Campaign #313
Become one of the 313 members to support our work by donating $25 on a monthly basis.
VR Karbala in Arbaeen, Iraq, 2017
Get a better understanding of the work behind VR Karbala
- Time: 8 months
- Development team: 25+ developers
- Team in total: 55+ people
- Versions: iOS and Android
- Softwares used: Maya, 3DMAX, Unreal Engine, Substance Painter, Unity, Z Brush, Nuke, Houdini, Marvelous, Hairworks, Photoshop, Premier, Plastic SCM

Campaign #313
Hence, we invite you to join us an become one of our #313 partners
User Testimonials
May allah bless you guys in this life and the hear after. Hamdellah we have people like you guys to spread the message of our beloved ahlulbait. Hadi Diran
The part that touched me the most about this was that each aspect was so detailed and vivid. The world is changing and it is hard to imagine how the Day of Ashura took place as we forget amidst modern day advances that there was a lot we have today that wasn’t around 1400 years ago. This experience puts us, the Azadar of Imam Husayn (a), in touch with a part of our history that is the very essence of our existance as Shi’a Muslims.
I would recommend individuals to not only view the demo, but to subscribe in supporting this cause. Whilst it may seem like a better option to purchase the available scene outright, I urge people to subscribe monthly to this great cause to fund the development of more scenes.
I cannot wait to see more of VR Karbala. Rumina Hashmani
The story behind VR Karbala, by Nazer Hussain Mehrali
How much does it cost to develop VR Karbala?
Costs
Throughout 2017, we have spent approx. $176,000.00 USD on the development of VR Karbala. The main costs include was due to post-production and development. We recruited some of the best animators, directors, and artists to work with us. We have had a team of 25+ developers working on full-time on this project to visualize the vision and concept of VR Karbala.
Additionally, the cost includes development, marketing, events, administration, and IT equipment. An overview of the expenditure is illustrated in the diagram below. We hope to find generous people who are blessed with wealth from the Almighty Allah (swt) to support our cause financially. Thus, we are seeking to raise funding of approx. $15,000 monthly or $180,000 for a 12 months period from several donors.

Source of funding
The budget for the current production was raised through crowdfunding, sponsorship, and investment.
– $27,000 was raised through crowdfunding
– $105,000 was raised through investment and sponsorship
– $44,000 was raised through donations from events worldwide
Our goal is to be independent of external funding within the next 2 years. The income will be mainly from Advertisement from our app and monthly support from the believers.

Animation budget comparison
Naturally, the development process of animations is very technical and costly. However, in the case of VR Karbala, the process has been even more complicated and filled with unforeseen challenges due to the complexity of the project as VR Karbala is one of the world’s first realistic VR animation with tremendous details and high quality.
Additionally, with the blessings of Ahlulbayt (as), the scene was developed at a minimal cost. A comparison of the costs related to VR Karbala and other similar animations have been made in the diagram chart below.


Surely, the paradise and salvation are saved for those, who brings forward the tears of others for Imam Hussain (as), even if it is as small as a wing of a mosquito.
VR Karbala team
Founder
Nazer Hussain Mehrali
Marketing Manager
Shaker Hussain Mehrali
IT Manager
Roohullah R. Hasani
Communication Manager
Ahad Azimi
Content Manager
Sarah Al-Musaed
Director
Javad Matouri
Production Manager
Hamed Nadermanesh
Technical Director
Mohammed Danial Atoofi
Unreal Engine Technical and
Environments Designer
Mohammad Danial Atoufi
Hamed Mir Hashemi
Vahid Bahmani
Ashkan Zanjirian
Maya Technical
Payam Mehmandoust
VR Developer and Programmer
Vahid Bahmani
App and Web Developer
Mahmoud Shahbazian
Vahid Bahmani
Benjamin Schultz Sørensen
Landscape Designer
Alireza Khajeh Ali
Story Board
Ghasem Farhani
Mohamad Keyvan Marz
Modeling & Texturing
Ebrahim Diba
Saeid Farhangian
Ali Ahmadi
Mostafa Matouri
Saeid Narimani
Milad Ghiasi
Farhad Nojumi
Shirin Fakhri
Sara Rahmati
Maziar Baderestani
Edit and Layout Previz
Kamran Heidari
Amir Hossein Yazdi
Character Riging
Khalil Khalilian
Sahra Erfani
Animators
Amir Dehghanpour
Peiman Motie
Shahin HekmatKhah
Jalal Rahbari
Mehdi Ahmadi
Music
Ali Afsari
Vocal
Hasan Kateb
Cloth & Hair Simulation
Alireza Soleimani Khah
Hamed Mir Hashemi
Shader Artist
Mohammad Danial Atoufi
FX Artist
Reza Ghorbani
Ashkan Zanjirian
Compositing
Ali Ehtemami
Ashkan Zanjirian
Content & Translation
Hagar Al-Fartoussi
Hiba Hassan
Maria Al-Mousawi
Noor El Sharifi
Aja Mohammed Turki
Geadir Al Fartoussi
Alia Al-Khafaji
Zainab Raham
Ali Hariri
Safoora Arife
Muhammad Taqi
Murtaza al-Shawi
Social Media
Hiba Hassan
Noor El-Sharfi
Alia Al-Khafaji
Video Marketing
Karar Al-Kianan
Mohammed Atwi
Ali Ehtemami
Graphic Designer
Karrar Al-Abodi
Sayed Dion Rezaei
Concept Artist
Davood Diba
Ghasem Farhani
Mohammad Yousefi