Blautopf VR
“High up and deep down!” — BLAUTOPF VR, honoured with the German Developer Award, is a journey into a gigantic cave system beneath the famous Blautopf spring in Blaubeuren. Only a handful of cave explorers have ever entered this magical place — until now.
Welcome to the Blautopf
The blue depths of the legend-shrouded spring form the entrance to a gigantic cave system beneath the Swabian Alb — a mysterious place, hard to reach and dangerous. BLAUTOPF VR, which we developed for SWR and Tellux Next, opens the hidden world of the Blau cave system to the public for the first time.
The jury of the German Developer Award nominated BLAUTOPF VR for “Best Story”, “Best Sound” and the “Special Award for Innovation” — which the project won in December 2019.
Photogrammetry
Guided by the cave explorers of the Blaubeuren caving association, our camera team set out to capture the cave system beneath the Blautopf. Absolute darkness, narrow passages and deep mud made the shoot itself a true adventure.
Many hours of passion, sweat and tears of joy produced more than 10,000 photographs, from which the cave’s geometry and textures were reconstructed precisely using photogrammetry — for a photorealistic rendition in virtual reality.
Cave World Adventure
While “The Secret of the Lau” is about emotion and storytelling, “Cave World Adventure” focuses on conveying knowledge — one story universe became two formats for two audiences.
Thanks to photogrammetric captures, experience the breathtaking beauty of the Cloud Castle, Valhalla and Drachenfels chambers in full panoramic view, navigate through the cave sections via gaze control, and discover videos and audio with additional information.
The Secret of the Lau
The mystery adventure game sends you on a daring mission: you play the young cave explorer Lotta, searching for her partner Paul, who suddenly disappears during the expedition.
What begins as a research expedition soon turns into an eerie experience — because Eduard Mörike’s “Beautiful Lau” is more than just a fairy-tale figure. You decide how the story of Lotta and Paul ends.
German Developer Award
In December 2019, BLAUTOPF VR won the German Developer Award in the “Innovation” category and was nominated for “Best Story” and “Best Sound” — plus the “Interactive Entertainment” award at the nextReality.Contest 2020, among others.
