Compilation & Showcase
Design Process- Progressive Enhancement
Our group came together for this project because we wanted to make some sort of environment that was more than just what you would see everyday. One of the ideas that our group members had was to make some sort of moving architecture. Following this train of thought, we decided we wanted to build scenes from Hogwarts (Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling) because the place is full of interesting areas to recreate.
Our design approach and process was to do progressive enhancement to the modules and the overall project. We initiated the project by deciding which scenes we want to develop in the first stage.
To start off we designed two areas separately:
1. Quidditch Arena – Joyce/Khalid
2. Moving Staircases – Sarah
With these scenes mostly completed before the work for the final project officially started, we were well on our way to recreating the beloved castle from Harry Potter. As we started working on expanding the number of scenes to be included in the final product, we separated to create one more scene each:
1. Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom – Sarah
2. The Great Hall – Joyce
3. The Forbidden Forest – Khalid
With all the five scenes developed,we started to integrate narrative element for the project. In the beginning, we just wanted to have the player to be free to explore the areas and not to follow a specific path, but later we decided that it would be easier to lead them through our scenes if there were clues/breadcrumbs left around the scenes. With this thought in mind, we decided to create some extra assets to put in the scenes that the player could interact with, such as the false Philosopher’s Stone, the Triwizard Cup, and the broomstick. In the physical prototyping lab, we decided to build a small box/enclosure with blacked out curtains with a screen and sound system to help us achieve sensory occlusion and further immerse our player in the world.
Once all the assets and scenes were finalized with all the important immersive elements worked out, it was the time to put together all the fragments together to have an integrated immersive experience. These steps included:
While the work was in-progress on the Unity part of the project, the team also built the dark box that we used to show the environment in. We arranged a large monitor and speaker system that were used inside to help achieve the cinematic/immersive effect of our project. Later on we added a carpet/rug and some dry maple leaves at the entry of the installation so that the player/user goes through an intermediate stage and is prepared for the experience beforehand.
Our design approach and process was to do progressive enhancement to the modules and the overall project. We initiated the project by deciding which scenes we want to develop in the first stage.
To start off we designed two areas separately:
1. Quidditch Arena – Joyce/Khalid
2. Moving Staircases – Sarah
With these scenes mostly completed before the work for the final project officially started, we were well on our way to recreating the beloved castle from Harry Potter. As we started working on expanding the number of scenes to be included in the final product, we separated to create one more scene each:
1. Moaning Myrtle’s Bathroom – Sarah
2. The Great Hall – Joyce
3. The Forbidden Forest – Khalid
With all the five scenes developed,we started to integrate narrative element for the project. In the beginning, we just wanted to have the player to be free to explore the areas and not to follow a specific path, but later we decided that it would be easier to lead them through our scenes if there were clues/breadcrumbs left around the scenes. With this thought in mind, we decided to create some extra assets to put in the scenes that the player could interact with, such as the false Philosopher’s Stone, the Triwizard Cup, and the broomstick. In the physical prototyping lab, we decided to build a small box/enclosure with blacked out curtains with a screen and sound system to help us achieve sensory occlusion and further immerse our player in the world.
Once all the assets and scenes were finalized with all the important immersive elements worked out, it was the time to put together all the fragments together to have an integrated immersive experience. These steps included:
- Merging scenes/assets into one unity file
- Scripting the special effects: trigger text, teleports, lumos effect, flying, sound zones, background music, walking sounds, etc.
- Animations: Title sequence, Credits Sequence, Scene fade outs, Lumos, Dementor, Spiders, floating candles and enchanted ceiling, etc
- Modeling objects: wand hand+wand, broomstick, Triwizard Cup, Dementor, Voldemort
- Sound Effects and BG Music: footstep sounds, bg music per scene and the changes when triggered
- Testing Wii Mote to connect with the web-player – modifying the code and such
While the work was in-progress on the Unity part of the project, the team also built the dark box that we used to show the environment in. We arranged a large monitor and speaker system that were used inside to help achieve the cinematic/immersive effect of our project. Later on we added a carpet/rug and some dry maple leaves at the entry of the installation so that the player/user goes through an intermediate stage and is prepared for the experience beforehand.