NATURE
FOR STRESS RELIEF
Agumented Reality
01 Concept
This project creates an healing AR experience using hand tracking on Quest,
allowing users to interact with virtual plants in their familiar indoor environment.
By engaging with plant growth and exploring dynamic natural elements, users can relieve emotional stress and reconnect with the vitality of nature.
And the behavior of touching ground and floor will make user more connected of their surroundings.
✨ Here's a YouTube Video of our wonderful project
If the video seems shy, give it a second to show up!
Group Memeber：Wenhui Xia, Xuefei Li, Ziyi Wang, Rouqing Wang, YifanHu
02 User Journey
Freedom of interaction:
allowing users to explore and engage at their own pace without a strict timeline.
Wave hands to
make tree & grasses
sway slightly like a breeze
Wave hand to create mesmerizing ripples in the flower-shaped & UI particle effects, adding a magical touch to the experience.
Pinch to grab the cute mushroom, release to drop it. Shake it to spray more spores!
Gently touch the ground multiple times to grow plants gradually with random variations to feel the vitality of nature
The more users grow plants and stay in the AR, the more floating particles accumulate,
visually reinforcing user interaction and further exploration.
The more users grow plants and stay in the AR, the more floating particles accumulate,
visually reinforcing user interaction and further exploration.
Begin by scanning the room. Set aside the controllers and immerse user in a interaction through intuitive hand gestures.
03 Timeline of my contribution
Concept & Research & Assests & Particle Effects
04 Reflection
This project was designed to heal, but in the process, it healed me too.
I successfully achieved the primary goal, enabling users to interact with real-world surfaces like the ground and walls to trigger the gradual growth of virtual plants and particles. This interaction showcases plants growing, flowers blooming, and particles bursting forth, all enhanced by natural sound effects. Such combination of visual, auditory, and immersive elements creates a therapeutic and engaging experience. Additionally, the integrations of various 3D prefabs and effects, appearing randomly, adds an element of surprise and delight, further encouraging user participation
1.Adapting Particle System to a Realistic Style
The particle system provided flexible animation options and adjustable parameters, paving the way for future generative plants. However, its reliance on 2D color maps clashed with the scene's naturalistic style, resulting in a visual disconnect. But Static 3D models without growth animations further disrupted the user experience with abrupt appearances. To address this, I transitioned to 3D models paired with animations, achieving a more cohesive and immersive plant growth effect。
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Alembic Incompatibility with Quest
Challenge:
To Create realistic plant shapes and growth animations, I learned SpeedTree, a specialized tool for generating lifelike plants and growth animations.
Alembic plugin worked well for realistic plant growth in Unity Play Mode but was incompatible with Quest due to platform limitations.
Discovery:
Alembic for Unity only supports Windows 64-bit, macOS X, and Linux 64-bit platforms, excluding Quest.
Reflection on Workflow:
Highlighted the need to thoroughly understand platform limitations early in the process.
Adjusted approach by starting with simple tests before detailed refinements.
2.Gradual Growth Animation
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Complex Shader Growth for Plant
Achieving gradual plant growth through shaders required advanced expertise in managing UV maps and handling complex, irregular meshes. However, challenges with UV mapping and mesh intricacies occasionally led to minor sequence errors in the growth logic.
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Overly realistic effects using high-resolution models and textures introduced performance overload on Quest, results in glitches and lag.
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Iteratively optimized model complexity and textures to strike a balance between realism and system performance, ensuring smoother user experiences.
3. Balancing Realism and Performance
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Overly realistic effects using high-resolution models and textures introduced performance overload on Quest, results in glitches and lag.
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Iteratively optimized model complexity and textures to strike a balance between realism and system performance, ensuring smoother user experiences.
4. Importance of Coding for Designer
Cooperation with group members from different background is creative. But it also makes me realize how essential it is for designers to bridge creativity and technology. While I attempted to write shaders for natural flower growth, the final implementation depended on my coding-focused teammates. My limitations motivated me to learn more coding. By understanding technical constraints, I can enhance collaboration, better align my designs with feasible solutions, and gain the independence to bring my ideas to life while exploring new possibilities.
04 Future Exploration
1. More generative & user-driven & engaging
I aim to further explore generative flowers and sounds to enhance the personalization and depth of AR interactions. Future interations will incorporate user inputs, such as the duration and location of hand gestures, to dynamically shape the plants' growth—affecting their form, color, height, and overall appearance. While the current design relies on pre-made prefabs for random generation, future developments could enable real-time, user-driven outcomes. This evolution would allow users to actively experience the magic of nature's growth, creating a richer and more immersive AR environment."
2. Project Potential with My Spatial Design Background
1. AR Nature integrated with Spatial Design
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Utilize plants to create healing spaces in AR.
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Explore degrees of spatial enclosure:
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Private, semi-private, and open spaces.
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Influence on users’ sense of safety and comfort
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2. Real-World Design Inspiration
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Inspiration
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landscape architecture:
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Replace large, open lawns with intimate corners defined by plants.
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Referencing ancient Chinese designs:
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Bamboo groves forming natural pavilions.
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A trend toward biophilic architecture to enhance well-being.
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W4 Garden /Alexandra Noble
W4 Garden /Alexandra Noble
Dule Garden/ Guang Sima
3. AR Application: Creating Therapeutic Spaces
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Extend spatial design concepts into AR environments:
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No biological constraints in XR.
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Users can design private sanctuaries in familiar spaces.
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4. Therapeutic Benefits (process + outcome)
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Creation process as healing:
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Nurturing plants fosters emotional relief.
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Created seceret spaces as therapy:
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Provide comfort, connection, and tranquility.
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