Denisse Advances Biosphere 3 Research, creating a digital twin of Biosphere 2

Vertically Integrated Projects is pleased to share the work of Denisse, a student who was part of the Biosphere 2 digital twin initiative. Working closely with team lead Black, Denisse is part of a multidisciplinary effort that brings together extended reality, artificial intelligence, and environmental research. Over the summer, she played a key role in developing a high-fidelity digital representation of Biosphere 2 that balances technical precision with strong visual impact.

Using Unreal Engine 5, Denisse created a fully navigable digital twin featuring cinematic flythroughs of the facility. Her workflow integrates 3D modeling, photogrammetry, and real-world data capture, including drone footage that was converted into three-dimensional geometry to accurately represent the surrounding landscape.

A major focus of her work is the rainforest biome, where she cataloged plant types and recreated the environment using both custom assets and scanned real-world materials such as leaf litter and ground textures. Denise also addressed the challenges of modeling organic environments, laying groundwork for future simulations involving growth, climate variables, and ecological behavior.

Watch a short video of Denise briefly explaining her project.