In the Metaverse Business, Where is the Value? Part I: (Creating Immersive 3D Worlds)

The Metaverse. Does it have any business value?

As of January 2022, there were approximately 4.9 billion internet users worldwide. However, this number is constantly changing due to global population growth, increasing internet accessibility, and technological advancements. We are exploring the relationship between value and opportunity in the metaverse. This process involves assessing the worth or significance of options relative to the potential benefits it offers.

My very first virtual reality experience was in 2012. It was a rollercoaster simulation that felt incredibly real. It's magic was the rush of emotions it gave, the sense of curiosity it instigated, and the feelings of exploration it ushered. Fast forward 10 years later, and using the Meta Quest 2, Animal World has really kept the promise of Virtual Reality alive for me.

I get it, we all would like to see exactly where the money is with every idea but sometimes in Tech, patience and a lot of encouragement is something we must really exercise. It will take an enormous effort from lots of skilled individuals to bring the dream of an open and free metaverse into real life. Luckily for us, all the basic pieces are here for us to work with.

An http powered metaverse is not a new idea and it has been around since the birth of the internet in the 90's. However, the tech was a lot slower to develop and way more expensive. This time around, we get another try at this and with the latest tech such as Meta Quest, bitcoin, and artificial intelligence, the chance to build a really concrete metaverse is a lot more realistic now.

There is a magic that happens when exploring these worlds. It's so hard to explain what you feel in a headset without wearing one. Flat videos of VR experiences don't really do it justice. Once in this (Animal World) world with a VR headset, you will see the raw template for the coming spatial internet. The spatial internet allows for exploration of spaces that creates really unique web experiences. Is this another avenue for creating value?

It allows us to explore (exploration is often considered to be one of the natural traits of humans) throughout history, humans have demonstrated a strong inclination toward exploration in various forms, driven by curiosity, the desire for knowledge, and the quest for new experiences. So once again, the metaverse is created to satisfy the innate need we have to explore, learn and seek new experiences. With that said, where is the value with the metaverse?

There are 4 principles on which the metaverse will be built on top of. This will be the 4 layers of the value chain of the metaverse.

Value Principle 1: Immersive 3D Worlds

I feel like just the act of exploring a 3D world offers value. (I am willing to do what it takes to explore this concept) Navigating through Animal World in VR is very captivating. It really reinforces that illusion of being somewhere new and creates the desire to explore.

3D worlds are like magnets for human attention. If a world is properly done, it is able to essentially 'attract' and 'hold' a user's attention. Visualbrowser will attempt to quantify the force or 'pull' that each level has and specialize in the production of worlds and topics with the greatest amount of 'pull'.

The way we test the amount of force or 'pull' is based on the average length of time and the number of users that complete a given level. The stronger the level's force or 'pull' the longer each user will spend on the level and the more users the level will attract. Properly constructed levels are able to attract the most users and retain them very well until completion.

This establishes the principal layer of value for the Metaverse. Anything that can attract and hold users' attention in the digital space creates value for itself.

Types of Immersive 3D Worlds

Worlds can be created in a whole lot of ways and here at Visualbrowser, you are investing in the creation of highly engaging 3D worlds. We build a variety of 3D worlds all aimed at lengthening the time the user is immersed (creating value). So far, the type of worlds we build are:

• Static Worlds: These are worlds that feature either a real life locations or a fictional place that takes part in a specific story. So far, all our experiences are static worlds. They usually include a scene, a topic, and some interactive elements to attract and keep the user.


• Streamable Worlds: These experimental worlds feature streamable technology that allows the user to navigate a world that loads as the user explores. These worlds could technically be infinite based on it's design. An example of this type of level is Clarion Alley.

Tools needed to create Immersive 3D Worlds

3D modeling is the fundamental skill needed in the creation of these worlds. You can use software like Blender, 3DS Max, Maya and a whole host of other 3D production content to make these levels. The creation of Immersive 3D Worlds is the primary way we deliver value to our customers, so this is the most important part of our company mission. As of this time of writing, this is the main area of bottleneck within the Virtual Reality content production pipeline. It's time consuming, requires a high degree of specialized skills, and it's unproven (due to lack of data on customer feedback).

Steps Involved in the creation of Immersive 3D Worlds

• Conceptualization: It's important to have a clear idea of what you want to create. At Visualbrowser, our concepts for levels revolve around; training software, interesting real life landmarks for our users to explore, cultural heritage preservation experiences, and fictional and nonfictional stories converted into interactive 3D.


• Modeling: Using 3D modeling software such as Blender, Maya, 3ds Max, or SketchUp, artists create detailed 3D models of objects, characters, terrain, and environments. They use various tools to shape and texture these models, adding details like colors, textures, and materials.


