Research

What are the different aspects focused by different work flows?
Experiment 1 and Experiment 2 adopted the combination of different softwares in order to achieve what they can achieve the most. For example, SketchUp is good for improvisational or complex designs, because it does not emphasise on particular technically challenging knowledges, whereas 3DS Max does. That is why SketchUp is used for Experiment 1 to arouse interesting thoughts on the ramp view of explosions, and 3DS Max was used to do realistic texturing for Experiment 2.
On the other hand, Solidworks does not serve for architectural design purposes, but since it aligns parts of a complex model perfectly, it suits the focused goal (realistic representation of Townhall model) in Experiment 2.
Different softwares are designed with different purposes, but they can be rethink and make use on common things.

1. Images of work flow in assessment 2.


Sketch of plane before extruding


escalator


stair


stair handle


fences


assembling parts together


import separate .STL parts into 3DS Max


assigning materials


export parts and materials into Crysis


installation


material editting in Crysis

2. Research Video:

Original size video:http://www.filefront.com/14875629/BENV2423-RESEARCH_1.wmv/

3. Crysis files download address:http://www.2shared.com/file/8968577/a2123c48/3293524.html

4. 3D Max file download address: http://www.2shared.com/file/8964122/e2d02be6/3293524.html

5. Solidworks files download address: http://www.2shared.com/file/8964209/45722eb5/3293524.html

Submission

1. Installation within the Town Hall subway station.


1st level


2nd level


3rd level


inter-level (1st and 2nd level)

2. Video on "The Porosity of Subterranian Sydney" :



From daily train rides in the past 3 years, I found that the atmosphere in train stations is especially stressed during peak periods. Students and office people would go running around and chasing trains... little do they care about the environment or other people around them, more like they are alone in their little dream of ambition. This is why I have created the environment without other people in it. Also, the installation has the purpose of evoking porosity within the deepest of human minds - despite their hopeful nature and confidence, there are worries hidden in their minds. I feel in order to present reality, emotional engagement with the daily thoughts in players' minds is more important than to merely make a realistically textured model.

Navigation

1. Short clip showing classmate "navigating" your environment (played by Hayley)


2. Critique navigation clip with respect to strengths, weaknesses and opportunities of the Solidworks to 3dsMax to Crysis workflow.

During the initial modelling in Solidworks, other than the version converting problem for the files, the program is exellent for its assembling ability and accuracy. These important strengths contribute to the Townhall station modelling throughout the whole work flow from the very start.

Since the exporting of .STL files from Solidworks are automatically aligned in Solidworks, the process in 3DS Max is made with much convenience. However the material editting is very confusing and inconvenient. A lot of the functions and technical words - though we have used them, but we do not understand their meaning or what they do. Without fully understand what we do, it eventually leads on to problems like how sometimes materials do not show when they are being applied to the Crysis files. Since we did not know what we did wrong, there was no way to fix it either.

Crysis Editor is excellent in rendering despite all the problem-causing material editting, especially good for visualising realistic 3D environments. However the automatic render also means that there is a bigger limit for us to take control. The concern is to be spent on the correct method to get something working, instead of searching for possible methods to make something perfect.

One more bad aspect (also in Crysis Editor), since the player character in Crysis is huger than normal human, it also creates a false illusion that everything are smaller than real world (in the perspective of the player).

3. Post your particular version of the research question on your blog.
What are the different aspects focused by different work flows?

Week 08

Progress on Solidworks model:

Adjusted extruded cuts; added stairs & escalators
(All major elements now should be close to accurate.)


Leveled floors - without stairs


WITH stairs and escalators...

-----------------------------------------------

1. Upload an image of your level test in Crysis Wars to your blog.

2. Reflect on the lecture to prepare a 250 word (maximum) statement on 'realism' as it relates to your documentation of the Town Hall Subway Station.

There are various ways in which we can interpret the word 'realism' - available to us through sight, smell, touch, taste and hearing. However, since our surroundings and knowledge from daily life have shaped our understanding of normality itself, things from outside our scale of understanding are thus not counted as part of 'reality' even if it is perceived by us (whether it is through a computerised environment or an artwork). >>Another word that might be more suitable to describe - 'surrealistic'<<

To present reality, it is crucial to fit the scale of presentation into the scale of our understanding. For example, a normal bedroom door height of 2meters would appear more realistic than a door that is 1m or 4m in height, but this leads to another question of HOW to make the audience perceive. Of course, the ways vary from a 2D sketch to a 3D environment. The major difference though, between a realistic presentation and a not-so-realistic presentation, lies within the quality of interaction between audience and the thing that is being presented. >>I believe that an excellent presenter should go one step further - they should be capable of guiding their audience unconciously to a certain direction of thinking.<<

As a summary of the statement above has been put into action, EXP2 (The Porosity of Subterranean Sydney) adopts the realistic interative game control into a prensentative technique, which gives our audience the chance to experience reality through movement. It is because of the process of walk through that enables them to recognise familiarities between the computerised model and the actual environment, thus making the presentation realistic.

