Throw Your Head

Caleb Katzenstein

For context: This project explored the possibility of your head (with the game camera attached) being a physics object. The player could pick up the head and then place it anywhere they want. They could even throw it!

There are so many problems with this. As you can expect, the player will have to maneuver themselves from the POV of their detached head. Orientation is hell to figure out in this context. Not only that, but the player will need to line up their motion controllers (hands) to pick up the head. While picking up something is fairly intuitive in traditional VR, it is painful when your head is not where it should be. I placed my head on a pedestal which I thought would be easier for me to grab. it was still almost impossible.

And then, there is throwing the head. That was the most unpleasant experience I have ever had in this class. The rotation of your head becomes unpredictable and wild, especially as the engine tries to reconcile the heads torque with your headset's orientation. For those who want to explore this further: Don't.