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ITP, Tisch School of the Arts, NYU Intro to Interactive 3D and Virtual
Spaces. Instructor:
Tutorials -- updated 02/23/08
- [jean-marc.gauthier@nyu.edu]
Intro to Interactive 3D offers
a clear understanding of the steps needed to design 3D interactive
content -- beginning with conceptual clay models, storyboards and
sketches and evolving to 3D modeling and character animation. Students
are invited to explore the unique feeling of being immersed in a virtual
environment by creating new types of viewer experiences. Students
will create virtual spaces using Maya, Virtools and other media such
as video, 3D sculptures, light, photographs, music, text, graphics,
2D animation and interactivity.
The class covers topics including sensors and input
devices for real-time animation; shaders and 3D paint; virtual cameras and
storytelling (involving the non-linear approach); artificial intelligence and
autonomous interactive characters. Students will receive a CDRom with
tutorials and handouts on examples for the class. Students with no prior
knowledge of 3D and/or programming can use templates (reusable building
blocks and behaviors) in order to focus on content rather than coding.
Students prepare weekly assignments and a final project. Is
there any pre-requisite? No, and everyone
can learn at his or her own pace. This class
is for beginner and advanced students. Can
people play online and interact with my projects created in the class? Yes, the interactive 3D content
that you create in Virtools can be viewed online inside a Mac or PC web
browser or inside a CAVE, multi-screen installation. You can also export
Virtools content to the XBox. |
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Class 1 - Introduction to Virtual Spaces and to Immersive ExperiencesLecture: Roadmap for ceating interactive 3D content Reinventing an immersive
experience: Assignment: Your assignment is to create a videoclip of a walkthrough in the space of your choice. You can choose to shoot inside a house, in the street, for example walking, driving or taking a taxi cab on Broadway, or inside an open space, for example a garden or Central Park. You will shoot as you walk using more than one video camera. You can rig together several cameras back to back or side by side and shoot simultaneously different angles as you walk. You can also use video cameras and mirrors. Edit a short video of the walkthrough using several video clips recorded from several angles composed inside one split screen movie. Bring the videoclip in class in QuickTime movie format. You can work in groups in 2. For references: look at works by Luc Courchesnes on wikipedia and Michael Naimark http://www.naimark.net/projects |
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Class 2 - Textures: How to
apply still images, photographs and live video on 3D objects
Lecture: Presentation of
lights, decals and video textures Tutorial: Introduction to
sprites -both 2D and 3D- based particle animation and procedural lighting
Assignment: Create a virtual art gallery with textures in Virtools |
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Class 3 - Interactive textures: How
to paint in 3D, how to control the motion of the hand in a realtime 3D
painting
Lecture: Presentation of artists working
with lighting and reflections: Paul Debevec's Fiat Lux Tutorial: Creating interactive video
textures and combining textures
Download movie.cmo , an example of texturing with a video clip. Note that you can play this demo in your web browser and edit this demo in Virtools.
Assignment: Add interactive textures and Paint Effects objects from Maya to the virtual gallery. |
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Class 4 - Interactive terrains Lecture: Demo of Half Life 2, game by Dynamic terrains generated with live
video and interactive terrains generated from 2D textures Tutorial:
Assignment: Create a textured terrain (displacement map) with several cameras. Your terrain will be fully textured with at least two interactive cameras. The cameras will be interactive with proper initial conditions. |
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Class 5 - Terrains with physics Lecture: Introduction to interactive
terrains Tutorial:
Download
physics.cmo , an example of terrain with physics. Wait 10 seconds for the red
balls to appear in the scene. Note that you can load this demo in Virtools. Assignment: Create a 3D object moving on a terrain with several attributes and behaviors including physics, driving, cloning and collisions. |
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Class 6 - Character modeling and animation -
Lecture: Creating Follow cameras,
Tracking cameras, paths, speed controls, proximity sensors and collision
detection Tutorial:
Assignment: Model a 3D character using subdivision surfaces. |
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Class 7 - Character animation - part 2, kinematicsLecture: Kinematics and interactive animations
Tutorial:
Assignment: Animate a character in Maya and setup keyboard animation controls in Virtools.
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| Class 8 - Path Finding: case study a 3D pacman game
Lecture: Navigation inside a virtual labyrinth: scene architecture and organization of space in virtual
worlds
Tutorial: Interactive virtual cameras Path guided cameras Transitional cameras
Assignment:
Create a small game
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Class 9 - Designing 3D characters with goalsLecture:
Maps and images of paths. Creating stories using interactive paths. Animated characters using Go to and nodal paths.
Tutorial:
Assignment: Create several interactive
characters and digital puppets using "go to", nodal paths
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Class 10 - The Viewer's Experience
Lecture: New ways to describe the viewer's experience. Examples of projects using Z-buffer and texels. Tutorial:
Assignment:
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Class 11 - Using input devices and sensors for VR and games Lecture: Design of space,
screen and input devices Immersive
installations Strategies for final projects Storyboards and scrapbooks: (for
example) Porco Rosso from Studio Ghibli Tutorial: Hooking up input
devices: webcam, Wiimote and Arduino
Assignment: Fill up the online form about the production of your final project. Create a digital storyboard and a prototype
of interface design |
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Class 12 - 3D sound
Lecture: 3D sound and MIDI
Assignment: Final project: working prototype of interface design |
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Class 13 - Final project 60% and class 14 - Final project 90% |
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