Week 07

On Tuesday, we were very lucky to go and measure as a group of more than 10 people, so our measurements were taken with less effort and time.

The progress I have this week on Solidworks:


Axonometric (Townhall Station with 3 Levels)


Sectioned View


Plan of First Floor


Extruded cuts of stairs and elevators (First Floor)

Week 06

Ways to measure aspects of a real site:

• Ruler/tape measure
• Photo taking
• Measure by footsteps
• Measure by tiles
• Measure by different parts of the body... (eg arms, legs etc)
• Measure by eye
  

Without using the ruler or tape measurer, there are basically no precise way to measure the station features. However, all the other ways listed above can help to proximate the dimensions.

To take pictures as a way to measure level heights in the station is a convenient method. We can measure the height of a person beforehand, and ask him/her to stand beside a pole. After the picture is taken, we can then use the person's height as a reference guide to measure the remaining height above his/her head.

To measure by footsteps, we can proximate the length of each station level. Similar to usin a person's height as a reference guide, we can use our feet as a reference guide. For smaller features like the handrail or gates, we can measure by our own hands or arms. We only need to take measurements of we use before using them to measure.

To proximate larger distances, we can first measure a station feature using the ways listed above, then stand further from the station feature and measure the feature using a pencil. After we get them to approximately the same length, we can then move the pencil horizontally across (before our eyes) to measure how many times it takes to get to another location. However many times there are, that means however many times the station feature's length should be calculated.

Extra people to help out would also increase the speed of the research. For example, 9 people can be separated as 3 groups of 3, and each group can measure a level.

POROSITY

1.Upload the 60 second video clip to Youtube and link it to your blog.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-_lJ9zryEM0



2. Upload the SketchUp model to Google Warehouse and provide a link from your blog.

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=6e30c19bb6344020d06348595a93fc36

3. Upload the Crysis Wars files required to 'play' your map to Filefront, or a similar service, and provide a link from your blog.

http://www.2shared.com/file/7515443/4e5075fa/3293524-Crysis.html

Week 04

1. Capture a series of video clips of your latest version of your experimental environment:

• One should focus on the ramps+platform:

• One on the explosion:

• The final one on other interactive elements:

2. On your blog write 150 words describing the mode or modes you are using to create your machinima documentary and indicate what benefit you gain by using them.

• Cuttings: basically to connect the scenes from different clips. If 2 clips start and end at the exact same position, then it would be rather easy to make a smooth run-through with cuts (but that's really hard...)
• Dissolve: just a softer touch on gaps between scenes, and the audience would realise that there's a scene change.
• Perspectives: for example, a landscape view would give the audience a general sense of what the atmosphere you are trying to evoke; a close-up would make you focus and think 'what has happened? What WILL happen?'
  
• Panning: I feel it would be more intriguing to make the audience realise that they are looking at something 3-dimensionally, not just a 2D screen with still 3D pictures
  
• Timing: What goes first, what goes second - that really matters, esp. with the explosions, because that makes you feel like you have a detail plan in mind, but the result is unpreditable.
• Slow-mode/fast-mode: the speed of a clip helps to increase/reduce the tension of the explosions. I use it to go along with the music - it is always more effective to combine sight and hearing, esp. when the music is touching.
• Words: words are powerful. As we have seen in the clips shown in lecture, the clips may give a totally plain taste without the aid of words. I use words to make graphics appear more than they really mean.
  

Week 03

1. Integrate:

• time
• pickable objects
• flow chart - doors
• rain
  

2. Upload a short clip to Youtube and link it to your blog.

Week 02

1. Add more Archetype Entities platforms + sketchup model of ramps (of various scales) into your level and write a 50 word caption that proposes a hypothesis for the effect of an explosion/s on your 3d field.

Sketchup ramp + archetype bridge + village + trees:

2. Upload a series of 3 short clips to Youtube and link them to your blog.

I originally thought that there must be a certain mass for each swimming platforms, so even when explosions occur, they would just be floating away... but they ended up flying.

Oil barrel explosion - explosion of the house becomes a trigger for the swimming platforms to fly...only ONE of the roof tiles went flying upwards...

C4 explosion - same effect induced for the swimming platforms, except the reaction timing is faster, and the roof tiles explode into different angles.

Week 01

A snapshot of an interesting landscape:












A 10-second video of the environment: