Hoboken College Student Creates 'Virtual Tour' Of Yellowstone (VIDEO)

HOBOKEN, NJ — With the help and know-how of tech wizards such as Maxwell Smith, tourists may soon be able to take a virtual trip to Yellowstone National Park or the Smoky Mountains… without ever leaving their homes.

Smith, a Stevens Institute of Technology senior and Cream Ridge resident, recently spent his summer taking a road trip to several New Jersey state parks, as well as the Badlands in South Dakota and Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming.

His goal? To record video and audio footage of the natural wonders that he saw, then transform them into a 3D virtual reality environment.

Here’s how Stevens Institute describes the project:

“Smith recorded all different types of sounds like waterfalls, prairie dogs and frogs throughout multiple days of hiking and camping, which he then used to design an immersive environment for virtual reality. Using Unity game engine, a free 3D game creation software, he created an interactive landscape that evolves as the player moves through it… This work transports the user to remote locations using sound and allows them to walk through a natural world without leaving home. Additionally, the project uses various methods of audio programming to create music that is based on the environmental soundscape. The result is a musical composition that evolves with the sounds of the winds, birds and trees that fill the environment.”

According to Smith:

“Virtual and augmented reality is undoubtedly becoming more and more popular in all forms of media, from video games to interactive art installations. Mixing and crafting sound for 3D productions offers exciting opportunities for me as a sound designer, audio engineer, composer and programmer. It has allowed me to think about sound coming from above and below, while encouraging me to craft sounds that play with perception.”

Take a look at the virtual version of scenes from Yellowstone and Badlands National Parks below. Don’t forget to visit the Patch Hoboken Facebook page here.

Send local news tips, photos and press releases to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Wikimedia Commons