Google
Product

Creative Direction
3D & Animation
Game Design
User Testing
Sound Design

Verne: The Himalayas

Verne is an app that invites you to explore Google Maps’ 3D imagery of the Himalayas alongside a 500 foot Yeti named Verne. As Verne, you can run up Mt. Everest in seconds, skate across icy lakes, chase yaks, discover bits of information, ride a jetpack, play traditional Himalayan instruments, and more.

Interactions

The landscape is full of new ways to explore. Find all the hidden objects and see the terrain from fun new perspectives.

NPCs

There are native non-playable characters scattered throughout the environment.

Global Elements

Venture outside the Himalayas and trot around the globe to take in more scenery.

Musical Instruments

Discover and play with musical instruments from the region.

Photospheres

Hop inside photospheres for a 360° look inside buildings as well as the outside landscape.

Behind the Scenes

Verne was created with an array of tools and skill sets. 3D assets were modeled, rigged and animated in Cinema 4D. The elevation and terrain data was generated by the Google maps team. All of the 3D data was then brought into Unity for final development. A few shots from the production process can be found below.

Credits
Year: 2015

Client: Google

Agency: Google Creative Lab

Creative Lead: Alex Chen

Art Direction: Lucas Hearl

3D & Animation: JR Schmidt, Lucas Hearl

Creative Tech: byHook

Production: Catherine Christiansen, Annie Porter

Team Lead: Nooka Jones

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