Stuart Bull's Lecture & Research Question

The lecture mainly covered the design process, by using different softwares: coverting, importing between different file format and data. The covert process involved different softwares, by coverting, user allows to use different application between the softwares, in order to improve the realism and detailness of the model.
This remind me the process in coverting sketchup into Crysis. Since both of my assignment - EXP 1 and 2 are based on the sketchup. I have experienced alot of errors in the coverting process, errors such like texture, lines, points, fliping planes... I have encountered great difficulties in coverting process.

These experiences helped me to generate the research paper.
It was mentioned in the brief that:
To be perceptive to and document the strengths, weaknessess, opportunities and differences in the two workflows engaged with in EXP1 and EXP 2

In regard to the research's brief, I am going to explore the subject of texturing.
The question will be:

Differences in importing sketchup and 3D Max model with texture patterns through Crysis

Realism

To increase the realistic envirnoment, I have included two subjects in the model.

Lift

There will be lifts inside the building, HOWEVER, they are not going to function, since it is time consuming and there are several lifts through the station, I am not going to spend a lot of times in this issue. The purpose of inserting the lift is to make the station more realistic. The major element in this model is to focus on the lighting.

Smoke effect

I have inserted a cloud substance through the model in order to increase the challenge for the viewers. The intention is to increase the darkness inside the model, viewers can only rely on the lighting that I installed. This can give us a more accurate and a better conclusion.

Lightin installation 2

This is the gateway where the users enter the station, it has a particular lighting pattern that attract viewer to enter the area. This can examine the viewer in reacting to lighting brightness and light location. Since there are several gateways inside the station, viewers can be attracted to these location easily. I predict the viewers are going to reach these gateway areas frequently, mainly due to the installed lighting and settings of these areas.












There will be different lighting patterns in each stair exit. This is because each of these exits are located far way from the gateway and platform. Therefore, these patterns allows the exit locations to stand out from the dark, guiding the viewer walk toward them. Since they all have bright and various colors, I predict the viewer will be guided once they have spot them.

There will be a bright spotlight on each of the stair that connect to the bottom floor (the platform) The intention of these spotlights are to guide the viewer to the the platform, by inserting the lighting, viewer can easily get to the bottom level. There will be a challenge for the viewer since these stairs located closly to the gateway, viewer have the options whether entering the gateway or the platform. This can examine how the viewer react to the lighting, particular the brightness issue.

This is where the platform level, there are red lights located on the train track. The intention of these red lights is to aware the viewers, not to come close these areas. Since the color of red symbolized the meaning of dangerous. I am hoping the viewers can stay away from the track. Furthermore, to emphasis the dangerous, there will be a level changes between the track and plartforms.

Lighting installation 1

I have completed a few of lighting installation through the model, they all different patterns and brightness, which can visually attract viewers, which has a sense that guiding them to individual areas. Since I have chose lighting as my theme, the envirnoment will be keep as a dark envirnoment, making these installation stand out from the dark. Moreover, I will try to keep the texture as simple as possible, since texture can be influence viewer movement indirectly. By creating such an envirnoment, lighting will be the main element through the station.


Technically, the sketchup model still has a few errors/bugs, such like users can stuck in the wall by running too fast and hit the wall, or the wall have a funny color...etc. The most important problem is the light can pass through the wall/ceiling. This directly influences the whole station, I tried to solve the problem by setting the brightness and the distance of the light. However, the problem can be seen significantly. This will be discussin in the the research paper.

The intention of this model is to test how the viewer react to lights. By using different colors, brightness, lighting patterns and the light locations.

The following post is going to demonstrate these installation, with caption of prediction.

EXP2 - Model & Lighting

My installation of the model will be lighting.

Lighting has a direct impact to viewer, it is a visually influence to the surrounding and human interaction. In this case, lighting will be the major element that negativing users through the virtual town hall station. By using various colors and different lighting styles in Crysis, user can experience different visual impacts, leading to different reactions and causing a particular nevgation pattern.

My research is going to examine the users' reactions. Briefly, I am going to predict the reactions from two users, one from male and one female, and compare their reactions to my prediction, this will lead to a final conclusion, showing how lighting impact to users' reactions and nevgation.

Importing Town Hall station

Since I found extremely hard in creating the model in solidworks, I tried to find another method to create the model. I found sketchup can be the tool in replacing solidworks, this can be done by directly imported into STL format. It is a format that Soildworks and 3D Maxs can recognized. Therefore, I tried to import into 3D Maxs. Luckily, the file can be succesfully transform into these 2 softwares.



However, the challenge arrived. Crysis can recognized the file, but it doesn't accept any single plane, which mean it only accept soild, and no lines or plane through the model.

This is exactly what I had experienced in my previous module.

Since the Crysis system couldn't recognize those planes, these areas turned into upside down, which formed a gap. I tried to walk on these areas, as a result, I fell directly into these gaps.

Comparing two models...

A model on the right, it is a successfull model that I can walk on.

The model on the left, having an error, forming a blank spaces, if I walk on these areas, I will fall on to the ground immediately.

Realism

Realism in the visual arts is a style that depicts the actuality of what the eyes can see
(Wikipedia, 2009)

In my understanding, realism is a representation in literature of objects, actions, or social conditions as they actually are. Realism can be achieved through interaction, such like direct contacts, observation and etc. These must be something that has a sense of the original. According to the Russell, military schemes and stragies can be one of the accomplishments.

Realism helps us to understand more and experiment in a virtual environment, and enable us to have a realistic experience, in order to improves and observes under a similar situation.

Realism is widely used in everywhere. For example, flight simulation for training pilots, building model for young architects, solders trained in a virtual environment... Game is the biggest industry that involved realism. Giving players in experience a realistic environment and situation through the game.

Therefore, in this module, by importing a realistic environment - town hall station into Crysis, by setting up a specific installation, player can have a different experience, in order to test the term of realism, in a virtual environment and condition.

Solidworks model

This is the image of my model, with only has 1 level at the moment.

More development is needed

Basic floor plan of the station

Document the Town Hall subway station

During the visit of the town hall station, I secretly took some photos inside the top level of the station. The quality of the images are vary low since I took it with my moible. The basic layout and structure are still able to be seen in the photos.

To understand the structure of the station is to find out the dimension. I tried to find out the information through the manager, in fact they rejecet my request due to security reasons.

Luckily, I found a basic layout of the station, which is a poster inside the manager office.

To conclude, a fairly simple model can be created by these information