Bringing History to Life: How Make Me Pulse Reimagined Kristallnacht Through Interactive WebXR
Make Me Pulse partnered with Inside Kristallnacht to create an immersive interactive experience that takes users through the events of November 9, 1938, guided by survivor Dr. Charlotte Knobloch. The project, available across desktop, mobile, and WebXR, blends cutting-edge technology with poignant storytelling.
Experience it live here: https://insidekristallnacht.org/
A key challenge was balancing the creative vision with technical execution. From the start, they built an integrated team to rapidly prototype ideas, ensuring seamless collaboration and smooth scaling throughout the process.
Technical Highlights:
WebGL Rendering: They overcame challenges with the glass shards representing broken windows by "faking" the translucent effect using blurred textures and parallax effects, while simulating realistic glass properties through image-based lighting and normal maps.
Style and Scene Design: To reflect Charlotte’s journey, they designed 25 distinct scenes using a film noir-inspired aesthetic. Custom shaders and noise effects enhanced the mood, while lighting was carefully baked into textures to optimize performance.
WebXR Adaptation: Ensuring a seamless experience in WebXR required rethinking UI elements, incorporating Signed Distance Field (SDF) text rendering, and optimizing for performance. They redesigned the chapter menu to be intuitive in VR, while minimizing motion sickness by removing animations between scenes.
Optimization: Through careful asset management and using advanced tools like SpectorJS, they ensured the site ran at a consistent 90fps for WebXR, offering a smooth and immersive experience for users.
This project not only pushes the boundaries of interactive storytelling but also serves as a powerful tool for reflection and education about Kristallnacht. Inside Kristallnacht stands as a testament to how innovative technology can bring history to life in a deeply impactful way.
Credits:
Production Make Me Pulse
Client Conference on Jewish Material Claims Against Germany