• Texturing: Texturing refers to applying visual information to the surface of 3D models to make them look more realistic. Artists use painting programs or specialized texture mapping software to apply images, patterns, and color gradients to the surfaces of their models. Softwares used in this workflow include Blender, Reality Capture, Substance Painter, Substance Designer and so many others.


• Lighting: Lighting is crucial for bringing a 3D scenes to life. Artists set up lights within the scene to illuminate the models from different angles and intensities, which affects how they appear visually. The two types of lighting commonly used are realistic lighting (real time) and baked lighting (textured lighting). Real time lighting uses PBR materials and scene lights to illuminate the scene. It will look better and is dynamic, but it will require more processing and memory as a result. Baked lighting uses software like Blender Cycles, V-Ray for 3DS Max and other lighting software to save the lighting data into a texture. The pros include saving memory and resources and creates lightweight levels but the cons include a raised level of complexity and the lighting is static.

  



• Interactions: Interactions include the actions that the user has to perform to accomplish certain objectives within the level. Interactions are added to the level during the pre-production process to get a feel for how the end user will use it.


• Rigging: In animation and character creation, rigging is the process of setting up an internal skeleton structure for the model, allowing animators to control its movements and expressions.


• Animation: Animators bring static 3D models to life by manipulating their bones, keyframes, and other parameters over time to create fluid motion.


• Composition: Once all elements of the 3D world are complete, compositors combine them together into a single final image or sequence. This may include adjusting levels, color correction, particle effects, and other post-production techniques.


• Exporting: Finally, the completed 3D scenes are exported from the modeling software and rendered using specialized hardware or cloud services to generate high-quality 3D worlds. These 3D worlds are the end products that our customers get to use and enjoy.

Concepts for Valuable Immersive 3D Worlds (Our Products)

Our job at Visualbrowser is to understand our customers' and their desires. The more we understand what our customers are looking for when it comes to our digital spatial products, the better we can craft experiences for them to truly enjoy and therefore create value for them in the process. Since this is a nascent technology and constantly being studied and revises, I like to start with products that have seen success and use that as the blueprint to our next products. Below is a list of experiences that we are focused on producing at the moment in order to drive value for our customers.

• Training software: Some companies find Virtual Reality training software to be extremely valuable for so many reasons. By moving training and simulation software virtually, you can transfer critical skills to individuals with less friction on their part (travel, relocation, and much more). This reduces their time to productivity at your firm, and it reduces the price of training which creates value.


• Real Life Landmarks: The world outside is so vast and there are so many places for people to explore and learn things. We can't possibly visit all the interesting corners and landmarks on this planet in one life time, so Visualbrowser is tackling that mission to bring the world to you. By making it a compact and shortened experience, you can blaze through space time and have experiences through technology that would have taken multiple lifetimes previously.

  



• Cultural Heritage and Preservation: Human history and culture has to be preserved and passed down generation just as a reminder of where we have come from in humanity. This information has been passed down for a long time now meaning whenever a new piece of technology comes out, it's natural for it to be created for that new medium. We work with physical cultural heritage landmarks and tourist destinations to create a digital catalog of spatial experiences celebrating the achievements and contributions millions of humans over the entire course of humanity.


• Fictional and Nonfictional Stories: We also strive to create some of the best interactive experiences based on fiction or non fiction stories. As a storytelling platform, we create custom content that our users enjoy similar to interactive movies. We work with news outlets as well to create 3D narratives for various issues that the writers may want to share with the public. As a media company, we use our expertise in the creation of 3D content and mix it with world class storytelling to deliver an amazing experience for our end users to enjoy, to learn, and to come back for more.



• Education: We are also working on how to implement 3D experiences in education. Kids have shown extreme interest in this platform and the experiences created with it. Education is the catalog of kid friendly 3D experiences we have designed to help kids learn better and build stronger problem solving skills using spatial experiences as their training ground.


• Social Spaces: We would like to work on the creation of spaces where people will be able to hang out, meet each other, learn about the brand or service hosting the space, participate in live events and much more. This is part of VisualBrowser that works on the development of social internet 3D spaces.

What is your role in all of this?

As an early user and potential investor in this technology, you are at the beginning and therefore at the forefront of this technology. We want you to see our vision, invest in our company, participate in building this technology and help bring all those points of value we talked about into reality.

We fundamentally believe the products we create have real value for society, have the ability to fundamentally change the way we operate as a society for the better, create opportunities for the younger generations in society to contribute to something meaningful and save the world that we have been given for the future generations to enjoy and learn from. Being a media company, we believe the products we make are going to be substantially valuable to the life everday people live and we want you to be a part in helping us make that happen.

Please join our discord to partake in the conversation. We would love for you to partake in this revolution and we wouldn't want you to miss it. Thank you for your time and best of luck to you in all your endeavours.