An internal prototyping tool and interactive marketing environment for Beaudry Interactive's latest 1/4-acre immersive lighting experience.
Unity Development Intern
Mitch Mastroni (Lead Developer)
Unity, C#, and Photoshop
A clear system to visualize the full interactive experience, complete with a Max MSP integration.
prospective clients were converted at IIAPA 2022
full system installation
Ultimately, the Lead Developer and I built a flexible system that could be easily duplicated and adapted to match a prospective client’s venue.
Earlier demos relied on 2D Photoshop animations, which failed to capture the immersive, interactive nature of the experience—leaving prospective clients uncertain about how it would actually feel.
As the first manufacturing run of the physical Light Sprites neared completion, the studio set out to debut a physical-digital demo at the IAAPA conference in November 2022.
How might we express the full immersive and interactive nature of the 1/4-acre experience in order to increase sales, and aid in prototyping?
Zero sales since the previous years' product launch
With no way to test the full 256-unit Light Sprite system on a ¼-acre lot, the ideal density remained uncertain. To validate spacing between the physical light sprite units, we experimented with camera angles to simulate how the experience might appear from both adult and child perspectives.
The Principal selected a density of approximately 1m² and requested it be scaled across all 256 units in an outdoor environment resembling Paso Robles, CA—a key target market.
To achieve this, I used Unity’s Terrain system to model the hilly, semi-arid landscape and strategically positioned the Light Sprites alongside other 3D elements appropriate to the setting.
From there, I explored various lighting layouts and camera movements to best showcase the experience.
After presenting the Paso Robles version, the Principal requested we adapt the experience to resemble the Smoky Mountains, following early interest from Dollywood—a theme park located in the Tennessee mountains.
These reference images from the park guided my modifications to the original scene.
In the end, the Lead Developer and I built a scalable system—featuring cameras, tracks, and adaptable Unity Terrain—that could be easily replicated and tailored to a prospective client’s venue. The physical models dynamically adjusted the Terrain mesh, requiring only minimal location-specific refinements from the Principal.
The system also incorporated physical button switches, enabling users to manually switch views and trigger mannequin movements for added interactivity.
In the end, the Lead Developer and I built a scalable system—featuring cameras, tracks, and adaptable Unity Terrain—that could be easily replicated and tailored to a prospective client’s venue. The physical models dynamically adjusted the Terrain mesh, requiring only minimal location-specific refinements from the Principal.
The system also incorporated physical button switches, enabling users to manually switch views and trigger mannequin movements for added interactivity.
Since the Studio’s Principal had prototyped the early lighting experiments in Max MSP using UDP, the Lead Developer and I had to establish real-time communication between Max MSP and Unity. We used available UDP JSON packets to ensure that physical lighting prototypes in the studio triggered in sync with the lights in the Unity environment.
The Unity tool and environment enabled the Principal to simulate a range of effects—fireflies, fireworks, and magical fairy dust—across different settings. Ultimately, it allowed him to continue working comfortably in Max MSP while effectively demonstrating the immersive, interactive lighting experience to prospective clients.
The Light Sprites Unity scene features four camera angles with pause functionality, two user-controlled models for triggering virtual sensors, and real-time lighting data streamed from Max MSP via UDP.
The experience was showcased in Beaudry Interactive’s booth at the 2022 International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) conference in Orlando, FL.
