Weekly Challenge #1 Wrap-Up: Your First World Awaits! (Plus Bonus Tips!)

[SeeingBlue]

Hey Creators! 👋

What an amazing first couple of weeks for our Weekly Creator Challenge! We've seen some incredible "First Worlds" popping up, and it's inspiring to see so many of you diving into Horizon Worlds creation. Whether you've shared your world already or are still putting on the finishing touches (or even just thinking about starting!), this post is for you.

A Quick Recap: The "First World" Challenge

Last week, we focused on the foundational steps of building in Horizon Worlds, using the official "Create Your First World" tutorial as our guide:

https://developers.meta.com/horizon-worlds/learn/documentation/get-started/create-your-first-world/

And for those who prefer a visual walkthrough, this excellent video covered the same ground:

https://developers.meta.com/horizon-worlds/learn/documentation/get-started/create-your-first-world/#...

The core concepts we explored were:

• Project Setup: Starting a new world from a blank slate using an asset template.
• Navigation & Controls: Mastering movement in the desktop editor.
• Object Placement & Manipulation: Adding assets from the library, resizing, rotating, scaling, and duplicating.
• Creating Environment: Using different Gizmos to add sound, change the sky, and add color to your world.
• Previewing: Checking your world across multiple platforms
• Publishing your World!

The challenge was to create your first world using assets from the asset library in the desktop editor. The goal wasn't perfection; it was about getting started and experiencing the joy of creation.

It's Not Too Late! (Seriously!)

Even if the "official" week is over, we still absolutely want to see your creations! This challenge, and all future challenges, are designed to be evergreen. You can jump in whenever you're ready. The tutorial and video are always available, and the community is here to support you. Earn a sweet badge, too!

Weekly Creator Challenge #1: My First World

Don't Overthink It!

One of the biggest hurdles for beginners is feeling overwhelmed. Remember:

• Start Small: It's okay to keep it simple. Focus on mastering one skill at a time.
• Experiment: Lots of creators added their own flare, and some even ventured outside of the tutorial and into a few features. Don’t be afraid to try something new if you’re up to the challenge!
• Embrace Imperfection: Your first world (or even your tenth!) won't be perfect. That's okay. The process of learning is more important than the initial result.
• Don't Be Afraid to Ask for Help: This community is incredibly supportive. If you get stuck, post a question! Someone will be happy to assist you.
• Publish that World! It may not be perfect, but the first step is often the hardest! Publishing and getting user feedback is the best way to iterate and improve. 

Bonus Tips:

Based on some common questions I've seen, here are a few extra tips:

• Learn your Hotkeys: Hotkeys will make your life easier and speed up your creation process.
• W,A,S,D while holding R-click to move around
• Scroll your mouse wheel while holding R-click to change the camera speed.
• F to focus on the selected object.
• Ctrl + Z to undo your last change.
• Ctrl + D to duplicate a selected object
• Alt + Middle Mouse for camera panning
• More can be found in Keyboard Shortcuts under the Main Menu in the upper-left corner of the desktop editor.
• Gizmos are Your Friends: Spend some time playing with them to understand how they can add value to your world.
• Add Ambience: Light, sound, and motion ambiance make your world feel alive.
• Birds flying overhead, wind blown particles, tumbleweed rolling by.
• Use light or sound to guide players in a specific direction.
• Use Colliders: Don’t let players easily escape your world. Keep in mind that users who use teleport locomotion can reach areas that smooth locomotion players cannot. Also, if a player can manage to wedge themselves between two horizontal colliders, they will pop above the top collider.
• Organize your Hierarchy: Name any interactive objects you plan to reference in scripts to make them easier to identify. Use an Empty Object under the Build Menu to group like objects together.
• Preview Mode from anywhere: R-Click anywhere on a collidable surface and select Preview from here
• Seek Feedback: Be social, meet new players, join social spaces, make friends, and ask if they would like to see your new world and give you feedback. Post your world in What I’m Building and ask for feedback in the title.

Let's keep the momentum going! This is a fantastic starting point for your Horizon Worlds journey. Keep building, keep learning, and keep sharing! We are excited to see your creations.

On to the next challenge! 🎉

Weekly Creator Challenge #2 - 3D Model Import: My First Import