Spatial Storytelling: Designing Virtual Crime Scenes

As part of the Curiosity Project’s exploration of emerging technologies in criminology education, students Teri Lovelock and Brooke Davies developed a new approach to creating VR crime scenes by using free 3D assets and spatial design tools.

Rather than physically staging and scanning a real environment like fellow student Jamie Morris, they researched and sourced free 3D models online, including living room interiors, broken glass, weapons, damaged windows, and blood pools — all available as GLTF files.

Using LandingPad to upload the assets into Gravity Sketch, they constructed a detailed and immersive virtual crime scene entirely within VR. By placing and arranging these 3D elements, Teri and Brooke were able to create a rich, layered environment that could tell a story without needing a physical space. The result is a fully explorable VR crime scene designed to support future learners in developing investigative, observational, and analytical skills.

This project demonstrated the creative use of spatial technologies for storytelling and scenario design, giving students the tools to create immersive learning environments with minimal cost and maximum flexibility. It also highlights how VR can be used not only for technical skill development, but also for narrative building and experience design.