WHEN ARCHITECT LUIS FERNANDEZ was working on his first environment for the metaverse, a soaring, interactive gallery conceived to display NFT artworks, he kept running into a problem: none of the established platforms or available technology could make the room's virtual gleaming marble, ivy-covered walls or central water feature look as photorealistic as he'd hoped.
Fernandez, who has also designed interiors and menswear, ultimately teamed up with two sophisticated platforms called Mona and MetaMundo, which helped him and his design team achieve the elevated, high-fidelity look he was after. The resulting space uses high-end materials and proportions that feel familiar but isn't restricted by tedious things like gravity.
You can play God a little bit, Fernandez says. Obviously there's no physics. There's no materiality. For me, keeping some semblance of the real world, but then playing and tricking the eye with certain things that you just can't build (in real life), is the way that I've chosen to pursue it.
Increasingly designers are using the metaverse and other future-looking technologies as a proving ground for their most ingenious ideas. And that's not just because they offer exciting ways to push boundaries that handcraftsmanship cannot. In video games, the linchpin of the metaverse, cinematic environments are equally as important as heroic characters and gravity-defying gameplay. So younger designers who grew up playing The Sims or Minecraft are especially well primed to find innovations in virtual spaces that translate to the real world. And even if they haven't logged hours playing games, many creatives in this field have already been using the technology that underpins these virtual worlds (computer-aided design, 3D renderings, and the like) for decades.
This story is from the July 2022 edition of Robb Report Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the July 2022 edition of Robb Report Singapore.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
The World On Your Wrist
Vacheron Constantin goes globe-hopping for its latest Les Cabinotiers collection of one-of-a-kind timepieces.
The Man Behind The Glow
Lars Brittsjo, the visionary CEO and founder behind Nor Sken, discusses the evolution of anti-ageing solutions and the ethos of sustainable beauty.
Fresh Linen
Travellers seeking accommodation options that excite and inspire can approach 2024 with optimism.
Run For Cava
José Ferrer of Vins Familia Ferrer on what makes seriously good vintage cava.
Heart Of Africa
Great Plains Conservation blends bespoke luxury and mindful conservation, offering an African safari experience par excellence.
A Week In Switzerland
There is no better place for watch connoisseurs to get immersed in watchmaking than the birthplace of horology—and no better way to plan the journey than with Scott Dunn Private.
Welcome To The Club
The decadent new Global Ambassador hotel in Phoenix welcomes elite travellers of all stripes-but its most intriguing attraction is for members only.
Flights Of Fancy
The Un Air de Chaumet high jewellery collection soars with evocative expressions of birds in flight.
Signature Moves
An A. Lange Séhne watch can be identified from five paces away. However, for its truly distinctive features, we recommend that you reach for the loupe.
Counting It Down
Luxury watch brands are teasing collectors with new drops ahead of the anticipated annual Watches and Wonders exposition.