Hello!

I am a graphic/UI designer for a group in the Washington DC area. Recently my company has taken a stab into the brand-new world of virtual reality and is currently exploring how VR can add value to our current service offerings.

In an attempt to avoid getting bogged down with details, I will give a brief example of our current project:

Client & Need: Agency that moderates status of assets (vehicles). They need to give weekly briefings and presentations to high-level executives to give a quick and comprehensive visibility into availability of assets and status of repair efforts -- (how many vehicles are ready to go vs. how many are down with technical issues).

Pitch: Create an organizational system in Unity & VR that allows the team and leadership to experience an interactive and visual presentation of vehicle availability. This would include an interactive system that would pull accurate and real-time data from a remote server or CMS, translating it into the visual presentation. This way, the VR experience gives accurate data, without the need to hard code any changed info into Unity every time a change is made to the data.

Why VR you ask? The client already has a 2D version of this system I previously explained. VR elements would allow the client to give an immersive snapshot of the company in a mobile, engaging, and visually compelling way. Who doesn't want to feel like Tom Cruise when they go to work every day?

I would LOVE to get anyone's feedback/thoughts on this idea. Is this possible? Do you see feasibility in developing a tool like this? My primary concern is whether or not Unity can pull data from a server through JSON or AJAX, and interpret it into the application every time it is run.

Is this possible? Do you see feasibility in developing a tool like this? My primary concern is whether or not Unity can pull data from a server through JSON or AJAX, and interpret it into the application every time it is run.

Yes, it is possible. There are tools to pull data from Unity itself, and if that doesn't work, the .net framework is available which can provide additional options.

Feasability, as in "will people be interested in this", that is a different matter entirely. Personally I cannot imagine putting on VR headsets one at a time as the executives go around the room to look at bar charts. If instead it was 3D images and 3D models of damage and repairs that would be something else. But simply to look at charts and graphs? Not really interesting to me.

@frob - I should have embellished on our idea for the system itself. I agree, bar charts would be super boring!

The program would allow you to rotate, zoom, break apart to reveal internal components, and inspect a 3D model of the vehicles. It would highlight specific parts that need updating/repairs, pop-up notifications, etc. We really have no shortage of ideas of how this program could look visually engaging. Do we have the developmental capabilities to pull it off... that remains to be seen!

Thanks so much for your feedback.

@Slaymin,

Thanks for the feedback! I work in a very similar field, so I really appreciate the insight into your experience in projects of this nature.

I agree completely that perhaps an optimized or re-designed 2D platform for this project would be an easier and cheaper option. It would certainly save us many hours of development and troubleshooting.

I think my team has a unique opportunity to test the feasibility of VR interactivity in that our client is very much on board with exploring new technology, however like you mentioned, we will need to make a strong case for VR and its value add if this project is ever meant to see the light of day. VR certainly has a long way to go in terms of ease of use and development practices, but if anything it is exciting to be a part of a budding platform.

Thanks again!