Urbanization has limited people’s daily exposure to nature, reducing nature connection and overall well-being. Although virtual reality (VR) offers an alternative access to nature-like environments, it often lacks authenticity and connection to physical experiences. We present NatureCapture, a multi-user system that bridges real-world and virtual nature engagement by allowing users to capture real-world natural elements and collaboratively integrate them as interactive 3D models into a shared VR nature space. A two-week within-subjects study indicated that NatureCapture promoted nature connectedness, emotional regulation, and social closeness. Interviews further revealed that NatureCapture supported immersive and extended interactions with nature, promoted reciprocal engagement in virtual and real environments, and strengthened nature interaction through socially mediated engagement. Our work highlights the potential of user-driven real-to-3D transformation to preserve physical encounters with nature, combining the spatial flexibility and interactivity of VR. Such cross-environment paradigm offers a novel approach for sustaining human-nature connection in technologically mediated life.
ACM CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems