Introduction
We started off this module by going through a couple different ways to go about VR/AR experiences, the first of which is a VR YouTube video where you can look around the environments we create and see all the small animations and secrets we put in them, however you can only control where you look and you can’t travel inside the video. The other is a VR space you can design in a pre built world where you can add your own models and videos to make it your own.
VR YouTube Video
While creating the video I had created storyboards, and visualised the colours i wanted for the aesthetic i was going for. I used the storyboards to tell when in a sequence thing would happen in the space. Where as i prototyped the style of lighting i wanted using blender and comparing the two different renders to see what looks best, mixing gamma values, saturation, vibrancy, exposure values. I knew going into this that i would like a more gritty feel to the world i was creating meaning i had to make more muddy values and lower exposure to keep things dark and dramatic.
With the storyboards along side the sequence of actions i also put the main sounds i would like to hear inside the story i created. This is to help me place the audio when creating the animation, and it helps when placing the secondary audio sources.
The storyboard was a rough sketch in a circle to encapsulate where i would like things to go in the scene, however the pieces without the circle represent where i would like the camera to have most focus on, they act as places of interest, and I will use audio and visual stimulus to draw the attention.
My aim for this scene was to create a alternate reality WW2 British radio bunker, where at the end we see that the British have lost and a Germans have won. I got this inspiration from the black ops 2 origins robot.
When looking into the User Experience of people watching the 360 Video, i want to make sure that I don’t confuse the user and give them motion sickness. The way I am going to help levitate the problem is to make sure the main focus is in front and giving audio cues and visual cues to help the user track what is happening. I am also making sure the user doesn’t have to look in two places at the same time as that can cause confusion on missing out on something you couldn’t see.
The goal of the video is to make sure the user is immersed in the scene i have created, making them feel like they are there. This means creating a scene where it feels like you can interact with the environment. This can come in many forms, from making it look realistic and also making things look like they are already interacting with each other, like small movements of grass or dust settling on the sides.
Current Scene
Rendered in Maya, lit, untextured.
Rendered in Blender, lit, textured.
This is a single frame that i expanded into a 60s clip so you can look around it, but no animations are playing due to limitations to rendering being the time i have to render out the scene. This was mainly made from assets i made and assets from Sketchfab (Now Fab.com) to create a simple scene rather easily and quickly to find what i like and don’t like.
Frame VR
With Frame VR we was given a multitude of canvas’ to play around with, this website allows you to create worlds with your own models, however there were a few issues i had when implementing my ideas. The controls for the keyboard and mouse seemed horrible and good features that should be enabled to the owner are off in the menus, such as the fly mode.
The imports of the models seemed relatively good and i put some of my spaceship engine models inside the world, however selecting each piece and moving them without getting the wrong one seemed a hassle and I couldn’t figure out how to use precision tools to fit them together.
Current Scene
https://framevr.io/zillious-test-environment
I wasn’t able to get much done, but i used their AI tools which seemed like good way of getting a filled environment, however this was tied to a credit system so i could only do so many before i ran out.
The user experience for this to me personally wasn’t very good, weird controls, not great selection controls, and a AI tool that makes you think it’s free but is secretly behind a paywall after a little bit.