BC
Brandon Coffey

UTD Campus Digital Twin

Interactive Metaverse Digital Twin of the Edith O’Donnell ATEC Building

Key art for UTD Campus Digital Twin
Role & Leadership

Technical Artist & Programmer

Year: 2024

Target Platforms
WebVRMobile
Software & Tech Stack
Project Highlight

IEEE ISEMV 2024 Publication & National Recognition

Authored and presented 'Building a University Digital Twin' at the 2024 IEEE International Symposium on Emerging Metaverse in Seattle, Washington. Featured by the UT Dallas Bass School News for pioneering accessible multi-user browser metaverse architecture.

The UTD Campus Digital Twin is an accurate, highly-optimized interactive virtual reconstruction of the iconic Edith O’Donnell Arts and Technology (ATEC) building at The University of Texas at Dallas. Hosted live on Spatial.io, the environment runs seamlessly in-browser on mobile devices, desktop browsers, and standalone VR headsets without requiring local installs.

Cross-Platform Optimization & WebXR Performance

Recreating a 155,000-square-foot multi-story university complex within Spatial.io’s strict WebGL memory budgets required aggressive technical art optimization:

  • Geometry & Draw Call Budgeting: Modular architectural kitbashing with atlased PBR textures, reducing multi-room rendering overhead to under 80 draw calls.
  • Progressive Lightmap Baking: High-resolution indirect illumination and caustic reflections baked into HDR lightmaps via Unity’s Progressive Lightmapper.
  • Interactive Multi-User Hubs: Integrated student gallery spaces, virtual lecture auditoriums, and collaborative breakout zones supporting synchronous multi-user voice and avatar interaction.
ATEC main multi-story atrium with progressive baked bounce lighting
Architectural facade and courtyard approach modeled from architectural blueprints
Collaborative digital learning lab and active lecture hall
Animation and visual effects lab suite reconstruction