VRSionUp!8: Meetup in Online WebVR events
About me
Hi, my name is Liudmila Bredikhina. I’m a virtual intern at GREE VR Studio Lab, and I’m a Master’s Degree student at the Geneva University. I’m currently majoring in Asian Studies, and I research Japanese Virtual Beings, such as VTubers.
Introduction
VRSionUp!8 was held on September 8th, 2020, from 7 pm — 9 pm JST. The title of this eight edition was “WebVR Online Event Development.” There is a rising demand for the technological development of online events during COVID-19. During this VRSionUp!, various researchers shared techniques for conducting such online events using WebVR. Simultaneously, there was a report on the GREE VR Studio Laboratory’s research and development, such as SIGGRAPH 2020 and VTech Challenge 2020. VRSionUp!8 took place in Mozilla Hubs, and the audience could watch the live stream on YouTube. Once the event was over, a URL of the Hubs Room was sent to the audience, and they could join the speakers for a casual meet-up in Hubs.
Speakers
Bellow is the speaker list and order:
- VR Studio Lab Activity Report about SIGGRAPH 2020
- Live demonstration of Vibe Share technology with me and Yusuke Yamazaki
- Announcement of GREE Tech Conference 2020 by Yutaka Sajima
- Event Report Kids’ Workshop 2020 by Yuya Iwamura
- “Hubs Dekumoku Blender Event Report and Acoustic Design” by Toya Sakaguchi
- “WebVR content development utilizing virtual campus” by Arakawa Sora
- “VTech Challenge 2020-Entry HowTo” by Akihiko Shirai
- “Starry Sky Live Preview” by Potoko
VR Studio Lab Activity Report about SIGGRAPH 2020
Akihiko Shirai quickly talked about SIGGRAPH 2020. He presented Virtual Being World and CG in Japan.
Live demonstration of Vibe Share technology with me and Yusuke Yamazaki
Me and Yusuke Yamazaki demonstrated VibeShare technology. We began with my real face: the audience could send “virtual clapping” by scanning a QR code and shaking their phones, which resulted in the HapBeat vibrating. I then demonstrated the vibrating HapBeat by holding the device with my finger. The whole process was filmed with my real face. Then I moved to Virtual Cast and appeared in front of the audience as my virtual self. I played a game developed by Yusuke: to shoot the enemy, the audience had to send me “kawaii,” and “moe” comments to reload my gun. At some point, I had an invisible enemy that the audience could see, but not me. So, the audience had to engage in “virtual clapping” to activate my HapBeat and feel (with vibrations) the enemy’s location.
Notice of GREE Tech Conference 2020 by Yutaka Sajima
Yutaka Sajima introduced the GREE Tech Conference 2020(https://techcon.gree.jp/2020/). The conference will use Slido and webinar format. The live was broadcasted on YouTube. The conference will be 7h long and have 22 sessions: one keynote, 12 sessions (20min), and nine short sessions (10min). The sessions are divided into three groups: media, games, and live entertainment.
Event Report Kids’ Workshop 2020 by Yuya Iwamura
Yuya Iwamura from Mori Bldg. From August 8th to August 16th, “KIDS’ WORKSHOP 2020” took place in Japan. A variety of offline and online workshops were offered to kids. GREE VR Studio Lab participated in the KIDS WORKSHOP with an online workshop in Hubs.
The organizers then took everyone around the virtual venue. The background photo was virtual Roppongi Hillswith the Tokyo Tower. Such a change of view and “walk-around” can only be possible with a virtual environment that Hubs provided with.
Video report by Mori Bldg.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HatCOswsmhg
“Hubs De Mokumoku Blender Event Report and Acoustic Design” by Toya Sakaguchi
Toya Sakaguchi presented the acoustic design technique in Hubs scheduled to be announced at the VTech Challenge 2020 and the Japan VR Society Conference. “Mokumoku kai”(もくもく会) is a sort of hack-a-thon events that focus on coding and creation. Toya talked about his internship and the audio environment design in Hubs. The goal of the audio experiment was to understand the different types of audio perceptions in Hubs. You can find more detail here in Japanese.
In our article about KIDS WORKSHOP for Web3D (https://2020.web3dconference.org/), we talk more about the Hubs’ spatial audio system. The conference will take place sometime between the 9th and 13th of November. If you want to learn more about spatial audio design in Hubs, follow GREE VR Studio Lab on Twitter for more details about the conference.
Web3D Conference 2020「Web3D Live Distance Workshop for Children in Mozilla Hubs」 (2020/Nov/12)
https://web3d.siggraph.org/web3d-live-distance-workshop-for-children-in-mozilla-hubs/
“WebVR content development utilizing virtual campus” by Arakawa Sora
They created a virtual open campus of the University. The audience could connect to their browser and navigate in the virtual space. The architectural structure of the buildings was stylized while still looking real.
“VTech Challenge 2020-Entry HowTo” by Akihiko Shirai
Akihiko Shirai introduced VTech Challenge 2020. The theme of this 2nd edition is “Solving Social Problems during Corona Era.” The event will take place in Hubs. The organizers are looking for proposals and practical usages to solve newly born social problems.
“Academia Park at Hubs”
An Academia park in Hubs was discussed. The project’s goal was to create a space where students and professors could meet and discuss their projects.
Short presentations
The following were short presentations about events and academic spaces organized in Hubs.
“Starry Sky Live Preview” by Potoko
Potoko discussed the creation of virtual natural spaces that cannot be accessible during the pandemic. This presentation was a response to VTech Challenge.
Conclusion
This 8th edition of VRSionUp! further discussed various aspects of online events developments. The spatial audio technique, virtual environment, and workshop organization were discussed. This event was perfect for students, as they could share their latest projects and creations. Social meetup creates a space where everyone can discuss different subjects and network.
While this event is not directly related to my research, it was interesting to see how individuals can gather in a virtual space and interact. Moreover, this a series of workshop events leading to VTechChallenge 2020, which will be held in Mozilla Hubs.
All technical info and demo in Hubs will be there: https://vr.gree.net/lab/demo/hubs/
