have tried my hand at 2D graphic design within VR. Through a program called King Spray Graffiti, I was able to spray paint a graphic for a skateboard inspired by the hit cartoon series; Avatar the Last Airbender. The graphic was then brought into Photoshop and further edited to fit on the deck of a skateboard. I sent the graphic to a custom skateboard shop where they printed the graphic onto a skateboard. Now I can cruise around on a board unique and personal to me.

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