A Year of Milestones

Just a few of the exciting projects and milestones we reached at Scenegraph Studios in 2023.

Thank you to all our wonderful customers, clients, collaborators, partners and friends who made this year incredible.

2024 is going to be great, especially with our plans for the XRLab, Scenegraph.Academy, Training Sessions, more VR Mental Health apps, ArchViz studio, GPU Hosting, and lots of AI.

Here’s to a bigger and brighter 2024!

#milestonemoments #techforgood #ai #vr #thankyou

Securing Innovate UK Funding: SpiritVR?

A pivotal moment in 2023 was the successful acquisition of funding from Innovate UK for our SpiritVR project. This accomplishment acted as a catalyst for our VR developments. It not only validated our commitment to pushing the boundaries of virtual reality and immersive experiences but also allowed us to break into the well-being industry. SpiritVR aims to reach individuals seeking mindfulness by providing a tool for personal growth and empowerment through VR.

From February to August, we dedicated our efforts to bringing Spirit VR to life. This visionary project designed to help with mindfulness and to develop soft skills started as a concept, took shape and emerged into completion. The commitment and dedication behind this project began our journey in our VR innovation.

We would like to say thank you to The Mind Map (CIC) , UPTON HALL SCHOOL FCJ , York Learning and Method Monk for trialling our product and to everyone who has wanted to help us.

Thank you also to: Suzanne McNee , Philip Bridges , Nicola Griffiths , Callum Hough , Alison Bailey Smith , Philippa Martin , Amy Cawley , Kevin Smith , Catherine Knibbs , Julia Glenn .

Find out more: SpiritVR

Growth and New Additions to the Team?

We welcomed Anna, a social media marketing expert, and Sam, a talented 3D modelling artist, to our team. Their expertise has bolstered our capabilities and continues to enrich our projects, propelling us toward enriching our capabilities and further fuelling our projects.

Anna Fitzpatrick

Launching Scenegraph.Academy

Our journey extended beyond VR projects. We physically expanded by relocating to a larger space and?unveiled?our own research and development laboratory, Scenegraph XR Lab. Concurrently, we inaugurated Scenegraph.Academy, an immersive learning centre focused on democratising knowledge of software and game development.

From working with schools and colleges, and building Game Changers, we are building our very own immersive learning hub. We made this expansion because not everyone can afford a university degree so instead of burying our heads in the sand, we are sharing knowledge on getting into a career in software development and games development.

Find out more: Scenegraph Academy

Game Changers

A new initiative from the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority , Liverpool City Region Careers Hub and Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram, to bring together studios, educators and industry organisations to pave the way for the next generation of video game creators.

We are passionate about tackling the video game talent shortage and we are committed to working to help develop the skills of local talent. Leading games studios including Avalanche Studios Group , d3t , Lucid Games Ltd , Ripstone , Skyhook Games , Universally Speaking , Firesprite and Wushu Studios to work alongside us to develop local games talent. These studios have been bolstered by educational and charity institutions such as NextGen Skills and the LFC Foundation.

Our Co-Director, Dr. David Tully, has given informative training sessions to the students from Liverpool John Moores University to share his expertise in teaching Immersive Technology as part of the Master's program, MA Immersive Media.

Link: Game Changers

DarkSide-Collective

We are collaborating with the DarkSide community in Wirral to make it the tech capital of the Northwest. We have built a strong community along with Focal Studios , with over 80 users on the Discord channel. Our participation in the Growth Platform Game Changers program, supported by the Liverpool City Region Careers Hub, emphasises our commitment to cultivating local talent and promoting a thriving industry ecosystem.

We need your help to make the Wirral the tech capital of the Northwest.

Get the invite link here: Discord

Immersive Empathy Training

Leading on from the Tech for Good initiative, we had the pleasure of guiding and building the VR experience for Immersive Empathy Training – putting the user into the eyes of a London police officer conducting a stop and search, and then the eyes of a young black boy on the other side of this experience.

Our efforts went beyond innovation as we actively pursued Tech for Good, with a focus on immersive empathy training. Through virtual reality experiences like Immersive Empathy Training, we strived to cultivate understanding and empathy, promoting positive societal change.

Find out more: Immersive Training

SignTechAcademy

In a move toward enhancing empathy training and fostering inclusivity, we have launched SignTechAcademy. This platform seeks to educate individuals in British Sign Language through immersive 3D animations.

This development represents a milestone in bridging the communication gap and promoting understanding among diverse communities. Leveraging state-of-the-art technology, we utilised Rokoko MoCap combined with precise hand-tracking capabilities to animate the 3D characters. This was able to show the intricacies of British Sign Language vividly.

We also collaborate with Cybergogo to further enhance our expertise and elevate our platform for further learning British Sign Language.

