BMW i Samsung 360° Experience

In this virtual reality (VR) application, users immerse themselves in a brand-compliant environment and experience BMW i vehicles and products up close – anytime, anywhere – regardless of the showroom size and availability of the real vehicles.

Customer: BMW AG & Samsung

Agency: Dorten

Task

BMW i is a pioneer in the field of electric mobility. The aim was to create a digital showroom appropriate to the product for the two innovative vehicles BMW i3 and BMW i8. The showroom should explain how the vehicles and digital services work, but also offer customers the opportunity to configure a vehicle according to their personal preferences. As a highlight, the customer should experience his personal BMW i3 or BMW i8 on a virtual test drive.

Implementation

In the implementation, there were several challenges to be solved. The biggest was to create photo-realistic vehicles and environments on a mobile device with the help of a real-time 3D engine, in which the user can move freely. The solution was a combination of real shot material, pre-rendered computer generated images (CGI) content and 3D real-time content.

First, the backgrounds for the test drive were filmed with a specially designed camera carriage equipped with a rig of 14 cameras. In a second step, the vehicles in all configurations were added virtually. An intuitive user control via gaze navigation allows the user not only to configure his vehicle, but also to “really” drive it on the roads around Lisbon.

Result

The app has been rolled out internationally and is freely available on the Google Play Store. It is successfully used in communication with dealers, at trade fairs and events and interprets the brand claim “the pleasure of driving” in a modern way with its virtual test drive. Numerous awards prove the innovative power of this VR application.