Virtual Island

Virtual Island is a graphical simulation of a distant, lost island in the Pacific ocean. Purposely designed for users who want to take a little time off, put on their headsets, close their eyes and enjoy a relaxing and calm nature sound simulation.

You can switch the app to full screen and use it as a live wallpaper. Even though the graphics are basic and raw 3D shapes and finishes, the sound itself takes your full attention and transport you on a sunny beach in the middle of the ocean.

When you get into it, you can hear all the sounds that surround you like waves, seagull squawks and wind. You can also move around the scenery with a free first-person camera that allows you to fly over the island. Music can also be added over the sound effects as an extra relaxing stimulant. A downside regarding the music is that the track is very short and the long pause before it starts again can be easily noticed and can be a disrupting element for some users.

All the external resource files such as bitmaps, raws, and audio files are inside the executable exe file using resource functions, thus allowing a stand-alone and easy to handle the file. This application uses OpenGL for the 3D API and graphics performance. It's completely programmed under Visual C++ trying to fit the best object-oriented programming. It also uses DirectX through the DirectMIDI class library which performs all the audio functions and sound effects involved in the application.