N-Terior

Introduction

Hello, I’m Dinuk, and I had the privilege of leading the team VRats on our project. In honor of their hard work, I want to share the story and vision behind our project, which embodies what we believe the future holds.

Inspiration

As we envisioned the world two decades from now—a world where our children will harness their imaginations in new and exciting ways—we recognized that virtual reality (VR) will likely be a staple in everyday life. Inspired by VR's potential to transform our interaction with the physical world, we decided to focus on an app that not only showcases the power of VR technology but also serves a practical purpose in daily activities. Initially, we toyed with various ideas like a virtual stud finder for home decoration. However, realizing the need for a more universally applicable tool, we settled on creating an interior design app, aiming to empower users to creatively reimagine their living spaces.

What It Does

N-Terior transforms how users envision and plan their room designs. It allows for dynamic customization of walls and floors, providing real-time visualizations of changes. Beyond aesthetics, the app offers practical features like a resource locator and a comprehensive cost analysis, suggesting real materials for the projects. Users can experiment with different paints and flooring materials, calculate necessary quantities, and estimate the costs—all within a virtual yet realistic environment.

How We Built It

Our development leveraged Unity and Meta's SDK, which offered valuable building blocks that accelerated our progress. We hosted a custom API on Azure to dynamically update information and demonstrate how future applications might interact with real-time data and user environments.

Challenges We Ran Into

Leading a diverse team brought significant challenges, particularly in project management. Initially, our work was siloed, with team members working independently on separate components. This approach led to integration difficulties, reducing our efficiency. Recognizing these issues, I adapted our strategy to foster a more integrated and collaborative environment, which streamlined our development process and enhanced team cohesion.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

Despite the steep learning curve with Unity and the initial disjointed efforts, our team's dedication to overcoming these obstacles was truly inspiring. We've built not just an app but a testament to what teamwork, determination, and innovative thinking can achieve.

What We Learned

This project was a profound learning experience for all involved. We gained insights into effective teamwork, problem-solving, and the nuances of working within a large team. Personally, I grew immensely as a leader, developing skills in communication and project management that I will carry forward in my career.

What's Next for N-Terior

Looking ahead, we plan to pilot N-Terior by partnering with local hardware stores like Home Depot to offer our VR app for customer use. This will allow us to gather direct feedback and gauge the app's utility in real-world scenarios. If successful, we aim to refine the app based on user feedback and prepare for a broader market launch. Our goal is not just to innovate but to prepare today's users for the technological advancements of tomorrow.

Thank you for supporting our journey in pushing the boundaries of creativity and technology.

Built With

• azure
• c#
• discord
• javascript
• metasdk
• unity