Building Houses on the Moon: Mentor Spotlight on Brad Pitser

Discovering the sheer potential of virtual reality in architecture school, Brad Pitser set himself on an entrepreneurial journey that would take him on the path through 3D interactive content. Pitser has an extensive background in virtual and augmented reality, starting out as a virtual architect at the EDS VR Center in Detroit. In the early 2000s, Pitser transitioned to working in mobile games, working for notable game publishers like THQ , before starting his own self-checkout retail company. After re-entering the VR and AR world, as well as managing the largest AR computer vision software development kits in the world, Pitser more recently formed another company Proseed Consulting to focus on mentoring tech startups.?

Now, Pitser is a seasoned veteran in VR, AR, and other forms of 3D spaces, as well as an expert in product design and management. At The Basement at UC San Diego , Pitser serves as a mentor to tech startups in the space and helps students develop their work. We at The Basement were able to sit down with Pitser to learn more about his work in VR and AR, and how far the technology has come.?

You started with a degree in architecture, but now you’re focused on VR and AR. What led to this transition?

I think those were the early days of CAD and architecture. Most of my classes taught me how to do things by hand. I was all self-taught and funded, but I took to it quickly, and as an architectural student, you’re very in tune with 3D spaces. So when I studied 3D models and applied them to my architectural ideas and 3D software, I became completely obsessed with it.?

What was it about VR that caught your attention?

I wanted to build houses on the moon, that’s why I entered architecture school. That was my thing – to get to understand spaces that defied the normal laws of physics and gravity and spatial awareness. For me, it was a fun little experience. I worked on a lot of conceptual pieces that wouldn’t work in the real world. In the early days, I’d take the big VR rig setup I had, and go to art galleries to demo this stuff for free. I wasn’t trying to get anything out of this except to show people and let people experience virtual reality.?

You have witnessed virtual reality grow from your career start at Virtual Reality Center in 1994 to now at the MAVERIC Studio on campus. How would you say VR has changed, and how has it stayed the same?

Back then, I was in a very well-funded company that was a research fund for General Motors, the hardware used to build the VR on was the size of walk-in closets. They were workhorse machines that cost $2 million each. The headset you’d wear was so heavy you’d have to hold it up with your hands. The thing that has stayed the same is the reasons we use virtual reality. It’s still training, it’s still marketing, and it’s still a simulation. The hardware and software we use are changing fast, but the sales pitch and the reasons we do it are still the same.?

Video game development was also a part of your career. Can you tell us more about what the video game industry is like?

The biggest difference between VR/AR and video game production was the context. VR? and AR are focused on helping our manufacturers to design or assemble something or train someone to use a complex piece of machinery. With gaming, my customers went from being Toyota, Boeing , and Lockheed Martin to Lucasfilms, Universal Studios, and Nickelodeon . It was a different beast because entertainment companies are so protective of their IP. The entertainment companies are so detail-oriented about their intellectual property and you have to go over everything you do with a fine-toothed comb. With entertainment, they’re much more vocal about what they don’t want, and a part of my job was managing their expectations.?

What brought you to the Basement as a mentor, and what keeps you coming back as a mentor??

I met one of The Basement’s co-founders and Advisory Board Chairman Jeffrey Belk , at an AI hackathon that one of my former colleagues was involved in. I noticed him in the back of the room, and we started talking. He introduced me to other members of the Office of Innovation and Commercialization team, Paul Roben and Jacques Chirazi , and it spun from there. I’ve been managing development teams around the world for decades. It’s fun for me to share that information and see how teams grow. For example, one of the teams here at The Basement that I mentor, when I talk to them, I don’t just talk about their work, but I learn about their travels. That relationship-building piece of it, getting to know other people, is what really interests me.?

Learn more about the MAVERiC Studio here and visit it on the fourth floor of the DIB.?

Connect with Brad Pitser on LinkedIn.