NeoDrummer VR

NeoDrummer VR is an immersive drum simulation experience I took from concept to creation entirely independently using Unity and Oculus Integration. The goal was to create a realistic drum experience in multiple environments for both novice and experienced musicians to practice their craft in a new way.

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As a retired musician I know firsthand the costs associated with the hobby whether an individual is picking up music for the first time or are an established musician already; it remains expensive. Drumming is notoriously inaccessible for many individuals for three primary reasons notably that: Drums are incredibly expensive, incredibly loud and take up large amounts of space. These three reasons are the most cited for turning away prospective musicians from learning which is why I decided to create this prototype. VR provides a unique platform for simulated experiences and solves many of the issues I named while the platform lends itself naturally to a more physical and visceral musical instrument. Comparatively, VR is much more inexpensive than traditional acoustic drums where each drum and cymbal often runs hundreds of dollars each. Audio can be sampled more cheaply and provided for musicians of all experiences while the nature of VR allows the experience to be quieter and more self contained than acoustic drums would be while still providing feedback to the musician through haptics.

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This project was a unique challenge because it was truly multi-disciplinary. All assets used in the game prototype are original aside from open source terrain textures and foliage assets. For the project I had to learn and integrate virtual reality interactions. All audio files for the project were created with the help of my friend Alan Terry out of Lion Fist Recordings in Reno, NV as I wanted to create the best possible audio experience for users. All Visual Effects were developed by me through the help of many tutorials across several hours utilizing VFX and Shader graphs within unity. All game environments were developed by me and it was this project that inspired me to learn World Creator so I can continue to improve making environments for users to get inspired to play in. As a musician I get inspired by new places and new experiences, VR gives the user access to many of these inspirations of which many are unattainable elsewhere.

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I have paused development for this project as I focus on developing more skills, but future aspirations are to continue work in World Creator improving at terrain generation. I hope to eventually transition the project for a potential Unreal Engine reboot utilizing XR Interaction toolkit and Unreal's unparalleled global illumination system. I hope to eventually self release this software as a potential supplement for drum learning and see potential in the simulations design to be scaled, gamified and ethically monetized.

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Gameplay screencast SOON:

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Click For Link to Game Design Document: 

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