Check out Epic Games’ free Project Anywhere XR

Epic Games has released Project Anywhere XR, a free Unreal Engine sample project that lets users navigate to any point on a virtual globe in augmented reality.

The project, which can be viewed using Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 mixed reality headset, uses the new Cesium for Unreal plugin to stream geospatial data into Unreal Engine in real time.

Navigate a virtual globe based on real-world geospatial data in augmented reality
Developed by Epic Games, Microsoft, Nvidia and Cesium, Project Anywhere XR uses real-world geospatial data to reconstruct the Earth in 3D, from a space-eye view down to ground level.

It uses Cesium’s new free Cesium for Unreal plugin to stream data from the Cesium World Terrain and Cesium OSM Buildings data sets into Unreal Engine.

The 350 million buildings from OpenStreetMap-based Cesium data are supplemented by more detailed photogrammetry data sets of Denver, US and Melbourne, Australia.

The resulting reconstruction of the Earth can then be navigated in real time on Microsoft’s HoloLens 2 headset using simple gesture controls to teleport around.

Epic Games describes the project as a base from which developers can build their own extended reality projects, but it looks a lot of fun to play around with in its own right.

Licensing and system requirements
The Project Anywhere XR Sample is compatible with Unreal Engine 4.27 running on Windows 10 only. It requires the free Cesium for Unreal and Mixed Reality UX Tools add-ons.

The sample is a free download, and is licensed for commercial use if the project is Unreal Engine-based.

Download the free Project Anywhere XR sample from the Unreal Engine marketplace

Find instructions on how to install and run the sample in the online documentation