The Story
Leading researcher and inventor for butterflies, the elusive Professor M, seeks new interns for her Lab for Investigating Monarches at the University of Texas at Austin.
Apply by stepping through the doors to complete the Social Butterfly Experiment, following the real journey of Monarches. Work as a team to communicate with the flutter of butterflies through trails of color and scent emitted from your headset powered by the kinetic energy in the room. Guide the monarches to avoid human-made hazards and to find their rare food source, the milkweed flower.
-M
Mission Monarch Migration!
Welcome to the first in-house LIM project in the School of Creative Design and Technologies curated by a team of creative techicians shining a light on the plight of Monarch Butterflies
Our space is carefully designed to simulate the environments often encountered during the Monarch Butterfly migration where you can travel 3000 miles from North America to the forests of Mexico on an escape from the
seasonal winter storm and various human-made hazards.
360 Lighting, Spatial Audio, Motion Capture, Game Engine Technology with a dash of Immersive Theatre...
We are committed to creating a 360 audio, lighting, motion capture, and storytelling experience centered around the struggles butterflies endure that are created by human-centric systems such as automobiles, manufacturing, and cityscapes.
Visit the Social Butterfly Experiment!
Driving Societal Change
Here at the Lab for Immersive Media, our creative technicians are dedicated to using motion capture, lighting, game engine, and spatial audio technologies to share the mesage of supporting the monarch migration from the Great Lakes to ATX to Mexico City by fighting the decline in milkweed plants.
ENDANGERED
Status of Monarch Butterflies
2 MILLION
Death by Roadways
3000
Miles Traveled
Dr. M
Founder & Lead Scientist, LIM
Implementation
Technical Overview
Discover the various technologies undertaken by LIM to protect and promote the call to plant more milkweed for our monarch friends.
We used Unity/C# to develop the game and Git/Github for version control. We utilized the QTM/mo-cap system and headtrackers for realtime streaming in the LIM. Resolume and light fixtures were used for physical lighting. Ableton, MIDI, and the ten-channel spatial audio system were used for immersive 360 audio. To connect these technical elements together, we used the Qualysis-Unity SDK and sent OSC messages through Chataigne and Touchdesigner and OSC Jack across 2 computers.
3D models and animations were created in Maya. VFX were created in Unity. 2D game art and animations were created in Adobe CC, and textures were made in Substance Painter. These game assets were downloaded from Google Drive if self-made or from online if outsourced, then implemented into Unity.
The different areas of the map were first white-boxed to get the structure of the levels down and to notify other group members of where the assets needed to be placed and how the game mechanics would be implemented.
The assets in the white box levels were named according to which final game assets would replace them.
The butterfly behavior and trailing system, player movement, map scroll, winter storm, cars, and game start mechanics were tested in separate scenes with placeholder assets.
These images showcase the asset creation process in which 3D modeling, rigging, and UV unwrapping were done in Maya.
These videos show our particles which were made in Unity 3D
A polished look was achieved through set-dressing the environment, in-game lighting, and manipulating textures/assets as needed.
For the Inside Out <--> AET Showcase, we needed lab technicians to gamemaster the experience, where they onboard / offboard "incoming interns" and ensure everyone's safety.
Interactive Aspects
Renderings
Bask in the beauty of the journey of monarches and how audience members can experience it together in a shared reality.
Watch to get a glimpse of the full experience!
Production & Design Prep
Planning Documentation
How did our team of 9 put this together in just 6 weeks? Peruse our organizational processes below and read more about our timeline, research, and assets here.
We used Discord as our main form of communication, Asana for project management, and Google Drive for documentation and asset uploads. Miro was an early ideation tool, but we used FigJam for the majority of development for ideation and creative direction. Canva was our pitch deck and poster design tool.
Photo Credit: Brian Birzer
Meet the Team
Meet the Social Butterfly Team
Producer & Set Fabricator
Eriane Austria
Hi, I'm Eriane, an upcoming Neuroscience and Arts & Entertainment Technologies graduate with an Evidence & Inquiry Certificate in Digital Globalization and Intersectionality. I'm a polymath whose experiences in research, operations, games, art, and design enables me to lead and support my teams in many ways!
