Lars Stuursma

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Hired or Fired

Lead Programmer |  System Designer
Professional Project
Nov 2025 – Jan 2026
(VR)

Hired or Fired

Lead Programmer |  System Designer
Professional Project
Nov 2025 – Jan 2026
(VR)

Details

Hired or Fired is an immersive VR training experience created for Noorderpoort, designed to support new Engineering students and visitors during open days. The project allows users to safely interact with and operate a drilling machine in a fully virtual environment, eliminating real-world risks while still teaching essential operational procedures.

The experience plays out in a futuristic world where it guides players through the machine’s workflow, highlighting critical safety steps, proper handling, and key points to remember before working with the physical equipment. This helps students build confidence and foundational knowledge before entering a real workshop setting.

For more specifics on what  I worked on look below.

Responsibilities

Lead Programmer

System Designer

Lead Programmer

  • Designed and programmed the complete drilling machine logic, including start conditions, position validation, drilling zones, scoring, and decal placement while preventing overlap.
  • Developed a VR tutorial system that teaches users the fundamentals of operating the drilling machine before beginning the simulation.
  • Created an object respawn system to recover lost or misplaced VR interactables based on interaction and placement conditions.
  • Built an interactive material spawner system, including the logic, animations, and 3D model for spawning and respawning materials.
  • Implemented a validation-based transport system that processes drilled materials only when all required conditions are satisfied.
  • Programmed interactive safety equipment to reinforce correct real-world safety procedures.
  • Designed the teleportation and room progression system, including screen fade transitions to guide the player through the experience.

System Designer / Technical Programming

  • Created custom shaders featuring pulsing visual effects and animated flipbook textures using row/column frame animation techniques.
  • Designed reusable and modular gameplay systems to ensure scalability and maintainability.
  • Developed gameplay logic that integrates machine operation, objectives, and user feedback into a cohesive VR training experience.
  • Focused on creating intuitive interactions that improve accessibility for first-time VR users.
  • Collaborated closely with the team to build an immersive educational simulation for Noorderpoort.

Coding

Drilling Machine Logic

Built interactive machine systems using XR Knobs and custom scripts. Implemented conditions required to start the drill, position validation with live values, drilling zones, decal spawning with scoring, and logic to prevent overlapping decals.

Custom Shaders & Animated Materials

Created custom shaders including pulsing effects and my favorite flipbook animations. Made Flipbook textures using row/columns to create a frame-by-frame animation effect.

VR Tutorial System

For an easy VR experience for the user I worked on a tutorial that explains the basics and most important information about the drilling machine. After the tutorial the user can continue work and should now know most of the basics to opperate this machine.