VRTUOZ – Immersive Cultures
A VR Hip-Hop battle
How can virtual reality transform our experience of live performance? With VRTUOZ, we have risen to the challenge by creating an immersive proof of concept that redefines the way audiences interact with artistic performances. This innovative experience, designed for VR on the PC, paves the way for a new form of cultural expression: immersive culture.
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When live performance meets VR
The idea at the heart of this project was to allow spectators to watch a hip-hop battle in a new way, by getting closer to the dancers than ever before. Using virtual reality, we recreated a space where two avatars, animated from the captured movements of real performers, deliver a captivating performance.
Using RIG Metahumans, we’ve transposed these movements into impressively realistic avatars, highlighting every detail of the gestures and dynamics specific to this urban dance.
Technical challenges for successful immersion
This project was our first foray into VR production with Unreal Engine, which pushed us to explore the limits of this technology:
- Visual quality and performance: We had to find the best compromise between immersive visual quality and technical optimisation, which is essential to guarantee impeccable fluidity in VR.
- Capture and adaptation: The dance animations were rigorously captured by our partner and then adapted to RIG Metahumans to preserve the authenticity of the movements while fully exploiting the potential of the 3D avatars.
- Proximity and impact: In VR, every detail counts. We’ve designed the experience to offer viewers an unprecedented level of proximity to the performers, often impossible in physical venues such as theatres or opera houses.
A step towards the digital transformation of culture
The aim of this experiment was not limited to technical performance. With VRTUOZ, we are laying the foundations for a revolution in the way people access culture.
This immersive approach not only enhances the beauty and precision of movement in a hip-hop battle, but also imagines a future where live performance transcends the limits of physical venues to reach a wider and more diverse audience.
The beginnings of a new cultural era
With this project, we have demonstrated that virtual reality can play a key role in the digital transformation of culture. By merging technology and art, VRTUOZ offers an experience that is both intimate and spectacular, opening up huge opportunities for those involved in live performance.
We are convinced that these initial explorations of VR in the cultural context are just the beginning. As these technologies evolve, they will offer endless opportunities to reinvent the way we experience and share art.
With VRTUOZ, we’re not just pushing back the frontiers of technology; we’re imagining the future of culture.