As Producer, I led team infrastructure, project management, communication with LIM staff, and documentation based on industry practices; set up and oversaw game design, asset tracking, creative, and production documents; guided technical implementation in the LIM and asset creation; and assisted with additional tasks as needed. As Set Fabricator, I constructed themed physical assets using and/or based on my team's designs to onboard players into the experience.
Read more about my individual contributions here, or reach out to me at the links below!
Creative Director
Phoebe Lin
Hello World, I'm Phoebe. I storybuild for XR worlds, produce edutainment games, and design fun immersive experiences that teach and inspire!
As a Creative Director, I spearheaded the vision and experience design of the Social Butterfly Experiment project through concepting, pitching, designing for participation, edutainment, and narrative building. I also faciliated the fabrication process through weaving a narrative into diagetic game elements and physical components for a well-rounded experience.
Learn more about my role as a Creative Director here.
Technical Artist
Kelly Zhang
Hi! I'm Kelly, an Arts & Entertainment Tech student with a CS certificate. My mission is to leverage emerging technologies to create immersive experiences that address pressing social and environmental challenges.
As the Technical Artist, I served as a bridge between the technical and creative team. My role included set-dressing based on research-accuracy, implementing in-game lighting, and supporting/documenting technical integration of the various systems. Additionally, I led the marketing of our experience for the showcase and acted as a lab technician, guiding participants through the immersive journey as a gamemaster.
Let's grab coffee together! Reach out to me here:
Gameplay Designer
Jeremy Suh
Hey everyone I'm Jeremy! I'm a designer focused on creating interactive and immersive experiences who is always seeking to get their hands on emerging technologies. I'm currently a junior studying Arts and Entertainment Technologies, with a certificate in CS and a minor in Informatics (UX track).
As the gameplay designer, I led the game design/mechanic ideation, documented the game design for the team to reference throughout development, designed and iterated the level layout and game mechanics based on scope, feedback, and playtesting, assisted in asset implementation, and worked closely with the gameplay engineer to implement game mechanics and fine-tune gameplay mechanics in Unity/C#.
Feel free to reach out!
Gameplay Engineer
Tim Lin
Hi, I'm Tim. I am an Arts and Entertainment Technologies major with an Elements of Computing Certificate. I am interested in anything software development related, whether it be websites, games, or anything else that requires coding.
As the gameplay engineer, I was responsible for implementing the core gameplay mechanics into Unity using C#. Additionally, I assisted with the implementation of assets and feedback in the later stages of development.
You can find more details about my individual contributions on my GitHub.
3D Modeler & VFX Artist
Julio Martinez
I’m Julio, a multidisciplinary artist interested in expanding the intersection between digital and physical art by merging 3D modeling, projections, and various mediums of sculpture and installation.
As the 3D Modeler and VFX artist, I compiled outsourced assets, created particle effects, and made original 3D models including environments, a fully rigged butterfly model, among other assets ready for our 2D artist to texture.
3D Animator & Lighting Designer
Juan Lopez
Hello, My name is Juan Lopez I am an Arts and entertainment Technology student from the University of Texas at Austin who is a multi-disciplinary artist/designer.
As the 3D animator and lighting designer, I created 3D animations for the butterfly movement as well as created the in game lighting and in person studio lighting.
Audio Designer
Rayna Sevilla
Howdy! My name is Rayna Sevilla and I am an AV technician and audio engineer based in Austin, TX. I am the Audio Designer for The Social Butterfly, contributing with original music compositions, sound FX, and a 10 channel immersive soundscape.
The Social Butterfly - documentation: Individual Documentation Deliverable- Rayna Sevilla
Connect with me!
2D & Texture Artist
Sharon Chang
Hello! I am a multi-disciplinary designer majoring in Arts and Entertainment Technologies with a minor in Informatics and a Design Strategies Certificate.
For this project, I crafted 2D assets, overlays, animations, and textures for our 3D assets. Additionally, I contributed to the overall creative direction and design.
Special thanks to Professor Kyle Evans and LIM Lab Tech Brandon LeJeune for their support!
Join the Cause
Photo Credit: Brian Birzer
