Worked on Cat MineStar, Caterpillar's mining technology ecosystem, enhancing an existing immersive VR training application with new interactive modules while modernizing its underlying XR architecture for compatibility with current-generation hardware.
The project involved extending an established codebase, migrating it to Unity 6.3, replacing legacy SteamVR dependencies with OpenXR, and expanding deployment beyond PC-connected headsets to standalone VR devices.
Designed and integrated new interactive VR training modules into an existing application, maintaining compatibility with established systems and workflows.
Implemented reusable interaction components and event-driven behaviors to support equipment familiarization, guided procedures, and hands-on training scenarios.
Extended existing application functionality while minimizing disruption to previously developed content.
Migrated the project from a legacy Unity version to Unity 6.3, resolving compatibility issues involving plugins, scripts, assets, rendering, and XR components.
Transitioned the application's VR infrastructure from SteamVR to OpenXR, reducing dependency on vendor-specific implementations and improving compatibility with modern XR runtimes.
Refactored controller input, tracking, and interaction functionality to support the updated XR architecture.
Extended the application from PC VR to standalone VR devices, adapting the project for Android-based XR deployment.
Addressed platform-specific build constraints, runtime compatibility, and hardware performance limitations.
Optimized rendering and application behavior to accommodate standalone headset capabilities while preserving the core training experience.
The primary engineering challenge was modernizing a mature VR application without rebuilding it from scratch. This required understanding existing architectural dependencies, introducing new functionality, and coordinating changes across the engine, XR runtime, interaction systems, and deployment pipeline.
The resulting work expanded the application's hardware compatibility, improved its maintainability, and established a more flexible foundation for future VR training modules.