Crysis Week14 Ex-Final Post

Week 14 Final Hydropolis – Reflection

Our Goal:

Our Initial goal was to create The Hydropolis Underwater Hotel as close as possible to the original design.

What we achieved:

Because of the lack of information for the Hydropolis, we managed to create the interiors and exteriors of th Hydropolis island based on our understanding of the architeture. Large amount of design couldn't be solved due to our level of sandbox editing skills. But the final fabrication does resemble 80% of the original design with 1:1 scale real world Dubai environment.

My Contribution to the Project

• Implementing Real world Dubai Google Earth Map into Crysis with added vegetation, buildings and objects

• Create AI People, AI-cars, AI-boats, AI-Vehicle

• Create Underwater Hydropolis Lighting

• Create Night time Hydropolis Lighting

• Create Custom Dubai Mainland buildings

• Create Custom Minimap

• Create Spawn Point

Team Collaboration

Team Structure:

Allan (Team Leader & Main Hydropolis Island Modeller)

Stephen (AI, Underwater Lighting, Minimap, Custom Building Modelling, and Dubai Environment Modelling)

Philip (Custom Hydropolis Shell Modelling in GC)

Eva (Underwater room interior modelling)

For team collaboration, each team were assigned to their part of project fabrication which was informed by our team blog. the difference between our team and other teams was that the way we using sandbox editor. Unlike other teams who fabricate everything in one single crysis layer file, we used multiple layers to fabricate ours. The reason for using this method was because our team couldn’t meet up as often as other teams and as we are on a tight time schedule. So everyone in our team was assigned to their part of fabrication tasks and was merged together later. There were many benefits of using multiple layers. One was that team members don’t need to wait for others to finish their part in order to do their part of work which saves time; by exporting parts of our crysis map as layers, we limited the risk of losing objects and fabrications in sandbox 2 editor to minimum. Another benefit was improved time management on project phases.

Conflicts

We did encount some conflict during team collaboration phases, mainly due to the differences of skills and technology levels of each team members. Some team member wasn't capable of doing their part of fabrication at expected quality which resulted in redoing the same project fabrication multiple time.

Problems encounted

• AI Path
  Causing Sandbox Editor to crash whenever tried to draw AI Path in sandbox 2

• Final Presentation error
  AI character changed from female scientist to male soldier during the Final Presentation. Maybe was because of the map been reset to default in the new computer

• Some team member didn’t save fabrication as layer and did lose the objects within the map
  

Problems solved

• Import Sketchup Buildings to crysis
  I couldn't import the custom made sketchup building into crysis for the first 8 weeks of the course until i realised that i need to ungroup all the buildings for them to be converted to .cgf format.
  
  

Problems Unable to Solve

• I was trying to make a game start cutscene for our Hydropolis map. But couldn't make vtol or helicopter to take off from custom made building top or on crysis solids. Vtol or helicopter will simply sink down and explode.

• Under water room textrues are affected by the ocean lighting outside
  
  

Final Thought

It was a great experience for learning crysis sandbox as a way of architectural realtime visualisation. Yes, although we did have many problems throughout the whole fabrication process, not everyone in the team were from the same culture background, and not everyone in the team can finish their part at expected quality, i have to say that we did do hell of work and achieved what we expected in the beginning. It was a learning experience not only for architectural study but also for coping with different people in the society.


References:

Dubai Sketchup Building Original:

Courtesy of
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9d45e4ca8d6b552daa8a1830375d237c&prevstart=24


Custom Textures
Courtesy of
http://www.cgtextures.com

Crysis Week13 Ex

Final Map Fabrication
































Final Fabrication Updates








Hydropolis Trailer







Hydropolis Extended Trailer

Crysis Week12 Ex

Mid Level Custom Minimap

Still Researching and Experimenting with Medium Level Minimap Specialisation. Research on how to add a second minimap name to the minimap script.

Ideas:
Thinking maybe to hide the top level of the Hydropolis Building and take the minimap of the internal, but currently can't figure out how to add the new maps name into script as well adding the new map image to the folder.

Research on how to create mission for the map in order to use the second minimap.

Crysis Week11 Ex

Specialisation Implementations


Add Spawn Point-For Play in the Actual Crysis Game








Advanced Terrain-Beginner Level-Implementing real world Dubai Google Earth and GIS data in our map










Follow AI Path-AI People or vehicle follows path



AI drives along path-AI cars drives on road



Basic Material-Add materials to Custom Building Imported to Crysis








Paint Terrain Layer-Dubai Environment Fabrication-Sandy beach painted










AI Cut scene - still in process

Crysis Week10 Ex

Play Hydropolis In Crysis

Currently Couldn't Play The Hydropolis Map in Crysis Game because we haven't put a spawn point in the map yet.

