Neysha Borrero
FollowProducer
Neysha Borrero
Pedro Cruz
Curious about XR but not sure where to start?
That was the exact motivation for our first workshop on August 16. A hands-on session designed to give creators the tools to build their very first immersive experience.
At MeshMap, our mission is simple: make XR creation accessible and grounded in the real world.
We believe XR isn’t just for developers, it’s a new canvas for designers, artists, students, and anyone curious about immersive storytelling. And what better way to learn than by working with the world around you?
By combining real-world 3D scans with XR creation tools, we’re lowering the barriers to entry. Our workshops are one way to put these tools in the hands of creators and build a community of people shaping what immersive technology can be.
The workshop gave participants a chance to use tools that make XR creation feel immediate and personal.
One of these was Polycam, an app that turns everyday objects into 3D models in minutes.
Guests scanned plush toys, water bottles, plants, even figurines, and then imported them directly into Unity to place inside their XR scenes.
But the real heart of the workshop was working with scanned maps of actual places.
For this session, we used a detailed scan of Santurce Park in San Juan, letting participants design their projects in Unity within a real-world canvas.
The result was powerful: instead of building in abstract 3D space, attendees were creating experiences that tied directly to a physical location they could walk to later that same day.
This is the purpose of MeshMap, bridging digital creation with real environments.
Over time, we’re expanding this vision by encouraging the community to scan their own neighborhoods, plazas, and landmarks.
Soon, these scanned maps will be available through the MeshMap web app and our MeshMap Unity SDK, giving creators access to a growing library of real-world locations they can design for.
It’s about making XR creation not only accessible, but also connected to place, culture, and community.
The flow of the day was simple but transformative.
Each participant began by importing their scanned Polycam object into Unity, then positioning it relative to the Santurce Park map.
Once their project was built and installed on the Meta Quest 3 headsets we provided, we took the final step, walking to Santurce Park itself.
There, standing in the same physical location they had just designed for, participants looked through the headset and saw their digital creations appear exactly where they placed them in Unity.
Of course, not everything went perfectly, and that’s where the fun came in!
A few people didn't adjust the scale of their scanned objects, which meant that instead of a cute little figurine or water bottle, we suddenly had a giant figurine towering over the park.
It was a funny “oops” moment where the whole group laughed together and realized: mistakes can be just as magical as successes.
It was more than a technical exercise, it was a creative breakthrough. That feeling of seeing your idea materialize, mapped onto a real space (whether giant-sized or not), is the kind of “aha moment” that stays with you long after the workshop ends.
Pedro, our instructor and MeshMap cofounder, guided the workshop with more than just technical instruction. He emphasized human connection, making sure every participant felt seen, supported, and excited to experiment.
That approach transformed the room. Strangers became collaborators, helping each other troubleshoot, sharing scans, and celebrating together when their projects came to life.
By the end of the day, the workshop wasn’t just about XR. It was about community, creativity, and the simple joy of building something new together.
Despite Hurricane Erin passing nearby Puerto Rico that morning, the workshop room was filled with excitement, curiosity, and the energy of people trying something completely new.
Our first workshop achieved its purpose and gave us something more: a reminder of the power of connection, even on a rainy day in San Juan.
On August 30, we’ll return for a second workshop, diving deeper into interactivity and content anchoring in XR.
Stay tuned, and if you’ve been curious about XR, this is your chance to jump in.
Follow us on X and WhatsApp for updates and join the next session. You don’t need prior experience, just curiosity and a laptop.
