Emblematic Group appears to have stopped producing VR or immersive journalism. The last major release from the group was the announcement of a platform for creating shared volume metric environments. These environments can incorporate various media, including 360-degree photos and 3D models, which are crucial to developing spatial content. The tool is still in beta; it was launched five years ago in 2019.
I only got as far as test projects with reach. However, space prototyping is very rapid. It supports a good enough range of media to create spaces that can tell a volumetric story with audio files placed within the space, for example, and combine 360 locations with 3D objects.
Feelings
What I had hoped for from an authoring tool made by the Emblematic Group was VR storytelling in an environment, and what we get is an environment for assembling 3D spaces using various media. When I looked at the toolset on the sidebar of the site, I was surprised that there was no ability to place buttons in the environment or hotspots or even a simple button mechanic allowing users to open media, follow links, trigger audio, make choices, that would enable developers to build investigative and branching storytelling mechanics. I didn’t expect any ability to code within the environment, but simple button interaction is an essential feature that is overlooked.
Evaluation
The interface is outstandingly simple to use. A toolbar on the left of the screen iconically represents the types of media developers can import into a spatial location that occupies the main part of the screen on the right. This includes full sky boxes, 3D models, audio content, images, and video content. Under the media, there is also the option to import directly from Sketchfab, which is very powerful (Spatial also has this function).
These features make it exceptionally easy and speedy to put together environments quickly and then share them with a single URL. It’s a good idea, but the execution stops short of any interaction, even of the most straightforward type. The ability to program buttons, link areas, and create interactive cards would make this platform obvious for journalists. Without that feature, it is interesting but limited.
Of course, this reflects Emblematic Group’s general point of view. They are developing documentaries and immersive journalism experiences which constrain users and do not allow co-authorship or investigation.
Application
Although these elements are all missing, they are still helpful in recreating linear events. For example, one might reproduce an event or set of circumstances in a space with ambient sound recorded in situ that tells a linear story in a spatial environment. There is a place for this type of content, but this research is more interested in pushing forward interactive features of potential immersive journalism.
It may also be used to prototype VR environments using the same models we might later import into a tool that enables us to add interactivity. For example, a workflow might run from PolyCam to Sketchfab, creating an internal space, then into Reach to prototype that space, assembling the media required as proof of concept. Then, the same elements might be used in a game engine or an engine like Frame VR, which supports coding to add interactivity.