Below is the link to my beginner level Specialisation - Custom Minimap

Go to the bottom of the page to download the tutorial pdf

http://arch1392-collaboration-2009.wetpaint.com/page/Create+Custom+Minimap

Crysis Week9 Ex

Specialisation Outcome

Create Custom Minimap in Crysis

Team Atlar-Stephen Wang

Below are some criteria of varying difficulties for my chosen specialisation:

Easy

• Create custom minimap for the hydropolis environment which includes all vegetation, landscape, building geometry and items. (Completed)

Medium

• Show multiple minimaps within the hydropolis map.

• Show all vehicles and items as highlighted objects in map view (rectangular box around vehicles).

• Show sea level differences in minimap which highlights contour lines.
  
  
  

Difficult

• Show any characters in minimap as approaches or near the player.

• Show hostel behavior indication in minimap which highlighted by arrows.

• Show signs and indications on the ground and in the minimap which indicates specific directions for the player. Usually this is shown by one or multiple green flashing beacon. Possibly to change the color of the flashing beacon from green to red that indicates distance differences.

• Show level plans in map view when the player enters buildings.

• Automatically swap level plan in map view as the player enters different levels in buildings.

• Make multiple targeted location to show in minimap for player to explore.

Useful Video Clips for Making Minimaps:

Crysis Week8 Ex

Final Fabrication Peer Review

Peer Review

Team Digilism

Strength

Sketchup models have been successfully imported into crysis with custom textures which I reckon is one hack of achievement as myself have tried and failed numerously for our design. “Less is more” maybe the key for their design focus. There was a sense of loneliness that I felt during team Digitalism’s presentation as they tried to explain this giant memorial within a busy city. Mentally, I think their building in crysis has captured the spirit of the original design.

Weakness

The building itself doesn’t have much interactivities going on. The lack of AI in their design could have pulled them back for the level of interactivity in their video as well as the highlighted images of their building. And the use of lighting was set to minimum which again could be improved in the future.

Team Orange

Strength

In terms of complexity, certainly team orange’s building will score a very high mark. Noting that not only complexity but also details have been presented throughout their design. As a architecture, their building has conveyed the aesthetics of the original nicely in crysis environment. Their building design was made in 3Dmax and export into crysis with custom textures which is again a great effort and achievement. Many things can be learnt by just looking at their design in terms 3Dmax modeling. Especially for night scene, the building itself speaks for itself which I think is the biggest selling point. Excellent lighting effect and very interesting crysis models.

Weakness

The merge between the crysis environment and the building seems disconnected. Maybe is because of too much interactivities outside the building which overpowers the focus the building itself.

Team-Evolve

Strength

Solving future sustainability issues has been taking into actions in their building proposal. I liked the idea of sustainability in their presentation which immediately captured everyone’s attention. Some fine detailed custom textures have been applied throughout their design which adds more depth to the building itself. The environment itself was nicely modeled combining with realism and interactivities.

Weakness

The challenge for their design comes from the building itself which is not a interesting architecture in terms of geometry, location and interactivity. Because their design is set in the middle of a desert, the sense of building and map scale could be improved in order to bring more into the inside of their building design.

Team Urbans

Strength

Very Detailed crysis environment which I personally think consumes a lot of time and effort. The environment is very nicely modeled using advanced techniques. It’s almost unnoticeable comparing with the crysis environment and the real. Good stuff.

Weakness

As the building is a memorial for Albert Einstein, to make it interactive and interesting just for general public will be quite difficult and so far not much going around and inside the building.

Team Omega

Strength

What else do I need to say? This team’s design got the blessing from the actual architect. Very accurate and detailed modeling in crysis. High level of interactivities combined with nice environment which merged very nicely together.

Weakness

Maybe to show more interactivities in side the buildings especially in the concert hall.

Crysis Week8 Ex

Final Hydroplis Dubai Map Fabrication










Final underwater lighting-flood light beam onto underwater rocks. Becuase the water is quite deep in crysis (40m in crysis), the underwater scenes have t0 be shown using lights.










AI walking on the main island, AI are following Pathes drew on the beach










Final modification of the Dubai Marina Beach with AI walking, Roads, Trees, Bushes










Final Hydroplis Island modification


Collaboration Terms Learning

Technology

“To do his work well a workman must first sharpen his tools.” – Chinese proverb

Before you can get the most out of tools like wikis and blogs, you need to understand what you are going to use them fore. Just as it is a waste of money and time to purchase and train your team members on a complex system that they do not really need, it is also a waste to have your team worjki9ng harder than necessary for the lack of the right tool.

