Major project 1
ZHOU YUTONG / 0378676
22/4/2026-27/7/2026 (WEEK1-WEEK14）
Major project 1 / Bachelor of Design (Honours) in Creative Media
TABLE OF CONTENT
- INSTRUCTIONS
- PROJECT
- FEEDBACK
- REFLECTION
PROJECT
01 Executive Summary
Paper Realm · Qin is a VR interactive narrative experience that transports players into a magical ancient library where history lives inside a floating enchanted book. Each of the book’s five pages unfolds into an animated 3D pop-up diorama depicting a pivotal stage in Qin Shi Huang’s unification of China (221 BCE). Players physically interact with miniature historical worlds, bridging immersive entertainment with cultural education.
The project goal is to transform passive historical consumption into active spatial storytelling — allowing users to observe, touch, and experience ancient China from impossible vantage points.
02 Project Concept
Core Narrative Premise
The player enters a mysterious ancient library filled with endless bookshelves and floating dust particles. At the center, a magical book hovers in the air, suspended by smoke-like golden energy. As the player approaches, the book becomes “aware” of their presence — slowly rotating toward them, its pages gently breathing open and closed.
When the player reaches out, the book opens and five animated 3D pop-up scenes rise from its pages — each a miniature theater of Chinese history that the player can walk around and interact with.
Visual Identity
03 The Five Pages
The experience is structured as five animated chapters, each triggered by turning a page of the floating book.
Page 1 — Chaos of the Warring States
Story: China is fragmented into multiple kingdoms locked in endless war.
Scene: Burning cities, opposing armies, smoke and battlefield fire rising from layered pop-up battlefields.
Interaction: The player raises their hand above the burning city. Dark clouds gather and rain falls from their palm, gradually extinguishing the fires. Once all flames are out, the battlefield folds downward like paper and the next page rises.
Page 2 — Rise of Qin
Story: The Qin state grows increasingly powerful and begins its expansion.
Scene: A massive Qin palace rises vertically from the page, flanked by organized military formations and mountain backdrops under black battle flags.
Interaction: A giant 3D war drum sits at the center. Each time the player waves or strikes the drum, a new row of soldiers rises from the ground. When the final row appears, the drum beats automatically with accelerating rhythm before the scene folds into the next page.
Page 3 — Conquest of the Six States
Story: Qin defeats its six rival states one by one.
Scene: An expanding map of China with falling state banners, fast-moving cavalry, and collapsing cities across layered map geometry.
Interaction: The player swipes their hand from left to right across the map. A glowing path appears, cavalry advances along it, and the flags of the six kingdoms fall in sequence. The map then folds inward, completing the conquest.
Page 4 — The First Emperor
Story: Ying Zheng is proclaimed Qin Shi Huang, the First Emperor of a unified China.
Scene: A massive imperial throne with grand stairways, unified banners, and officials bowing below, all rising dramatically with floating golden particles.
Interaction: A deep horn sounds as the Emperor raises his imperial seal, which begins to grow larger while the scene dims. The player must click the giant floating seal — it crashes to the ground with the entire pop-up scene shaking from the impact.
Page 5 — Unification of the Empire
Story: Qin Shi Huang standardizes writing, currency, roads, and measurements across China.
Scene: Roads connect all regions, ancient coins and Great Wall silhouettes float across a unified 3D map.
Interaction: A calligraphy brush materializes in front of the player. They trace the ancient “Qin” character in Small Seal Script. Once completed, the entire empire map emits a faint golden light, and the ancient book slowly closes and locks itself.
04 Environment Design
The Magical Library
The library serves as the persistent hub space throughout the experience. Its design communicates scale, mystery, and reverence for knowledge.
05 Technical Approach
Technology Stack
06 User Experience Goals
07 Creative Inspirations
Visual References
Harry Potter — magical, sentient books with personality
Traditional Chinese shadow puppetry — silhouette drama and layered composition
Chinese paper-cut art — graphic elegance and cultural authenticity
Tengami (pop-up book game) — paper-fold world transitions
TeamLab digital art installations — environmental immersion
Technical References
VR interactive storytelling and spatial narrative design
Immersive museum experiences (digital and physical)
Cinematic VR experiences with non-interactive observer roles
Interactive diorama and miniature theater design
Over the past few weeks, I have continued developing my VR project, Paper Realm: Qin, an immersive historical experience based on the unification of China by Qin Shi Huang.
During this stage, I completed the VR environment, including the ancient library, the floating interactive book, and the core interaction system. Players can interact with the book using VR controllers and experience the story through 3D pop-up historical scenes.
I have also completed the first three interactive scenes:
Chaos of the Warring States
Rise of Qin
Conquest of the Six States
Each scene includes unique interactions, animations, and transitions to create a more engaging learning experience in VR.
During development, I encountered challenges such as optimizing 3D models, improving VR interaction, and adapting assets for PlayCanvas. Based on feedback from my supervisor, I also simplified some interactions and changed the original visual approach to fully 3D environments, making the experience more immersive.
At this stage, the project is approximately 70% complete. My next steps are to finish the remaining two scenes, optimize performance, and conduct user testing before the final presentation.
Completing Major Project 1 has given me a solid foundation for my VR project. I successfully developed the main VR environment, implemented the core interaction system, and completed the first three historical scenes. Through this process, I improved my skills in PlayCanvas, VR interaction design, and 3D asset integration.
I also learned the importance of continuous testing and receiving feedback. My supervisor's suggestions helped me simplify interactions and improve the overall user experience by creating a more immersive 3D environment.
For Major Project 2, my main goal is to complete the remaining two scenes and polish the entire experience. I also plan to optimize performance to ensure smooth gameplay on the Meta Quest 2 headset, improve the visual quality with better lighting and sound effects, and conduct user testing to identify areas for improvement.
Overall, I am confident that the progress made during Major Project 1 provides a strong foundation for the final stage of development. My focus in Major Project 2 will be on refining the experience, improving usability, and delivering a complete and engaging VR historical storytelling project.
REFLECTION
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