Caganer XR

Personalized 3D caganer figurines powered by face scanning in VR & mobile. Your funny cultural shitter.

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🎯 Inspiration

Barcelona is a city full of tradition, weirdness, and personality — and the caganer, a pooping figurine hidden in nativity scenes, represents all of that. We wanted to take this cultural oddity and bring it to life using XR, humor, and personalization. We asked: what if souvenirs were fun, interactive, and 100% yours?

💩 What it does

Caganer XR lets you scan or upload a photo of your face and turn it into your own personalized, animated pooping figurine — a caganer. You can play with it in mixed reality (MR), interact using gestures, watch it poop in absurd ways (gold, rainbow, even ghost poop), and even order it 3D printed to take home.
Yes. It's as real as it sounds.

🛠 How we built it

  • Face detection pipeline (no AI generation): selfie-based input that triggers a face-to-caganer mapping.
  • 3D custom model layering using Unity + WebXR for seamless VR and mobile access.
  • Gesture-based MR interaction via Meta Quest (no controllers).
  • Integrated visual FX system for poop animations and caganer reactions.
  • Optional STL export system for 3D printing physical versions.
  • Designed and branded with dark mode UX, playful UI, and Catalan soul.

🧱 Challenges we ran into

  • Balancing humor with respect for cultural tradition.
  • Optimizing 3D models to keep performance light for mobile and MR.
  • Getting realistic poop animations that are... well, satisfying.
  • Making interaction intuitive without controllers.
  • Time limits: building a full MR demo, UX and mobile experience in less than 48h.

🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of

  • Delivered a full working prototype in VR and mobile, playable and testable on-site.
  • Generated laughter and interest from testers and mentors.
  • Created a complete product experience: onboarding, interaction, export and monetization.
  • Turned 💩 into a legitimate digital souvenir product.

🧠 What we learned

  • Cultural specificity can drive global engagement when mixed with humor and interaction.
  • Gesture control in MR enhances playfulness when done right.
  • Personalization increases emotional value — and economic value.
  • Humor isn't just fun — it's a UX tool to make users feel seen and entertained.
  • The tech stack must always serve the emotion, not the other way around.

🔮 What's next for Caganer XR

  • Launching our freemium model: 6 free generations, then subscription-based.
  • Expanding to other cultural traditions worldwide: Día de los Muertos, Japanese festivals, Carnival, etc.
  • Partnering with local artists and 3D printers to bring custom figures to life.
  • Adding multiplayer and caganer battles in XR.
  • Growing the Shittyverse™, one poop at a time.

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