The Rhythm of Taichi
My Role
VR Artist
Developer
VFX Artist
Animator
VR Artist
Developer
VFX Artist
Animator
Tools
Unreal
Oculus
Maya
Unreal
Oculus
Maya
Advisor
Todd Bryant
Todd Bryant
Duration
4 Months
4 Months
Overview
The Rhythm of Taichi is a virtual reality Taichi experience. This experimental project will enable players to better understand and feel the movement, changes, and rhythms of Qi in Taichi through the virtual world by fusing high-tech technology with historical traditions and reintroducing people to the charm of Taichi.
Taichi, a traditional Chinese sport with a rich cultural history, has lost popularity among young people as it has become mainly geared towards elderly fitness. Despite this, Taichi, rooted in ancient Chinese medical concepts, offers a way to address modern wellness and stress issues while promoting relaxation of the spirit. This proposal aims to revive Taichi through a virtual reality game that allows players to fully immerse and learn the sport efficiently. The project will explore the integration of modern technology with traditional civilizations.
![]()
Game Flow
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Interactive Landscape
To give the player the feeling of really being in a snow mountain scene, I decided to create a feature that would leave tracks on the ground.
![]()
![]()
![]()
Character Design
To more emphasis the core of Taichi, which is following the nature, I decide to create a human model without race, gender, and even no face, and use different particles fit for different scenes to cover the body.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
VFX
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
Motion Capture
![]()
![]()
![]()
Functionality Test
![]()
I have tried different plug-ins to achieve the goal of motion tracking in VR environments, but due to the time concerns, I do not have time to figure them out, so I decided to use the collision overlapping to simulate motion function.
![]()
![]()
![]()
User Testing
In total, dozens of people have tested my experience game.
Positive：
· 90% of people gave feedback that they could better feel the flow of Qi in The Rhythm of Taichi;
· 95% enjoyed the beautiful and immersive environement;
· 90% of people said they have a desire to learn more about Taichi and look forward to the subsequent development of more content
· Many people also said they were willing to pay for the fully developed product
Negative:
· 25% of people said that only the voice ove guidelines are hard to follow, it would be better to have text instruction;
· For users who have not experienced VR games before, it is easy to get dizzy. Changing the movement speed will help.
Next Step
· Improving the signal system
Currently, the signal changes only when the player advances to the next level. However, the necessity to be in the process was also shown in the user test, which can help players determine whether they are performing the proper action of the problem reminder. Furthermore, when players fail, the next thing to consider is how to prompt them without discouraging them.
· Adding more interaction in Bonus Level
The player can only just leave the trail like other levels now, but for bonus level, my initial idea was allowing user control some elements in the nature, such as water, with the movements they learned in previous level.
· Expermenting machine learning plug-ins
Machine learning offers the benefit of increasing the number of interactions in the player's game, due to the time consuming I did not figure it out before, but once it would be used, the first and second issues could be addressed.
Background
Taichi, a traditional Chinese sport with a rich cultural history, has lost popularity among young people as it has become mainly geared towards elderly fitness. Despite this, Taichi, rooted in ancient Chinese medical concepts, offers a way to address modern wellness and stress issues while promoting relaxation of the spirit. This proposal aims to revive Taichi through a virtual reality game that allows players to fully immerse and learn the sport efficiently. The project will explore the integration of modern technology with traditional civilizations.
Mind Map
Game Flow
Mood Board
Working Process
Interactive Landscape
To give the player the feeling of really being in a snow mountain scene, I decided to create a feature that would leave tracks on the ground.
Character Design
To more emphasis the core of Taichi, which is following the nature, I decide to create a human model without race, gender, and even no face, and use different particles fit for different scenes to cover the body.
VFX
Motion Capture
Functionality Test
I have tried different plug-ins to achieve the goal of motion tracking in VR environments, but due to the time concerns, I do not have time to figure them out, so I decided to use the collision overlapping to simulate motion function.
User Testing
In total, dozens of people have tested my experience game.
Positive：
· 90% of people gave feedback that they could better feel the flow of Qi in The Rhythm of Taichi;
· 95% enjoyed the beautiful and immersive environement;
· 90% of people said they have a desire to learn more about Taichi and look forward to the subsequent development of more content
· Many people also said they were willing to pay for the fully developed product
Negative:
· 25% of people said that only the voice ove guidelines are hard to follow, it would be better to have text instruction;
· For users who have not experienced VR games before, it is easy to get dizzy. Changing the movement speed will help.
Next Step
· Improving the signal system
Currently, the signal changes only when the player advances to the next level. However, the necessity to be in the process was also shown in the user test, which can help players determine whether they are performing the proper action of the problem reminder. Furthermore, when players fail, the next thing to consider is how to prompt them without discouraging them.
· Adding more interaction in Bonus Level
The player can only just leave the trail like other levels now, but for bonus level, my initial idea was allowing user control some elements in the nature, such as water, with the movements they learned in previous level.
· Expermenting machine learning plug-ins
Machine learning offers the benefit of increasing the number of interactions in the player's game, due to the time consuming I did not figure it out before, but once it would be used, the first and second issues could be addressed.