Institute of Tranceology (VRChat World)

The Institute of Tranceology is a virtual world built for and accessible in the game VRChat. This is the first world that I designed for VRChat and it is periodically updated and modified with new content: both temporary additions for specific event-based experiences and gradual permanent expansions.

You can visit this world and view it in VR at: http://tranceology.org/visit

This map depicts a fictional research institution and museum dedicated to the study of Trance music and associated "Trance Entities." Visiting users can explore an exhibit hall, a gift shop, and a public restroom.

The current iteration of the map is highly optimized and has a total download size of 120mb.

The world features several interactable elements scripted with VRChat's Udon programming language. Objects like the plush toys and pillows and energy drink cans can be picked up by users. The plush fish, when held, functions as a puppet whose mouth users can open and close, and has functioning physics-based googly eyes. The sliding doors to the gift shop are proximity-sensing, and open when a user approaches them. The restroom stall doors can open and close, and when a user is present inside one of the stalls, the door becomes noninteractive for all other users and an "occupied" hologram appears. There is also a "sticker hunt" mini game, where a special event triggers once a user has found and collected the ten stickers hidden in the gift shop area.

There is a single video player in the world, which influences the appearance of many different objects throughout. The video feed is replicated not only on the large screen behind the gift shop's checkout counter, but also on the checkout counter tablet, the light strips on the gift shop floor and central display, the central "Trance Iris" light fixture hanging in the gift shop, the back panels of the retail displays, and the Nam June Paik-inspired CRT "TV gardens" in the entryway.

As the world's author, I handled the 3D layout, lighting design, interaction design, and all custom 3D modeled assets and textures.
The world also features custom commissioned artwork by the following artists:
Birdblitz (Trading card)
BLISS (Trading card, gift shop wall art)
Druu (Trading card)
Mason Fletcher (Trading card, oil painting)
Minmocat (Trading card, diorama background painting)
Mukky's World (Citrus Consciousness can design)
Nthercyte (Trading card, gift shop wall art)
Takada (Trading card, gift shop wall art)
Wsx (Trading card, gift shop wall art)
//VLAD_ (Trading card)