The whale story is an AR experience bringing users into the wonders of the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History.

πŸ•’ Project time

Feb - May 2021

🀝 Client

American Museum of Natural History

πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘©β€πŸ‘§ Team

Casta Zhu

TianGe Hou

Jung Huh

πŸ–₯️ Tools

AR (Unity ARFoundation)

3D animation (Blender & Maya)

Figma

https://vimeo.com/539725788


Project goal

The Whale Story is designed for the American Museum of Natural History. Under the huge blue whale model in the Hall of Ocean Life, people can observe the blue whale through the AR experience. Users can learn about the behaviors of blue whales by observing how a blue whale swims around the hall and feeds on krill. All of the movements are scientific data-based, delivering accurate knowledge to the user.

The experience also intends to arouse people's attention to the threat the blue whale is facing. By interacting with the augmented blue whale, users can understand the hazards of marine plastic pollution. Also with the "save the whale" button that cleans up the microplastic in the krill patches, we are conveying the idea that we can protect our ocean and the blue whale from little actions.

The AR experience provides both immersive and educational modes, giving users the freedom to both be engaged in the world of the blue whale or get scientific details on different components, movements, and actions we can take. It is also created to be experienced on both floors of the Hall of Ocean Life, giving diverse viewpoints.

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/secure.notion-static.com/f49abffc-501e-4b11-ab3b-311e191890ec/image1.jpg


Process

πŸ’‘ Project pitching

An individual idea presented to the client

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🀝 Project team forming

Client’s project selection and team formation

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πŸ§‘β€πŸ’»Β Project development

Bi-weekly client meeting and design iterations

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πŸ‹Β Presentation

Project and prototype presentation