Maya Verse

• 

• 

  MayaVerse Tina

• 

  Clam shell pearl

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Inspiration

Maya Verse was inspired by my physical paintings and my lifelong desire to bridge traditional studio art with immersive technology. As a painter and immersive artist, I’ve always imagined what it would feel like to step into the canvas — to experience color, light, and story all around you. This project reimagines that vision by transforming my artwork into a living, explorable 3D world inspired by ancient Mayan culture and mythology.

What it does

Maya Verse allows players to explore a vibrant environment where art and history meet. Visitors can walk through a world inspired by Mayan temples, celestial skies, and tropical landscapes — collecting gems, interacting with AI-driven characters, and uncovering cultural lore. The goal is to experience art not just as a visual, but as an environment that surrounds and responds to you.

How we built it

I began with my original painting as the creative blueprint. Using Maya, Blender, GIMP, and Krita, I modeled and textured the scene elements. In the Horizon Worlds Desktop Editor, I used generative AI to help script interactions and create the user experience as well as environment & model generations. Coming from a fine-arts background, coding was a major learning curve, but AI tools helped me translate visual ideas into working interactive scripts while maintaining artistic integrity.

Challenges we ran into

Adapting from traditional art to interactive world design

Learning how to script UI and triggers inside the Horizon Worlds environment

Balancing artistic visuals with performance limitations

Creating a cohesive aesthetic that still runs smoothly in VR

Accomplishments that we're proud of

Successfully transforming a 2D painting into a fully immersive 3D world

Learning scripting and technical workflows as a fine artist

Designing an experience that blends education, exploration, and art

Pushing the boundaries of what “art” can mean inside virtual spaces

What we learned

I learned how to approach coding like an artist — experimenting, iterating, and letting curiosity guide the process. I also learned that AI can be an incredible collaborator when used thoughtfully to bridge the gap between creativity and technology. Most importantly, I discovered that immersive art can connect people to culture and history in powerful new ways.

What's next for Maya Verse

I plan to expand Maya Verse into a multi-level experience where each world represents a different ancient civilization or theme from my paintings. Future updates will include:

Artifact hunting and gem-collecting challenges

Interactive educational elements about Mayan art and astronomy

AI-guided storytelling and ambient soundscapes

Expanded terrain and lighting systems for exploration

My long-term vision is to build a series of Immersive Paintings — worlds that let visitors step off the wall, into the canvas, and be immersed inside the art.

Built With

• blender
• genai
• gimp
• horizons
• krita
• maya
• meta