Designing Disaster Relief: CARNEVALE’s Real Time Data Lens Platform
A behind-the-scenes look at the design process that turned live data into a dimensional, mission-ready interface.
At CARNEVALE, we develop technologies that help teams perform with clarity in complex situations. Our proprietary Real Time Data Lens (RTDL) platform transforms live information into immersive, collaborative environments—tools that support planning, coordination, and decision-making at scale.
We’ve previously shared the story of SkyLens, which showed how this platform brings aerospace and weather data into the sphere above us. In this Lab, we turn to Disaster Relief, an RTDL application that overlays natural disaster data onto a navigable 3D map. Real Time Data Lenses can be applied across domains, from logistics and enterprise operations to industrial and scientific contexts, where layered data must be quickly understood and acted upon. Here, we focus on the design process: from sketches to immersive systems.
Concept Sketching
Even the most advanced software experiences begin with pencil and paper. Troy Rojewski, Design Director at CARNEVALE, laid the groundwork by sketching rough concepts of how multiple users could interact with contextual, live data layered onto a navigable 3D map. The focus was on collaboration: a virtual space where users—both local and remote—communicated effectively, analyzed hazards, prepared strategies, and deployed tactics.
Scenario Storyboarding
These early sketches advanced into digital tools like Photoshop, where we developed a storyboard that clearly illustrated how operators could engage with layered intelligence on a 3D map. By compositing dimensional assets into the interface, we mapped out a range of scenarios for mission planning and real-time coordination. This stage established the interface vision, ensuring that this Real Time Data Lens would support command-and-control decision-making.
Dimensional Interface Design
3D interfaces relied on many of the same UX principles as traditional software applications but gained additional advantages with the third dimension, including faster user comprehension of visualized data and more intuitive controls. Our design team built the concept in 3D tools like Blender and Maya to define the experience and bring it closer to reality.
Engine Integration
Throughout this process, Kenton Reynolds, Lead 3D Artist, engineered the geographic environments and particle systems—ranging from high-velocity winds to active wildfire conditions—for integration into the Unity-based Real Time Data Lens platform. These environmental layers, combined with a range of UI assets, resulted in an interface system designed for rapid user comprehension in mission-critical scenarios.
Four Lessons for Building Dimensional Experiences
While core UX principles still apply, dimensional design adds new demands: spatial awareness, intuitive navigation, and real-time usability. Meeting those demands requires a broader toolkit. The following lessons share how our team blends design fundamentals with 3D methods to build effective immersive systems.
Lesson 1: Use Tools Like Photoshop, Illustrator, and Figma as 3D Springboards
By exporting SVGs directly from Illustrator or Photoshop into Blender, we reduced the time needed to model basic interface elements. This kept the aesthetic consistent across assets and gave designers an easy entry point into the 3D pipeline. The result was a faster, more flexible workflow that allowed the team to focus on refining the experience.
→ Tip: Encourage your design team to view their conventional tools as a 3D starter kit. Clean vector shapes translate to clean 3D forms in applications like Blender and Maya.
Lesson 2: 3D-Savvy Designers Are a Critical Asset
When designers understood how to bring their ideas into 3D, even at a basic level, the gap between concept and implementation narrowed dramatically. A team with more 3D-literate designers created fewer bottlenecks, allowing dedicated 3D artists to focus on higher-value elements such as simulations, environments, and character work.
→ Tip: Investing in light 3D training for your design team yields significant returns in communication, speed, and cohesion.
Lesson 3: Simple Shapes + Smart Texturing = Big Wins
Instead of modeling multiple icons and importing each one into Unity, we created a single 3D base and applied different texture variations within the Real Time Data Lens platform. This approach simplified the process, improved quality, and made future updates straightforward.
→ Tip: If your project includes repetitive elements (e.g., map pins, badges, icons), build modularly and use texture swaps for variety.
Lesson 4: Think Spatially from Day One
Everything from scale to positioning to user flow had to be considered in 3D space, and the earlier this was addressed, the better. From paper sketches to 3D mockups, spatial awareness shaped the success of the product.
→ Tip: Approach dimensional experiences like architecture: sketch floorplans early, block out volume, and test for scale often. Prototypes don’t need to be polished to be powerful.
The Real Time Data Lens (RTDL) platform demonstrates how immersive overlays can turn live information into immediate awareness. Disaster Relief shows its impact in emergency response; SkyLens shows its use in aerospace. And these are only the beginning. RTDLs can be applied anywhere teams need to understand complex environments and act decisively—whether in enterprise, industry, or defense.