Hōroskopos (2022)
www.horoskopos.org
github.com/cesardaher/horoskopos
Virtual planetarium
Information Design and Programming (Unity C#)
Hōroskopos is the project for a virtual astrological planetarium. It shows a simulation of the real sky and allows users to visualize astrological concepts and symbols in the sky. It is a Master's Thesis project for obtaining a degree in M.F.A. Media, Art and Design at the Bauhaus University Weimar. It was developed in Unity3D, and I was responsible for both the Interface Design and Programming.
Credits:
Jason Reizner - Advisor
Gianluca Pandolfo - Advisor
Pedro Joffily - Visual identity
Concept
The idea behing developing Hōroskopos was due to a lack of resources to help people understand the relationship between astrology and observational astronomy. Similar to other virtual planetariums, such as Stellarium, this application provides users with a simulated view of the sky together with astrological information.
The provided experience is to place users inside a virtual dome, which they can explore by rotating the camera in all directions and clicking over the planets to learn. It is meant as a visualization tool with focus on learning.
Development
By understanding the structure of a horoscope, its structure was retranslated into a dome setting, placing the viewer in the middle.
The navigation of the planetarium is managed through a virtual camera, rotated with the mouse.
The user can then view both the sky above the horizon and the (invisible) sky below it, with the zodiac belt crossing both hemispheres.
UI elements, such as buttons and panels are laid over the screen.
Information boxes are displayed as modal windows that can be moved around the screen.
Features
The Sky View shows a more realistic sky, ideal for visualizing day and night cycles, as well as the actual positions of the planets.
The Chart View shows an analytical view of the sky that shows only symbols and their astrological positions.
Users can then open the 2D horoscope and compare it with the sky.
It's also possible to also change the time, date and location, as well as animate the sky at different speeds.
Clicking over symbols open up information boxes, which provide information about that particular element both essentially and currently.
For those who wish to understand the behaviours of planets and how the sky rotates over time, it's possible to animate it at different speeds.
