Embedded Files
In this section:
In this section:
◉ We will plan our digital places by thinking about the kinds of experiences (feelings and actions) we want them to prompt in visitors, and critically thinking about how our places might invite experiences beyond the colonizing, conquering, and violent ones often invited by commercial digital places.
◉ We will plan our digital places by thinking about the kinds of experiences (feelings and actions) we want them to prompt in visitors, and critically thinking about how our places might invite experiences beyond the colonizing, conquering, and violent ones often invited by commercial digital places.
◉ We will learn how to sculpt and texture terrain in SculptGL.
◉ We will learn how to sculpt and texture terrain in SculptGL.
◉ We will learn how to add detail to our terrain texture in Photopea.
◉ We will learn how to add detail to our terrain texture in Photopea.
◉ We will learn how to import our terrain into a PlayCanvas project and move through it.
◉ We will learn how to import our terrain into a PlayCanvas project and move through it.
◉ We will learn how to import our TinkerCAD models from the Part II into our worlds.
◉ We will learn how to import our TinkerCAD models from the Part II into our worlds.
◉ We will have time to flesh out our places with more 3D models and terrain.
◉ We will have time to flesh out our places with more 3D models and terrain.
Big Idea: Designed places reflect the creative choices of the people who designed them. By being mindful of the experiences (feelings and actions) we want our virtual places to encourage or discourage, we can design our virtual worlds to have space for powerful, meaningful, or interesting experiences, and (hopefully) avoid building colonizing norms into them.
Big Idea: Designed places reflect the creative choices of the people who designed them. By being mindful of the experiences (feelings and actions) we want our virtual places to encourage or discourage, we can design our virtual worlds to have space for powerful, meaningful, or interesting experiences, and (hopefully) avoid building colonizing norms into them.
NOTE: In this module, we will be downloading a lot of files. Usually, browsers by default automatically stick all downloads in a "Downloads" folder that can be quite hard for students to find. To make things simpler, we recommend setting up your browser to ask where to save files (tutorial link).
planning our DIGITAL PLACES
planning our DIGITAL PLACES
Before learning how to create digital places, we're going to take some time to think about what we want these digital places to do. Places 'invite' us to feel things and do things, and designed places are usually designed to invite us to do specific things.
What does a classroom during the school year usually invite you to do? What does it keep you from doing? What feelings does it encourage? What feelings does it discourage?
What about the place you're in right now? What about the digital places you explored earlier?
What about the place that you'll be making in these lessons?
Take a moment, either using the worksheet linked above, or your own paper, and develop an experience plan for the place you will make. You can do some or all of the following activities, in any order:
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to FEEL.
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to FEEL.
● Feelings can be emotions, but can also be lots of other things that happen in your body. You can feel dizzy, stable, or sick. You can feel like you have to squint to see, feel like you're safe, or feel like you have a long walk ahead of you.
● Feelings can be emotions, but can also be lots of other things that happen in your body. You can feel dizzy, stable, or sick. You can feel like you have to squint to see, feel like you're safe, or feel like you have a long walk ahead of you.
● If it helps, reflect on some of the feelings you had in virtual places back in Part I. Were there any strong feelings you had there that you would like to try to create?
● If it helps, reflect on some of the feelings you had in virtual places back in Part I. Were there any strong feelings you had there that you would like to try to create?
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to be able to DO
◉ Make a list of what you want visitors to your place to be able to DO
● Remember, this is about what actions your PLACE can encourage or discourage. So don't think about special abilities for you virtual body ("I want to fly," "I want to turn invisible"). Think about what your place can allow a body to do ("I want to walk on the surface of the sun," "I want to meet a three-headed monkey named Gary," "I want to sit down somewhere quiet").
● Remember, this is about what actions your PLACE can encourage or discourage. So don't think about special abilities for you virtual body ("I want to fly," "I want to turn invisible"). Think about what your place can allow a body to do ("I want to walk on the surface of the sun," "I want to meet a three-headed monkey named Gary," "I want to sit down somewhere quiet").
◉ Next, write down HOW your place will encourage those activities and feelings. What artistic choices will you have to make? What things might you have to include?
◉ Next, write down HOW your place will encourage those activities and feelings. What artistic choices will you have to make? What things might you have to include?
◉ Make note of how these planned experiences are different from the colonizing, conquering, and violent experiences of some of the digital places we looked at.
◉ Make note of how these planned experiences are different from the colonizing, conquering, and violent experiences of some of the digital places we looked at.
◉ Now, draw an "experience map" of what it will be like to move through your place. Imagine moving through your place. Are experiences close together or far apart? Are experiences intense, calm, or both? Do you have freedom to choose where you go, or is there one set path?
◉ Now, draw an "experience map" of what it will be like to move through your place. Imagine moving through your place. Are experiences close together or far apart? Are experiences intense, calm, or both? Do you have freedom to choose where you go, or is there one set path?
◉ Through writing and drawing, imagine the history of the place you'll be making. Draw or write what that place was like before the visitor/player arrived (this could be a long time ago, or recently). Draw or write a significant past event that shaped the place. Sketch what evidence exists in the place today that show that history (objects, communities, landmarks, ruins, buildings, life forms...).
◉ Through writing and drawing, imagine the history of the place you'll be making. Draw or write what that place was like before the visitor/player arrived (this could be a long time ago, or recently). Draw or write a significant past event that shaped the place. Sketch what evidence exists in the place today that show that history (objects, communities, landmarks, ruins, buildings, life forms...).
SCulpting Terrain in SculptGL
SCulpting Terrain in SculptGL
In the below tutorial, we'll explore the tools in SculptGL, a free online modeling tool that allows for different strengths and weaknesses than TinkerCAD. With SculptGL it is easier to make curved, organic, or irregular shapes. So we'll be using that for our terrain.
Now that we're familiar with SculptGL's tools, we'll load in a flat surface, and use SculptGL to model and color our terrain. Think about your experience plan and sensory map from above - how can your environment contribute to those experience goals?
adding detail to our terrain texture in photopea
adding detail to our terrain texture in photopea
In this tutorial, we'll use a free online image editing too called Photopea to add some detail to our terrain.
PUTTING TERRAIN IN PLAYCANVAS AND EXPLORING PLACE-in-progress
PUTTING TERRAIN IN PLAYCANVAS AND EXPLORING PLACE-in-progress
Now we'll actually get to walk through our virtual world and get a feel for our terrain. Afterward, you may want to go back to SculptGL and revise your project - walking through a world can teach you new things about it! The tutorials below will show you how to make a personal copy of a template project, and begin to revise it into your own place.
As you walk through your world, think about your experience goals:
Is your world starting to create the feelings/behaviors you want it to?
What changes will you need to make, either by editing your terrain, or adding more buildings/characters/objects, or by adding sound/light/other aspects of your scene, to better reach your goals?
bringing OTHER models into our places
bringing OTHER models into our places
Now that we have our terrain set, we can continue to build out our experiences by adding other elements to our places. These tutorials will walk through adding our earlier TinkerCAD models to our worlds.
(You can also make models in SculptGL and bring them in using the same steps as we did for our terrain above! The little froggy character in the image to the right was made in SculptGL.)
Google Sites
Report abuse