From XR Walking Tours to Unreal MetaHumans: Inside Xtra Reality’s CoSTAR Ideate Residency

Xtra Reality create memorable, story-led experiences that blend live performance with spatial technology. After pioneering mixed-reality walking tours, the team began exploring new ways to deliver immersive live experiences digitally. For creators, their approach also opens up routes to high-quality production without the cost and complexity of staging a full live show.

A previous collaboration with the English National Opera sparked the founders’ ambition to evolve their model, taking what makes live performance powerful and reimagining it for mixed reality.

During their CoSTAR Ideate residency at CoSTAR Live Lab, Xtra Reality tested different approaches to producing mixed-reality content. In doing so, they established guidelines for when to use a volumetric capture or motion capture, exploring the creative and practical benefits this could unlock.

In Live Lab, performances were captured using the Vicon motion capture system, with outputs then used to bring MetaHumans to life in Unreal Engine. The team also worked with Constantin Popp and Oliver Kadel to build their understanding of sound design for XR and VR experiences, with a particular focus on how spatial audio could be used to deepen immersion during walking tours.

Rachael Hughes, Co-Founder of Xtra Reality, said: “Taking part in the first CoSTAR Ideate Programme was a brilliant experience, from access to fantastic facilities, lots of experienced mentors to speaking opportunities at SXSW London and United XR Europe. Being part of a community of like-minded tech start-ups made it even more valuable.”

Dr Joe Williams, Postdoctoral Research Associate at CoSTAR Live Lab, added:“It was a pleasure to work with Shaun and Rachael. It was also inspiring to hear about their emerging XR walking tours business. Together, we learned a great deal about the pros and cons of volumetric and motion capture technologies. I particularly enjoyed discussing some of Shaun's spatial audio ideas for the tours with esteemed virtual reality audio experts Constantin Popp and Oliver Kadel.”

Now, with a clearer view of the workflows available for mixed-reality production, Xtra Reality are ready to build on their early prototypes and take their ideas further.

Following the success of their Ideate project, Rachael & Shaun were invited to present at UnitedXR Europe in Brussels, a leading European conference showcasing the latest developments in XR, immersive storytelling and spatial computing.

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