The Story Behind Night Simulator
Hi, I’m Darren. I’m an XR Developer, and for the past two and a half years, I’ve been spending my spare time building a VR application called Night Simulator.
The project started after a family visit to the Dominion Astrophysical Observatory (DAO) in Victoria, BC. Walking through the facility with my daughters, I started thinking about how VR could help make the science and history of the site more approachable. I ended up signing up as a volunteer, which eventually led to me becoming a certified operator of the telescope for public star parties.
To build the app, I’ve tried to stay as close to the real-world details as possible:
Fieldwork: I used drone imagery and laser measurements to map the site and the dome. I also spent time cleaning up original blueprints and referencing archived images to help with the 3D modeling.
Authenticity: Being a telescope operator allowed me to record the actual sounds of the motors and study the real workflows and software layouts used during an observing session.
Development: I’ve handled the core research, modeling, and systems design in Blender and Unity, using astronomical algorithms to keep the star positions and movements believable.
Why I’m here
Night Simulator is a personal project that I’ve self-funded up to this point. While I handle the core development, I’ve reached a stage where I need to bring in professional help to get the app ready for a wider release.
Your contributions go toward:
Specialized Help: Hiring professional modelers to help with environment optimization and UI/UX designers to refine the interface.
Art & Marketing: Working with an art director for cover art and creating materials like physical brochures with QR codes for visitor centers.
Hardware: Keeping up with the hardware and testing requirements for standalone VR headsets.
The goal is to create a clear, visual way for people to understand our place in the universe—from the floor of the observatory to a 3D map of the Milky Way. If you’re interested in supporting this kind of educational tool, I’d appreciate the help.
Clear skies,
Darren
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