Opening an augmented reality portal in the middle of Manhattan.

Traditionally, we think of our physical world and the digital world as separate spaces. But what if the two could coexist? Or, even better— if your smartphone enabled you to cross between them?

transgression: something that breaks expectations, limitations, restrictions, conventions, conceptions, beliefs, or the status quo.

For my “transgression” final in MTEC 2120: Interactive Media Systems Design, I made an augmented reality app where you can place a portal in front of you and actually walk through it (!!) into a virtual forest. Once you’re inside, the audio shifts from distant & muffled to full volume, and you can tilt your phone to look around & continue walking to explore the scene. You can even turn around & go back through the portal when you’re done, to return to the real world. :)

Made with: Unity, AR Foundation

Role: Unity Developer

  • Integrated world tracking & plane detection with AR Foundation
  • Utilized render textures & culling masks in Unity
  • Simulated depth by rotating & zooming the portal view depending on the user’s position

Free assets used:

Terrain
Skybox
Portal (3D Model)