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Pandemic times call for new ways of festival design and new formats.
For the first time, ITFS is realising an amusing VR experience in Mozilla Hubs with the American XR designer and architect Allison Crank and the Swiss VR expert Christophe Merkle. Unlike many other VR experiences,
the multi-user 3D world is easy to access. The ITFS VR Hub can be visited simply via your browser or for advanced techies via VR headset – no downloads are necessary. Visitors even have the opportunity to help shape certain aspects of the digital world in the ITFS VR Hub and add objects, sound and films. The ITFS VR Hub enables casual and even random interaction between visitors by means of avatars of their choice.
The centre of the ITFS VR Hub is Schlossplatz Stuttgart, the usual location of the ITFS Open Air, which had to be cancelled again this year due to the coronavirus. However, the focus of the designers and ITFS is not on a photorealistic reconstruction of Schlossplatz in VR, but on creating a recognisable, playful place as well as on the specific architectural physiognomy of the square. Starting from Schlossplatz, visitors can explore other locations such as the ITFS Cinema with film screenings and talks, a lounge, a music club for chilling out and a workshop space for discourse and training.
The ITFS VR Hub is a creative and cartoony place that shows the unlimited possibilities of animation in an immersive, interactive, and real-time way and extends a low-threshold invitation also to VR newbies to take a digital walk – almost as in “normal life”! Allison Crank and Christophe Merkle talk about the development of the ITFS VR Hub during a Making of-Lecture on Friday, May 7 at 3 PM on ONLINE PRO.
This button gets you straight to our virtual Schlossplatz, the main room of the ITFS VR Hub.
From there, click on the resepctive visual to access our other virtual spaces.
Need some help? Instructions can be found further down in the FAQ section.
Live programme in our ITFS VR Hub
Happy Hour: join our Hub host for a guided tour and personalised instructions from 5PM every day
Leibinger Foundation Comic Book Award
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Opening Reception: Music Session with Linda & Andrew
TUE, 4 May, 8:30PM CET
Location: Schlossplatz & Club
![c9ea6ebf-f751-4ec1-bcff-429cbdc0cbbb c9ea6ebf-f751-4ec1-bcff-429cbdc0cbbb](../../wp-content/uploads/2021/04/c9ea6ebf-f751-4ec1-bcff-429cbdc0cbbb-600x500.png)
Avatar Workshop
THU, 6 May, 2PM CET
with: Ronald Wong Ho Hip (Johannesburg, South Africa)
Location: Trixi Workshop Space
NO SIGN-UP REQUIRED // FREE
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Talk: How to Build Mozilla Hub
FRI, 7 May, 12PM CET
with Allison Crank & Christophe Merkle
Location: Trixi Workshop Space
![Youtube-600x500 Youtube-600x500](../../wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Youtube-600x500-1.jpg)
Talk: The relevance of moving images & videos
in Social Media Advertising on Facebook, Instagram & Co.
FRI, 7 May, 3PM CET
with: Stephan Sigloch CEO, www.klickpiloten.de
Location: Lounge
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Electronic Music Set
Michael Fakesch (Funkstörung, Monkeytown Records, !K7)
FRI, 7 May, 10PM CET
Location: Club
![Weijia_Ma_Step_into_the_River_SITR01 Weijia_Ma_Step_into_the_River_SITR01](../../wp-content/uploads/2021/04/Weijia_Ma_Step_into_the_River_SITR01-600x500.jpg)
Talk: Dans la rivière and other animation works
SAT, 8 May, 11AM CET
with Weijia Ma
Location: Cinema
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Got questions? Have a read through our FAQs:
What is the ITFS VR Hub?
The ITFS VR-Hub is a virtual collaboration platform that runs in your browser with no installation or app store required. Hubs is for all ITFS visitors and simply anyone who wants to connect with others remotely! It’s a great way to getting to know the festival community and network in a shared virtual space.
What devices does the ITFS VR Hub run on?
Because it runs in the browser, Hubs is very cross-platform compatible. It works on mobile, desktop, and VR devices, and runs on most modern browsers. For more information check out the supported devices & browsers section provided by Mozilla Hubs.
