THE DEVELOPMENT OF A VIRTUAL REALITY-BASED STAR SIMULATION APPLICATION

• Main Author: Fahmi Irfan, Muhammad
• Format: Final Project
• Language: Indonesia
• Online Access: https://digilib.itb.ac.id/gdl/view/85483
• Institution: Institut Teknologi Bandung

Observing stars has become increasingly difficult due to light pollution. Therefore, an application that provides a digital star-gazing experience without compromising the user's experience is needed. Virtual reality technology can be utilized in the development of such an application. Virtual reality can offer an immersive experience to the user, making it suitable for the development of this application. This thesis aims to build a virtual reality-based star simulation application to be used on the Meta Quest 2 HMD. The application can display stars based on location, time, and light pollution levels according to the Bortle Scale. Additionally, the application allows users to search for information and positions related to specific stars. The developed star simulation application was tested on three parameters: usability, performance, and immersion. Usability testing results indicated that the application has fairly good usability, with an average System Usability Scale (SUS) score of 78.4375. Immersion testing results showed that the application has a good level of immersion, with an average total Presence Questionnaire (PQ) score of 111.875. Performance testing results revealed that the application has poor performance but is still acceptable, achieving 26 FPS at the 5th percentile in the worst-case scenario.