Army picks Unity for virtual social world

Press Release: Unity Powers Army OneSource Virtual World
Service Helps Soldiers and Loved Ones Connect From Anywhere Around the World

SAN FRANCISCO, CA — Unity Technologies, provider of the Unity development platform for games and interactive 3D on the web, iOS, Android, consoles and beyond, is pleased to announce that the Army OneSource Virtual World, a community hub constructed to allow soldiers the opportunity to connect with family and friends from anywhere around the world in an interactive 3D virtual environment, is based on Unity.

“When I learned the concept of ‘Virtual Resiliency,’ it completely changed my vision for how Unity can be used to impact the lives of our enlisted personnel,” said Davey Jackson, Director of Simulation and Visualization for Unity Technologies. “DefenseWeb has done an amazing job leveraging Unity’s web deployment capabilities to make these human moments accessible to anyone, anywhere they can connect to the Army OneSource website.”

Family region in Army OneSource virtual world. (Image courtesy Unity Technologies.)

The launch of the virtual hub marks the first time the Unity engine and development tools were deployed in the creation of a large scale government MMO project after being granted Certificate of Networthiness credentials from the United States Army in 2011. With the Unity Web Player, the Army OneSource Virtual World provides a safe and secure social environment for Soldiers while at home or abroad.

“Working with Unity has been everything we had hoped it would be,” said Stephen Smythe, Department Manager at DefenseWeb. “Unity Technologies not only provides a powerful platform and set of development tools that are easy to learn, but provides excellent support with any and all issues. With their help, our creative teams were able to rapidly move from concept, to prototype to deployment on extremely short timelines.”

Community region in Army OneSource virtual world. (Image courtesy Unity Technologies.)
Community region in Army OneSource virtual world. (Image courtesy Unity Technologies.)

The virtual campus is divided into several sections including a community park, training centers, and areas to help strengthen the emotional, family, spiritual, social and physical resiliency of Soldiers and their loved ones while fostering a sense of community and collaboration among Army families with shared experiences. DefenseWeb was able to create a virtual Unity-based environment where Soldiers can connect with their families to share a walk on the beach, take an online seminar or confide in their spiritual mentors when physical distance separates them from their communities.

Find more information and register for the Army OneSource Virtual World at: http://www.myarmyonesource.com/default.aspx

About Unity Technologies

Unity Technologies is revolutionizing the game industry with Unity, its award-winning breakthrough development platform. Unity Technologies has more than 700,000 registered users worldwide using Unity to create games and interactive 3D, like training simulations and medical and architectural visualizations, on the web, mobile, consoles and beyond. Unity Technologies is aggressively innovating to expand usability, power and platform reach along with its Asset Store digital content marketplace and Union game distribution service so that it can deliver on its vision of democratizing interactive 3D technology. Unity Technologies is headquartered in San Francisco and has development offices worldwide. For more information, visit: http://unity3d.com.

About DefenseWeb Technologies Inc.

DefenseWeb Technologies, Inc. ( www.defenseweb.com ) provides software solutions for Federal health care, well-being, and Family Readiness organizations. DefenseWeb develops and delivers innovative virtual world environments, serious games, online training applications, enterprise-wide web portals, clinical information applications, case management applications, and community and collaboration systems. Leveraging our expertise with government and healthcare information security standards, we address the needs of military service members and their families. DefenseWeb is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Humana Inc.