Student using VR technology glasses

USING EXTENDED REALITY TECHNOLOGY

Explore the eXRe project and browse our workshops below

The ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú is leading on a new project that will use eXtended Reality technology to help boost the city’s visitor and cultural economy.

The Enabling XR Enterprise (eXRe): Creating skills, boosting communities and benefitting visitor and cultural economy project successfully bid for £628,000 as part of the government’s £220m .

Working with ºÚÁÏÈë¿Ú City Council, the project is led by the University’s Centre for Creative and Immersive eXtended Reality (CCIXR) in partnership with , , , ,  and .

eXtended Reality (XR) includes a wide range of technologies that blend virtual and physical worlds together using Augmented Reality (AR), Mixed Reality (MR) and Virtual Reality (VR) to create fully immersive experiences.

Around 100 businesses and organisations of all sizes, public and private, mainly from within the heritage and visitor attraction sector in the city, will be targeted to drive innovation and deliver much-needed skills and expertise in XR technology including:

  • Specialist courses, workshops and seminars to increase skills and transfer knowledge to businesses and organisations across the region;
  • Support to create an XR innovation plan to help them gain an understanding of XR technology and its benefits and identify skills gaps and challenges;
  • Networking events to build a heritage/tourism community to explore XR and its benefits and stimulate further research and innovation in the future.

Opening our facilities and expertise to the city will provide a huge boost to businesses and organisations and help to raise aspirations and inspire future generations to engage with technology.

Pippa Bostock, Business Director for CCIXR

Book onto our workshops

The team at CCIXR will be offering a range of workshops throughout Summer 2022. These workshops are specifically designed for the visitor attraction and heritage sector, bringing together the local, regional and national organisations to learn more about emerging technologies in XR. 

Introduction to Immersive XR at CCIXR Centre

This introductory session will enable attendees to understand the range of immersive technology that is available, and see some of the processes in action. Technologies demonstrated will include Motion Capture, Virtual Production, Photogrammetry and VR. This session will aim to ensure attendees gain an understanding of what immersive technology is - and how this can be of benefit to different organisations and sectors. There will be a focus on Museum and Heritage/Visitor attraction applications.  

VR Workshop in partnership with Museumio

This session will focus on applications of VR technology within a museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction remit. This session will be delivered in partnership with Musemio, the creators of an immersive learning app that allows children to traverse history and arts through interactive mobile VR quests.

Virtual Production Workshop in partnership with 

Virtual Production is a huge growth area across the UK, and has been widely used to deliver film and television programmes as Disney’s The Mandalorian, as well as a wide range of other installations and applications. Delivered in partnership with White Light, this workshop will cover the complete workflow of creating content for the screen.

Motion Capture Workshop in partnership with industry experts Ace Ruele and Sarah Perry

Motion Capture is a key area of expertise at CCIXR, with recent projects including Dream, in collaboration with the Royal Shakespeare Company, Philharmonia, Marshmallow Laser Feast and Manchester International Festival. This session will be delivered in partnership with industry experts, including creature specialist Ace Ruele and Movement Director Sarah Perry. 

Photogrammetry Workshop in partnership with Clive Boardman

Photogrammetry is the science and technology of making 3D models using photographs. This session will focus on applications of photogrammetry and scanning within a museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction remit. This session will be delivered in partnership with industry expert Clive Boardman.

Volumetric Capture Workshop in partnership with /4DViews

Volumetric video capture technology is a technique that digitizes a three-dimensional space, object, or environment in real-time using an array of cameras set around a target. This session will focus on applications of Volumetric technology within a museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction remit. This session will be delivered in partnership with Digital Garage/4DViews.

Real-time Games Engine Workshop in partnership with 

This session will focus on applications of real-time Games Engines within the museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction sector. Epic Games are leading the way in this area with their , the world's most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool for photoreal visuals and immersive experiences, and have partnered with CCIXR on a number of initiatives. This session will be delivered in partnership with Epic Games.

Augmented Reality Workshop in partnership with  

This session will focus on applications of AR within a museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction remit, and will be delivered in partnership with industry expert Professor Kenny Mitchell at 3Finery. Kenny has accumulated over 50 patent inventions and created content for the BAFTA award winning BoomBlox with Stephen Spielberg, Harry Potter video games, Star Wars theme park rides, and films Finding Dory and Pirates of the Caribbean.

XR Sound Workshop

Immersive audio is 360-degree audio that mirrors real-world soundscapes. This session will focus on XR sound exploring the possibilities of its application. The workshop will also give you the opportunity to get a hands on demonstration of the equipment used in creating XR Soundscapes and experience some of our past projects.

Technological Inclusivity in partnership with 

This unique half-day workshop will explore the ways in which technology can be utilised to enable further inclusivity, and promote accessibility, looking at how technology can create inclusive events and environments for all to enjoy. The team at Seekers Create will talk about their collaborations that have brought technology and inclusivity to festivals, buildings, art galleries, and to the local community. You’ll even get to produce your own art piece as part of this experience.

Light Projection in partnership with 

This session will focus on applications of Light Projection within a museum/Heritage and Visitor Attraction remit. This session will be delivered in partnership with acclaimed light artist Thomas Buckley 

Request a XR Innovation Plan

The eXRe Enterprise Office is offering one-to-one support for businesses to create tailored  innovation plans to meet unique challenges, gain an understanding of XR technology and its benefits, and to identify their skills gaps and challenges. Each organisation receiving this support will also receive access to the eXRe skills delivery workshops. 

Email us to register your interest

Attend one of our networking events

eXRe networking events allow participants from the heritage, visitor attraction and tourism sector to come together and exchange knowledge on the challenges and experiences of implementing new technologies. Many attendees may be exploring XR for the first time, therefore these events will also showcase XR applications and other technology.