What are you trying to accomplish?

Before you can choose a tool, you need to define the types of tasks you want to accomplish. One way to begin is to determine the types of output you need to create the team members who need input into each. And the team members who need to receive each output.

What are you current capabilities?

When setting up a virtual team, it is important to recognize and accommodate the conditions under which all team members’ function in their jobs.

Hardware/Software Issues

Internet Bandwidth

Does everyone on the team have access to high-speed connection to the internet? Are there time restrictions on access? Are alternatives, such as a secure wireless network, available? If mist people on a team have high-speed access, and one or two team members have dial-up access, communication and resource sharing can quickly break down. The team members with slower connections might not be able to handle large files in a timely manner, and might not be able to keep up with or participate in synchronous pace as other team members.

Disk space

As we all notice that more and more information is being transmitted and stored digitally, and our electronic storage needs are increasing. Particularly when team members tried to record/store videos, you need to consider the amount of hard drive/USB storage available to each of your team member.

Equipment

Does everyone have the equipment and software they need to do their jobs effectively? How old is each person’s equipment? Are there export restrictions for getting someone updated equipment? What operating systems are team members using? Does each team member have his or her own equipment, do people have to share? Do team members who travel frequently have laptop computers and cell phones, PDAs, or whatever tools are appropriate? Do you need to upgrade or buy extra hardware in order to accomplish you part of job?

Software

What versions of the application a are team members using ?while each team members has different needs depending on his or her function, the equipment and software needs to be compatible so everyone can work together more effectively, share files as needed, and so on.

File sharing server

More and more files are being uploading onto web server for all team members to work on their own remotely and effectively now days. Is the server capable of hosting the size of your file? Does the server support the form of file you are trying to upload? How long do you need to wait for it to be uploaded?

Security Protocols

What security protocols exist for each file sharing site? How do security protocols affect your team’s ability to communicate, share resources, and so on? Some team member might not have or downloaded the latest version of security protocol which they will have trouble accessing the files on a security protocol embedded server.

Communication

Before beginning any project, it is critical to establish a set of guidelines for team communications including what information to share, which method of communication to use for each, and specifically how you expect to communicate and how often. Then you can determine which tools are appropriate for the various types of interaction your team is likely to use.

Synchronous vs. Asynchronous interaction

If something is extremely urgent (say “fire alarm”), then you need to use a “synchronous” mechanism to ensure that the tem members get exactly the same information at the same time. Synchronous tools include conference calls, meeting software, chat room, VoIP, and instant messaging software.

Messages with less urgency can be sent with an “asynchronous” tool that team members can access at their convenience. Asynchronous tools let your team members access the content of messages repeatedly, and are good for reference information such as project plans, schedules or to-list. Asynchronous tools include email, message boards, wikis, intranets, and blogs.

One-to-One conversations

When all team members are collocated, a lot of communication occurs as casual conversations or one-top-one in person meetings. In a virtual team, however the one-to one communication requires a bit more planning.

If all of your team members are online most of the time, instant messaging software (like Yahoo Messenger, MSN messenger etc) can be a quick and easy way for team members to communicate with each other. VoIP can chat rooms can also be used for one-to-one meetings, depending on the relative cost and ease of access to the team members.

One-to Many Email

Most of us are fairly comfortable with email communication. It is easy to fire off a short message, and the message can be sent to numerous recipients at the same time. However, sometimes the ease of sending quick notes to many people can be one of the drawbacks of email. If you are not careful, responses intended for a specific person may get sent to the wrong recipients. Misunderstandings can easily occur, particularly if your team members come form different cultural backgrounds, whether or not they are using athe same language.

References

M.Katerine (kit) Brown, Brenda Huetture, and Char James-Tanny (2007), Managing Virtual Teams, Worldware Publishing, Plano.

Mehdi Khosrow-Pour, (2007), Emerging Informationo Resources Management and Technologies, Idea Group Publishing, Hershey

Axel Bruns, (2008), Blogs, Ekipedia, Second Life, and Beyond, Peter Publishing, New York.

Crysis Week7 Ex

Hydroplis Dubai Underwater Environment Progress










Underwater scene with light added (set at High)










Underwater scene viewed from play mode inside hotel (set at High). For underwater object to be visible, I changed the envionment setting for ocean-FogColour-FogColourMultiple-FogColourDensity in order to achieve the effect. And have to set the sandbox 2 to high or above to view the effect. Medium tends to render very roughly.