SkillFlow

Inspiration

SkillFlow was originally born from a desire to make complex assembly intuitive through spatial computing on Android XR. When the Meta Horizon Start Developer Competition arrived, we saw the perfect opportunity to bring this vision to the premier XR platform. We were inspired to push our boundaries and adapt our "learning-by-doing" approach specifically for the Quest community.

What it does

SkillFlow offers immersive 3D assembly puzzles with varying difficulty. For this debut Meta release, we introduced four exclusive new "SkillFlows." Beginners can start with a charming Rocking Horse, while advanced users can tackle building a custom PC. We also included a beautifully detailed String Puppet featuring a unique real-time wire system, and the awe-inspiring 1:1 scale model of NASA’s Ingenuity—the first helicopter on Mars.

How we built it

We approached this port by focusing heavily on Meta’s specific strengths. We rebuilt our interaction systems to support "control duality," ensuring the app feels natural whether using best-in-class hand tracking or controllers. We optimized everything to leverage Quest’s stable roomscale tracking and superior passthrough to ground the models convincingly in the user's real world.

As SkillFlow heavily relies on fresh content, we decided to build a unique set of tools around it - a server-side backend handles the provision of new SkillFlows - or mechanical puzzles - including all 3d models, textures, parts and instructions. This ensures that we can create new content "on-the-fly" and bring even minor updates to existing SkillFlows.

Challenges we ran into

Despite both systems being Android-based, the architectural differences were significant. Handling interactions, specific hand-tracking data, and integrating the passthrough layers required rethinking core parts of our code. Making the app feel "native" to Quest rather than just a generic port was our biggest hurdle.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We are incredibly proud of the new content. The real-time physics of the String Puppet's wire system turned out beautifully, and seeing the Mars Ingenuity helicopter in true life-size scale in mixed reality is a genuinely striking experience. Also: We grew together as a team. Everyone was able to provide their part to make this app a unique mixed.world experience.

What we learned

We learned the importance of leaning into platform-specific advantages rather than aiming for a lowest common denominator. Mastering Meta's specific XR stack has made us better developers.

What's next for SkillFlow

We plan to expand our library with increasingly complex mechanical wonders and historical artifacts, further refining the tactile sensation of virtual assembly. And of course: MULTIPLAYER!!! Behind the scenes we are already working on making this a social experience - how cool would it be to invite a friend to work on a complex engineering SkillFlow together?