Give your digital twins a seasonal makeover

Santa has been going about Christmas all wrong. Why squeeze yourself down a chimney when you can add some festive magic anywhere, virtually? That’s what’s waiting in a new downloadable Matterpak. Digital capture specialists RSET, who originally harnessed our technology for military simulations, have been playing with their advanced 3D models. The Merry Matterpak, their latest creation, makes a game out of your digital twins, too. It might not replace in-person life-or-death charades with the family, but it does serve as a fun exploration into the spaces you manage, with a seasonal twist.  

Merry Matterpak adds a Christmas filter to your digital twin, populating it with Santas, candy canes, gingerbread men, and an excessively spiky tree. Scattered throughout the model are 12 presents waiting to be collected. When the game starts, you’re on a timer — can you find all the gifts and return them to the tree faster than your competition? RSET’s founder, Bill Gregory, has already spent hours on the hunt. He made a little time to talk to us about more casual, fun ways to utilize the environments you’re capturing with Matterport.

What inspired the 3D capture for this purpose?

Well, we aren’t capturing just a single space. Instead, we’ve created a holiday game that can use any Matterport scan. At the beginning of the project, we were inspired by the fact that nearly everyone decorates their home for the holidays. Why can’t they do the same with digital twins? Once fanatics like us had the idea, it was hard to shake. 

What’s the one thing you want players to realize about digital twins? 

It’s incredibly easy to use RSET to create custom Matterpak experiences. We’re always toying with new ways to make a 3D digital model really come to life. The Merry Matterpak proves, once again, that real estate, construction, facility management, and other professional applications are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to a digital twin’s brilliance. They’re not only useful for spatial planning, but they can also be great fun! 

What are the benefits of Matterport digital twins?

For us, it’s the simplicity of creation. Matterport scans are effortless and let us set up training scenarios in countless real-world spaces. With Matterport and RSET, you can craft just about any model or scene you need, from disaster and emergency procedure rehearsals to interactive theater shows. Layered, tailored, digital additions help you interact with the environment in ways that real life doesn’t allow, or could be logistically difficult to implement. 

Do you plan on creating other similar experiences?

Actually, we’ve already made a game using Matterport: Matterpak Attack! It’s a first-person shooter game featuring zombies. Plenty of players have had a blast running and gunning down corridors they’ve seen before (often in real life), a hair’s breadth from being snatched by a claw with a few fingers falling off the hand. Next, we’ll probably get cracking on an Easter game in which you find eggs and chase bunnies. Or, the zombie bunnies chase you. Either works.

Anything else you’d like to add? 

First, we used simulations for the military. Then, we molded them for first responder training. I think now, we’re opening RSET up to anyone who has a Matterport account. Sign up and see what you can create!