VR M1 Studio

There is really nothing like visiting our M1 Studio, in Chicago’s Wicker Park. Guests are immediately immersed in a full sensory experience. The challenges of lockdown and social distancing encouraged us to take another approach to bringing the experience to a wider audience.

As the cost of VR hardware continues to fall, it was clear that we could bring a VR experience to anyone, anywhere. It also allows us to prototype new kinds of experiences. And, why not let the user blow up a few things along the way?

Everything was modeled in-house, using Maya, baked and textured in Substance Painter, with many surfaces designed using Substance Designer. Every prop, furniture piece, appliance or tool was measured, photographed and modeled, some using a high polygon model, which baked the texture maps to the low polygon model used in the experience. Video files are used for the large display panels, with custom shader graphs used to create the architectural “G-Glass” panels.

Experimenting with in-house VR experiences allows us to try new modeling, lighting and animation techniques, and best practices with game engines, including Unity, XR Interaction tools and various hardware options. The VR tour of our studio is a continual work in progress project. Our goal is to get it on Steam at some point when we feel it’s ready for public viewing.

Author: Chris Tedin