Zaporizhstal in cooperation with the team of "eMuseum" has created a virtual tour of the steel site to mark the 90th anniversary of the steelworks.
In an exclusive interview, Serhii ORLYK, developer of virtual tours and co-founder of "eMuseum", told us how this unique and high-tech tour was created.
– What makes VR technology stand out from other, more conventional formats, what are its advantages?
– First, it allows you to immerse yourself in the object. VR creates a fully immersive environment where users can feel like they are part of a virtual world. This is achieved through the use of VR headsets, which block out the outside world and give a sense of presence. In addition, in virtual reality, users can interact with the virtual environment in a more natural and intuitive way, using body movements, voice or special controllers.
Due to its high level of immersiveness, VR can evoke strong emotional responses and deep user engagement, making it a powerful tool for storytelling and learning.
And in high-risk fields such as surgery or aviation, VR allows users to train in a safe virtual environment that simulates real-world conditions without life or health risks.
– Why was this format chosen for the company's 90th anniversary?
– For obvious reasons, tours of the site are temporarily unavailable during the war, but interest in the steelworks and requests for visits remain. In this case, the virtual tour format allows everyone who is interested to develop a stronger sense of place and witness the technical processes of steel production, learn new interesting facts about metallurgy and its role in human life, and discover the hitherto unknown Zaporizhstal. This is a modern presentation format for a modern enterprise.
– How did "digitalisation" of the steelworks' locations go? How long did it take to make a complete virtual tour of the site?
– The process of creating the virtual tour consisted of several stages. The first stage was to shoot 360-degree panoramas with special photographic equipment. The photographing of the shops, which was sometimes difficult due to the high temperature in the shops, took several days. Then a specialist "assembled" the received photos into panorama and carried out their technical processing to obtain the highest quality visualisation within about 7 days.
The second stage was the software part - writing a code for the virtual tour using the received 360-degree panoramas.
Eventually, the VR tour was adapted for viewing on all common devices - PC, laptop, tablet, smartphone, as well as for Google Cardboard virtual reality glasses and Oculus virtual reality headsets (Meta). It took about another 15 days to complete.
– What equipment was involved and what modern technologies are generally used to create such a product?
– A full-frame Canon camera with a special lens and a professional Nodal Ninja panoramic head was used to shoot the panoramas. For the software part, we used PCs and specialised software.
– How did you get to know the enterprise? What was the most interesting?
– The shooting of the panoramas did not start immediately, it was a long process: to start with, the team of "eMuseum" "got acquainted" with the plant. We virtually walked down the steelmaking route, accompanied by the plant's specialists, who explained all the technological processes step by step. In doing so, we received information to create a shooting scenario, select locations, and take into account the specifics of working at each location - for example, we prepared to work in hot environments.
The second visit was dedicated to shooting according to the prepared plan. When you are at such an industrial giant as Zaporizhstal, you are impressed by everything: the scale, complex technological processes, and responsible work of the team at every stage of production. But most of all, of course, it is the people, the steelworkers themselves. Their work is very difficult, not for everyone, but it is necessary: it is impossible to imagine modern life without steel, it is needed everywhere. How strong Ukrainian steel is made at Zaporizhstal and what it is like to be at the epicentre of this process - the VR tour "The Way of Steel" gives an insight into this.
– Can you tell us what attractions await the user of this app? What can your app do?
– The virtual tour shows the entire steel production chain. Each location is accompanied by an audio guide that explains the purpose of a specific shop and tells about its history. Each location also has interactive points where you can read interesting facts or watch videos of production processes in that particular shop by clicking on them.
A quest quiz built into the VR tour can be called an Easter egg. Walking through the shops, users can find questions and answer them. The questions contain interesting and little-known facts about steel production and Zaporizhstal.
As a reminder, the cultural centre "Rethinking Space" has been recently presented in Zaporizhzhia and will open its doors soon. The space is Ukraine's first interactive exhibition about the Russia-Ukraine war, focusing on the key role of Zaporizhzhia as a city of strength, victory, and courage.