When is the ITFS VR Hub open?
Our ITFS VR-Hub is open and accessible 24 hours a day from 3 May 2021.
What is happening on the ITFS VR Hub?
The ITFS VR-Hub offers an additional programme for users from all around the world, including an avatar building workshop, panels, music sessions and even exclusive feature films. Have a look at the programme here.
How do I access the ITFS VR Hub?
The ITFS Hub can be accessed using the following link: https://link.work-in-vr.org/UUhQYBS
Before entering the ITFS VR-Hub room you are in the room’s lobby. You can see and hear what’s going on in the room but you can only interact with the others using text chat. The process of entering a room is a bit different depending on your device:
On desktop / mobile? Click “Enter Room” and follow the prompts to select a username/avatar and set up your mic. On the final prompt select “Enter on Screen”, or “Enter on Phone” if on mobile.
On a VR headset? Take a look at the instructions in the Hubs documentation.
How can I choose my avatar?
You can choose your avatar as you enter the room. Once in the room, you can change the look of your Avatar by clicking ‘More’ in the bottom right, then ‘Change Name and Avatar’. You can choose from standard Avatars or create a completely custom one.
Is it possible to create my own avatar?
For sure! We love seeing custom avatars. You can either re-skin the default avatars or upload your own 3D model (.glb). ITFS even has an avatar competition where a prize is awarded to the most creative hand-built avatar! For more information on creating your custom avatar, check out the Creating Custom Avatars section provided by Mozilla Hubs or join us for our avatar workshop.
How do I navigate the ITFS VR Hub?
On desktop use your WASD or arrow keys to move around. You can also press your right mouse button to teleport to a different location. Rotate your view using the Q and E keys, or hold down your left mouse button and drag.
For VR and mobile controls see an extended list of Hubs controls here.
To hover, you can type /fly in the text chat box, or press G on desktop, or press down on the joystick in Quest.
I would like an introduction to the ITFS VR Hub. What can I do?
From 5PM CET (starting 3 May 2021), our VR Hub hosts will welcome you for a guided tour around the space and will help you to get to know the space.
I am experiencing technical difficulties. Where can I ask for support?
If you’re experiencing technical difficulties, don’t hesitate to send an email to hubtechnik@festival-gmbh.de.
What is the capacity of the ITFS VR Hub room?
There’s a maximum of 50 in-room participants.
Once a room is full, all additional users (participant #51 and beyond) can still participate by watching from the lobby. Users in the lobby can see and hear what’s happening in the room and interact via text chat; however, they are not represented as avatars in the room and their mic is not active. There is no hard limit on lobby capacity, however, performance may decrease once there are over one hundred people in the lobby.
ITFS21 Avatar Competition
The ITFS VR Hub is a creative place that illustrates the unlimited possibilities of animation in an immersive, interactive, and real-time way. The unique multi-user 3D world is easy to access via a browser or a VR headset – no downloads are necessary. Visitors can help shape certain aspects of the digital world in the hub, which enables casual and random interaction between visitors by means of self-selected avatars.
And you can even create your own avatar and take part in our ITFS Avatar Competition! The creator of the winning avatar and two runner ups receive an amazing surprise Goodie Box sent to their doorstep as well as a voucher to attend next year’s ITFS for free!
How to create an avatar on Hubs?
Creating and customising an avatar on hubs is simple, just follow the instructions given here if you are a beginner or have a look here if you’ve got some animation experience or check out the instructions on Ready Player Me.
Got questions? Great! Come and check out our workshop on how to build and customise an avatar by the VR expert Ronald Wong Ho Hip (Johannesburg, South Africa) on 6 May 2021 at 2 PM (CET), over in our Trixi workshop space.
How to take part in the competition?
Taking part is easy as 1-2-3:
- Make your own avatar and take a selfie in the ITFS VR Hub
- Download the avatar.glb on your computer
- E-mail the following information to the festival-mail avatar@festival-gmbh.de by 6 May 2021, 10AM CET
-
- Selfie
- GLB-file
- Contact details, including your name, e-mail address and phone number
Premium Partner Tricks for Kids
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Tricks for Kids
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