Creating 3D worlds through storytelling and narration

While contemporary game engine tools have allowed a lower barrier of entry into creating 3D environments, many rely on engineering, architectural or cartographic approaches. While useful, this usually facilitates very particular methods of 3D space creation. In this paper, we present our tool for creating 3D spaces through the use of narration and storytelling as an interface. Our platform utilizes voice recognition to allow users to narrate a story or event and have elements of the story appear in 3D space as virtual objects in real-time. Through further voice commands or the use of drag-and-drop controls, users can then reconfigure these objects to better suit their story or create new variations of the story. Our platform is designed for immersive systems such as VR HMDs, 3D-enabled cylindrical screens, stereo walls, and non-immersive ones such as desktops and tablets allowing for accessibility and collaboration. A novel contribution of this paper is this method of building worlds through narration. To provide some insight into its capabilities and the reasoning behind design decisions, an account of constructing the story Lessons in Vinyl within the tool during early development is presented.