The graduating cohort of VR Innovation Academy students left staff and peers seriously impressed with their final project, ‘ALTO VR.’

This Unity-based Virtual Reality (VR) application, ALTO VR is an architecture lighting visualization and building simulation tool. Elements of the lighting application that can be used for teaching and learning, were also produced for EON Reality’s EON-XR Platform to support training and education.

ALTO VR — short for ‘Architectural Lighting Tool VR’ — was delivered by students under supervision and mentorship from EON Reality trainers and subject matter experts including Justyna Martyniuk-Pęczek, prof. PG from Gdansk University of Technology and Natalia Sokół, Master of Science in Light and Lighting.

Graduation day was attended by the VR Innovation Academy graduates as well as their trainers and local management. From the original “bootcamp” class of 17, a total of 13 students completed the first phase of VRIA training and became certified in the first level of EON Reality’s EON-XR Developer program, while 11 completed the second half of the course and graduated.

In the experience-based second phase, trainees worked on projects related to EON-XR and developed a series of EON-XR lessons along with a full immersive VR experience related to architecture,and the design of lighting conditions.

The trainees then presented the completed work to EON Reality’s staff in the UK and received their final certifications from Marcin Kasica, Global Director of Education at EON Reality.Seeing amazing progress and development in a group of people who joined the program, learned the full workflow of the EON-XR development, used EON-XR, and produced such a great final application is something truly special. I congratulate all of the students on their achievement. I am extremely proud and happy that we had such a talented group of individuals who collaboratively worked hard during this program. We all look forward to their next steps as future talent in the EON-XR industry.As the eighth group of graduates produced by EON Reality in the UK, the growing force is helping to empower the digital and creative sector in Manchester and the wider ecosystem for immersive technologies. Mark Bridgeman, EON Reality’s Global Chief Operating Officer, was also on hand at the graduation ceremony and gave the students some inspirational words of advice as they begin the next phase of their lives.In my three years of being at EON Reality, this is the best project I have ever seen produced from the VR Innovation Academy thus far. Congratulations on graduating. Good luck with what you do next. I think you’ve all found the team of 11 that you can go on to create a start-up with!Among the others within the classroom chosen by the VR Innovation Academy as the hosting space for the final project presentation and graduation celebrations was Adam Bladowski, Global Trainer and EON-XR Content Manager at EON Reality.

As a PhD candidate studying the use of VR in construction planning (particularly as it pertains to the real-time simulation of pre-build structures, lighting and energy planning, and window placements in regards to the simulation of sunlight) at the Gdansk University of Technology himself, Bladowski was the initial spark to launching and commissioning ALTO VR.It’s been another fruitful year and another fantastic group of people in our Academy. It was a great pleasure being involved in such dynamic development that ended up with many smiles and joy to all the UK’s EONites. The project developed in the Academy was useful in many aspects — and it helped in the research that opened my PhD — but most importantly it was a subject of studio and VR market practices for the students.This VRIA academic year (2018/19) saw the graduates take part in one of the most advanced courses yet over the last 8 months. While at the Manchester Academy, the trainees accomplished tasks across a range of faculty disciplines, including 2D and 3D art, VR and AR development, programming and code, Agile project management, and mobile application development.