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Scene Types

The QExE tool uses three distinct types of Unity scene, each serving a specific role in the test flow:

  • The _config scene — the mandatory starting scene for every test
  • The _questionnaire scene — the virtual space for in-headset questionnaire responses
  • _evaluation scenes — the scenes in which stimuli are presented and evaluated

_config Scene​

The _config scene is always the first scene loaded at the start of a test. It serves two purposes:

  1. It provides participants with a virtual space to acclimatize to the headset, controls, and movement before the test begins — avoiding the situation where subjects are placed directly into an evaluation without preparation.
  2. It performs initialization steps and communicates with the QExE Controller to retrieve test configuration data prior to the first evaluation item.

The TestManager.cs component is attached to the TestManager object in the _config scene hierarchy. As described in the Unity Agent architecture, this component acts as the Unity-side counterpart to the Controller's testmanager.js, persisting across all scenes for the duration of the test.

Unity screenshot of the _config scene
_config Scene

Unity screenshot of the _config scene.

_questionnaire Scene​

The _questionnaire scene provides a dedicated virtual space for participants to complete a specified questionnaire using a VR interface. Its visual style is intentionally simple, consistent with the _config scene, though both can be adapted to suit the aesthetic requirements of a study.

_evaluation Scenes​

Evaluation scenes fall into two categories depending on the visual content type:

  1. CGI evaluation scenes — scenes designed in Unity and saved as .unity files
  2. 360° video evaluation scenes — scenes that stream video content via the built-in _videoPlayer scene

For a full breakdown of how to configure evaluation scenes, including audio and visual combinations, see the Evaluation Scenes page.

1. CGI Evaluation Scenes​

CGI scenes are authored directly in Unity. A completed scene is saved as my-scene-name.unity. To use it in a test, set "unityScene_ID" : "my-scene-name" in the Scenes array of your configuration file.

2. 360° Video Scenes​

For 360° video content, set "unityScene_ID" : "_videoPlayer" in the config file. The _videoPlayer scene includes a video manager that receives the video file URL from the QExE Controller at runtime — no custom Unity scene authoring is required.

Mixing scene types

Because scene loading is controlled by the QExE Controller, CGI and 360° video scenes can be mixed within a single test. This enables direct comparisons between scene types within the same experiment.