Inspiration
Occulus Rift always seemed super cool to work with, so I started brainstorming ideas for a project. Echolocation seems like a really underexplored topic in 3D environments so I decided to take a crack at it.
How it works
You explore the environment through the occulus rift and a USB controller. You release sonar signals by pressing a button on the controller. The sonar signals bounce off of walls showing you where corners and dead-ends are.
Challenges I ran into
Hardware issues with the Occulus are a given. In addition, getting light to render properly on the environment was very tricky and I had to try out a lot of developer tricks to get it to work with Unity.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
That I was able to create something like this, and was able to devise a system to emulate echolocation (even if it is extremely simplified).
What I learned
A lot about Unity shading and lighting.
What's next for Sonar Simulator
I hope to develop techniques for a more sophisticated echolocation system.
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