Scenegraph used the awesome Rokoko MoCap with hand tracking to animate a custom 3D-modelled Character. We are very excited to be a part of this project with CyberGoGo.

We are committed to inclusivity and accessibility and aim to combine the power of immersive technologies to make a difference with technology.

Find out more:?CyberGoGo

Recognition and Features

The team’s efforts were recognised when we were featured in the Left Bank magazine. It was an honour to see our contributions to virtual reality were making a difference as our Co-Director, Nicola Honey, discussed SpiritVR – Journey, our 6-week mindfulness training course for young people and adults.

Additionally, our participation in the UKRI Healthy Ageing Challenge 2019-2024, delivered by Innovate UK and ESRC 's Conference further solidified our commitment to creating experiences that cater to diverse demographics and needs.

Being featured in Left Bank magazine and participating in the Healthy Ageing Conference affirmed our dedication to creating diverse VR experiences, while recognition through nominations and inclusion in programs like NVIDIA Inception and AWS Startups further solidified our commitment to tech innovation.

NVIDIA Inception Program

We were invited into the 英伟达 Inception Program, a program that nurtures startups revolutionising industries with technological advancements. We are proud to be a part of this program to build on our mental well-being VR applications and AI-powered avatars to provide anxiety-reducing scenarios and experiences. As a benefit of this, we gain access to AWS Cloud Credits, vast AI training materials and preferred pricing on hardware/software. Thank you also to Ross Verrall (He/Him) for your help!

Link: NVIDIA Start-Ups

What this means: Scenegraph Studios joining NVIDIA Inception Program

UK Innovation Industries Intelligence Report 2024

We are thrilled to be included in the upcoming UK Innovation Industries Intelligence Report 2024 for UKII for our dedication to revolutionising the way people experience digital content by creating immersive and impactful experiences through Spirit VR.

Watch the video we’re featured in: We Are Incandescent Creative Production Innovation

Innovation Award Nomination?

We have been selected as a finalist for the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority for the Culture and Creativity Award. Receiving a nomination for the Innovation Award feels like a reward for our relentless pursuit of making an impact in the tech industry, as we are committed to developing and introducing new ideas and improving ways of doing things in tech.

We are deeply honoured to be chosen among the 47 finalists from over 600 nominations, and we feel proud to be up amongst Digital Skills Lab at Everton in the Community and House of Memories on the Road at the National Museums Liverpool.

Find out more: Our blog post and Liverpool City Region Culture and Creativity Awards Finalists

Beyond Achievements?

Alongside these achievements, our dedication to sustainability was evident as we meticulously measured and addressed our environmental impact and carbon footprint. We took tangible steps in contributing towards 1,395 trees being planted through Ecologi | B Corp? and we have supported the prevention of over 32 tonnes of CO2 from being emitted through 52 verified carbon avoidance projects.

We are dedicated to sustainability and we're actively contributing to environmental preservation and fostering a greener future.

Find out more: Ecologi

A Commitment to Innovation: Looking Ahead to the Future

With numerous satisfied clients and exciting projects on the horizon for 2024, we're eagerly anticipating the new challenges and opportunities that await.

Our XR Lab will disseminate knowledge in Wirral and LCR, aspiring to carve its place as the pinnacle of innovation and immersive technology in the Northwest. At our hub, expect an exhibition of AI, VR, AR, and a spectrum of immersive technologies redefining the realm of possibilities.

Here, we're spearheading AI-driven breakthroughs like Interview.AI, aiming not only to instil confidence but also to empower individuals on their journey toward fulfilling careers via immersive, life-changing experiences to build confidence in dream careers.

Interview.AI

Scenegraph is at the forefront of developing the next wave of AI-powered meta-human avatars. But what's driving our mission? It's simple: confidence-building. Through our Spirit VR project, we've effectively decreased anxiety by up to 24%. Now, our focus is on empowering individuals to achieve their dream careers by boosting their confidence. That is why we are creating Interview.AI, a platform that conducts real-time interviews.

Have a look at the early prototype.?This innovation, hosted in the Cloud and designed for VR headsets, holds the potential to completely transform how people engage with digital immersive technology. Our goal is to revolutionise the way individuals interact with these technologies, opening new doors for personal and professional growth.

Our aim is clear: to build confidence and empower individuals on their path toward fulfilling careers through immersive, transformative experiences.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

As we approach the year's end, the entire team at Scenegraph Studios and Spirit VR sends our heartfelt wishes for a joyful holiday season and a prosperous New Year.

Looking ahead to an epic 2024 – expect more Unreal experiences, using Unreal Engine 5 and NVIDIA OmniVerse, more AI and further advancements in VR and XR. Get ready for an exhilarating year ahead!