The third project for CS 428 is a continuation of the second project wherein built upon their previous project to create an immersive Virtual Reality at building scale. This project focused on the creation and navigation of a larger virtual world at human scale. Another focus of this project was to create an experience by physically walking and teleporting throughout the virtual world.
The scope of this project was to modify the atrium of the CDRLC building by changing the look of the walls, floor, ceiling, and things within the space. For this project, the students were given freedom to choose the theme that they would use and for my project I chose to do an Animal Crossing theme. Animal Crossing is a franchise game made by Nintendo, and I started playing the Animal Crossing New Horizons (ACNH) game during the Covid-19 lockdown when it was released. I wanted to recreate some of the buildings from the ACNH game and added some of the characters as well.
I know that it is impractical for the atrium space of the CDRLC building, however I found it enjoyable to recreate the ACNH buildings because it felt like I was walking through the Animal Crossing game itself. For my project, I lined up the buildings and models on one side of the atrium to make it feel like it was a shopping district. The Nooks Cranny store is a store that sells various objects such as tools and decor that an Animal Crossing player needs. Next to it is Redd's boat, where paintings and sculptures are bought. However, in my project scene, I used sculptures of the paintings that he usually sells instead of just regular paintings. Additionally, I added a lighthouse next to Redd's boat to signify that Redd's boat has gone ashore and he is stuck.
10 unique models from the web
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Crazy Redd Boat by damien_max59
Nook's Cranny - ACNH by kristenlee
Stylized Low Poly Garage Junk by Alvin Suen
Cage for many things by LadyIReyna
Mona Liza by 3D arena BIONORMIX®
Girl_with_a_Pearl_Earring by moonlab
Animal Crossing Lighthouse by lowpolilowskil
Nook's Cranny by RensPitman
Dodo Airlines by pratamacam
Saharah's Cart - Animal Crossing Fanart by Florence Dubois
Wisp by Karis
Button - LowPoly by Antoniolm
Animal crossing Gyroid by Fnalex
PlayTM by Kewal Shah
5 unique 3D models that you create on your own
Animal Crossing Axe
Island Flag
Bench
At least 5 of the models need to have appropriate physics and collliders to be grabbable, droppable, and tossable, and collide with the floor
Watering Can with Flowers by kristenlee (model taken from Nook's Cranny model)
Nooks Cranny Board by kristenlee (model taken from Nook's Cranny model)
Nook's Cranny by RensPitman
Dodo Airlines by pratamacam
Animal Crossing Diorama by Joan Tieu
5 new unique 'flat' models with images (hanging banners, rugs, wall art) where the textures can come from cited creators
Island Flag
Painting Lowpoly by BaptisteBerard
2 assets from Carpet by Lucas Garnier
At least 5 of the 3D models need to have appropriate physics and collliders to be grabbable, droppable, and tossable, and collide with other parts of the kiosk and the floor
Isabelle - Super Smash Bros. by naominou
bag o' bells by datasoul
Soda Can (High Poly) by Chris Sweetwood
Animal Crossing: New Horizons Resident Service by damien_max59
Radio by Nicola Hynes
At least 4 unique sounds that get louder as you get closer, or that are triggered by interacting with objects in the scene, or that sound when objects hit other objects.
creatureinterchange by trash kid
Fluorescent Light Humming by Mike Koenig
Female Sigh by PD Ezwa
Magical by Mike Koenig
The suggested frame rate for this project is to be above 30 frames per second. However in certain areas of my project scene, it goes down to mid 20s because of the big models that I placed such as the Nooks Cranny building. I tried to limit the little models that I placed in front of big models like the building, but it still went down to the a frame rate of around 20 in those areas. For the most part, my project stays in the range of 50 to 60 frames per second.
This technology of showing off items within a blueprint of a building can be used during the construction of a new building by engineers to show their ideas to prospective customers. Usually, when constructing a house, blueprints are drawn out by architects and engineers in either 2D or 3D. However, by utilizing the VR technology, the clients can fully immerse themselves into the virtual world where the design of the building can be fully realized. Another situation where this technology can be utilized is during home renovations or home decorating by interior designers to show their clients how they plant to decorate their home. When people hire interior designers, they usually work with the designers to customize and curate the aesthetic that they want to go for in their house. I believe that this technology can help in this process because the clients can be immersed in a world that perfectly shows how the space within their home will be used. With this technology, the interior designers can show off the different fixtures, appliances, and furniture that they plan on using without blindsiding the client with opposing design choices such as sizes of items and color palettes.
First, utilizing this technology in the construction of a new house is a brilliant idea because the client can fully experience the scale and design of their home or the building they are constructing. They can teleport throughout the area to really examine the details of various places within the building that the engineer or architect has prepared for them. The reason why this technology is so beneficial is because the clients can point out mistakes or things they want to modify before everything is finalized in the construction of the building. By doing so, the engineers and the client can avoid higher costs of replacing or changing certain parts after the complete construction of the building.
Second, this technology can perfectly be integrated into the home renovation process as well. Usually when renovating a home, both engineers and interior designers work together to create the house that a client wants. In doing so, they can coordinate the structure of the house with the fixtures and appliances that will be used to furnish the house. This technology can be used by interior designers in showing their clients what the house or building will look like furnished with their planned out layout of fixtures, furniture, and appliances. This means that the client can fully immerse themselves within that virtual reality world and experience beforehand if they would like or dislike the furniture that will be customized for their home. This is advantageous because showing the client in VR will avoid miscommunication of design ideas between the interior designer and client, making the workload easier.
I think that both of these ideas are great ways of utilizing this VR technology because it aids not only the engineers and the interior designers, but also the clients. In having an option to see the planned result of the construction or renovation, the client can decide if they actually like what they are paying for and can modify objects or details before the construction or renovation is completed. If I were a client, I would want to see what the contractors that I pay for have in store for my home or building and not only is it practical but it also lets me feel more excited about the completion of the home or building.