A prehistoric aquatic creature swims near the ocean floor, with sand and shadows from plants above.

NSCM Master’s student, Erica Winfrey, shares information about her exciting project titled, “VR Blue Springs.” VR Blue Springs is a digital twin of Blue Springs Federal Park in Florida. Throughout the park are cards that contain info about the park. In an interview, Winfrey talks about the project and her inspiration behind it as well as the goals for VR Blue Springs.

What is the Virtual Blue Springs about?

“VR Blue Springs was about creating a digital twin that could be used as an educational experience in a unique way. You start off on a board walk with a scrapbook and some cards around you which you can pick up. From there you’re prompted to fly and dive around the park to uncover other cards that provide some background information about the area.”

What inspired you to participate in this project?

“Well when picking a project for my masters, I knew I wanted to do something VR related because late in my undergrad I got a bit excited about trying and designing VR experiences and I was always fond of some of the more interactive aspects of museums so having an educational experience with a place I enjoyed visiting, Blue Springs, seemed like a good fit.

In the simplest terms I just wanted to give people a short but interesting experience that hopefully encouraged them to learn more about Blue Springs or other federal and national parks around them, maybe go out for a visit with some friends.”

What did you enjoy most about working on this project?

“I enjoyed getting to know the game engine I was working in a lot better, Unreal Engine, for those who are curious. It really helped guide me to what skills I was most interested in in Tech Art. But honestly my favorite memory isn’t quite directly working on the project. It was going into class with everyone in the Digital Media master’s program and looking at and showing off all our prototypes for the projects we were working on. Getting to throw people in VR, sometimes for the first time, to try out an experience I spent so much time thinking about and working on, and in turn seeing what everyone else had a passion for… it’s quite a fond memory. I might miss those days a little even if my sleep schedule might be a bit better now since I was juggling classes, internship and a Graduate teaching position closer towards graduation. My friend Christina and I certainly had a couple late nights keeping each other awake while we worked to get our projects to where we wanted them. It was encouraging, and nice to have someone look over your work to make sure you weren’t just going crazy when you hit a snag.”
 

Virtual Blue Springs Showcase

 
You can visit the Virtual Blue Springs here: https://aquarica.itch.io/vr-blue-springs

Watch the trailer here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXmGcRT0vl8&ab_channel=EricaWinfrey

 

Written by Majdulina Hamed.

Published to Nicholson News on February 4th, 2025.

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