Project Name : VXRLabs

Role : Lead Unity Developer

Platform : Unity Engine | Meta Quest

Tools : Blender, Unity, Photoshop

VXRLabs was envisioned as a direct competitor to existing virtual reality educational platforms like Engage, but with greater flexibility and developer control. While Engage offered a foundation for VR education, its limited development capabilities restricted the potential for more diverse and immersive content experiences. To overcome these limitations, we set out to build our own educational multiplayer platform—one that allowed us to design comprehensive, physics-driven interactions and deep, engaging experiences that no other educational VR platform was offering at the time.

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Our goal was to create a robust educational resource tailored for universities and schools, providing interactive 3D labs that could serve as cost-effective alternatives to traditional lab setups. What began as a project focused on chemistry labs soon expanded into a multi-disciplinary platform. VXRLabs grew to include a wide range of educational content, covering subjects such as mathematics, history, literature, and even virtual visits to temples and CTE (Career and Technical Education) learning environments.

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Additionally, we developed specialized labs for forensics, creative spaces for recording and reusing objects, and sandbox environments that enabled users to experiment and customize their learning experiences. By offering a suite of versatile tools and labs, VXRLabs aimed to revolutionize classroom learning by reducing material costs while providing students with hands-on, interactive lessons that extended far beyond the typical VR educational offerings of the time.

Pre-production began with selecting the right multiplayer framework. After conducting research, Photon emerged as the most viable solution, offering the flexibility and scalability required for the platform. Another key task was deciding which labs would be featured in the initial app demo to ensure a timely release.

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The first choice was a general biology tour, showcasing human organs with descriptions of their functions. Users could interact with the organs by physically grabbing, scaling, and manipulating them in a museum-like environment. In addition to the organ tour, mini-games were incorporated to help users better process the information through a game-driven approach, making the experience both educational and engaging.

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The initial room layout for the demo was sketched out, and the avatar design was explored. Robotic avatars, with half-body models, were chosen to simplify development and avoid the complexity of full-body rigs. As the project evolved, these avatars were later replaced with human models to create a stronger connection between users in the virtual space.

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The main menu design also took shape during this phase, beginning with basic functionality such as joining a room, creating a room, joining via a room code, and accessing settings. Although the main menu underwent several iterations, these foundational features were key to creating a user-friendly interface.

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As the project expanded, so did the team. Initially, this was a solo effort, with a focus on learning multiplayer development. As it grew, I brought on additional team members, training them in multiplayer programming to ensure the project scaled while maintaining the original vision.

Designing a VR educational platform capable of hosting hundreds of experiences and managing thousands of players simultaneously required numerous critical decisions. One of the primary tasks was developing a scalable user interface, with categorized experiences that allowed users to browse and select available rooms, seamlessly linking them to their VictoryXR accounts for personalized access.

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The platform needed to accommodate users from different groups, such as universities and institutions. A system was developed where products could be managed via the website, enabling users to log into the VR app and access an inventory of resources, including distribution keys for other users and direct experiences like virtual university campuses.

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Handling demos and tours presented challenges, particularly for educators and teachers who were unfamiliar with VR technology. A demo account system was created, which automatically displayed pre-placed room tours to simplify the onboarding process. This approach minimized the time needed for users to access the platform’s features and made the experience more intuitive.

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To ensure consistent user interaction across the platform, a general toolkit was created, incorporating key elements such as teleport circles, grabbable object interactions, and sit triggers. This toolkit maintained uniformity across various experiences, preventing inconsistencies in user interactions.

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As the platform expanded, the need for host tools became evident. Features were implemented to help manage virtual classrooms, including options to lock rooms, kick or ban users, mute individuals, and control interactions with specific objects. These tools allowed educators to maintain control over their sessions and ensure smooth, distraction-free experiences.

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These design decisions transformed the platform into a dynamic and scalable VR educational tool, capable of hosting hundreds of experiences while efficiently managing large numbers of users.