Whitsunday 1485

Overview

This VR cinematic reconstructs Whitsunday celebrations in Vienna, 1485, outside St. Stephen’s Cathedral, during the late Middle Ages. The goal was to transport audiences back to a vibrant historical moment, capturing both the scale of the event and the atmosphere of the time.

The main challenge for this project was simulating and rendering a massive medieval crowd in VR, while maintaining both historical authenticity and performance.

Outcome for the Client

The result is an immersive large-scale VR scene where viewers find themselves in the middle of a medieval procession. Hundreds of participants fill the streets — clergy, townsfolk, and musicians — all animated with natural variation to avoid repetition.

For the client, this cinematic offers a powerful tool for education and cultural storytelling, bringing a centuries-old event back to life in a way that feels immediate and tangible.

Our Role

We handled all aspects of production:

Historical Research & Architecture
Recreated St. Stephen’s Cathedral and surrounding urban layout with period-accurate detailing. Designed flags, props, clothing, and banners inspired by 15th-century references.

Crowd Simulation & Animation
Generated a huge medieval crowd, using variation in outfits, movement, and animations to avoid uniformity. Optimized pathing and idle animations. Balanced crowd density with real-time constraints.

Lighting & Atmosphere
Built a bright daytime lighting setup, using volumetric dust and soft shadows to evoke a lively festival. Applied cinematic camera direction to capture the sense of scale and grandeur.

Technical Details

• Engine: Unreal Engine

• Crowd Simulation: Custom setup with character variation and optimized animation loops

• Lighting: Realistic dynamic sunlight and GI

• Assets: Modular architecture, PBR materials, and period-accurate props