Spatial Design I & 3D Modeling - Assignment

 

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• Assignment 1 - User Research
• Assignment 2 - Concept Development
• Final Project - Design Development
• Project Link

Assignment 1 - User Research

For this project, we must create a proposal for our metaverse based on the insights gathered from user research. Our task involves pinpointing the specific requirements, choices, and actions of our target users in order to tailor the metaverse to their needs.

This proposal should include:

1. Project Schedule
2. Budget and Basic Resources
3. List of Objectives
4. Target Audience

Category chosen: Art and Culture 🎨

My classmate, Moo Renee and I plan to develop an educational metaverse centered around art. This metaverse will encompass elements of an art gallery, art studio, and workshop, catering to individuals with a passion for art. Below is my prior proposal before I decided to collaborate with Renee on this project.

Previous Proposal

Initially, when I was outlining my proposal for the metaverse, I believed it should be a basic, small room. As a result, my initial proposal lacked creativity. However, after receiving a more comprehensive explanation from our lecturer, I realized that I have the potential to create a more imaginative and enjoyable study space.

Figure 1.2 Previous Proposal

Group Proposal

After some discussions with my group member, we came out with a new proposal. Our updated proposal centers around art and culture, featuring a three storey building comprising an art gallery, a workshop, and an art studio. Below, we've outlined some fundamental aspects, including our target audience, the chosen platform for metaverse development, budget considerations, and our objectives to create this metaverse.

Project Schedule

1. Concept Planning
2. Design Prototyping
3. Development
4. Testing
5. Refinement and Finalize

Our assignment deadline is December 20th, which is week 13 in our first semester. We've outlined a project schedule with five stages: concept planning, design prototyping, development, testing and refinement and finalization. Currently, we're in the initial phase, focusing on planning and understanding our audience's requirements.

Target Audience

Regardless of age or status, anyone with a passion is welcome in our metaverse. Our target audience primarily includes art students, enthusiasts, designers, and industry professionals. There's no age limit to join our space – whether you're a baby or an elderly individual, as long as you have a love for art, you're part of our audience.

Objective

Our goal with this metaverse is to make art accessible and enjoyable for everyone. Users can learn about art history, techniques, and the context behind artworks. We want to spark creativity by offering a space for users to experience the joy of creating art themselves. Additionally, our metaverse serves as a marketplace where users can explore, appreciate, and buy artworks. In a nutshell, we aim to create a welcoming community where people of all interests and ages can appreciate, learn, and engage with the world of art.

Platform 

To build our metaverse, we'll mainly use five platforms: spatial.io for collaboration, Blender for 3D modeling, Adobe Illustrator for precise design, Procreate for artistic elements, and Polyhaven for high-quality 3D assets. These platforms work together seamlessly, from collaborative planning to creating detailed visuals, ensuring a comprehensive and engaging metaverse.

Budget

In addition to our laptops, the software we've chosen for the project is mostly free. This cost-effective approach allows us to maximize our resources. Furthermore, we've conducted surveys at various free-entry art galleries to gather inspiration and insights that contribute to shaping our vision for the ideal art gallery. Apart from the Rexkl and Van Gogh art exhibitions, where the fees were covered by sponsors. 

Figure 1.3 User Research Slide

The slide above represents our condensed summary of user research. Recognizing potential misunderstandings in the assignment brief, we believe it's crucial to provide additional details to ensure clarity and address any potential gaps in information.

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Assignment 2 - Concept Development

In this project, we need to come up with a concept for our space that incorporates digital touchpoints, signage, and metaverse blocking to enhance our idea.

This proposal should include:

1. Spatial Concept Blocking - floorplan for our metaverse
2. Signage - vector graphics that represent a room, object or direction
3. Digital Touchpoints - platform which allows user to interact with

Followed by Assignment 1, our metaverse comprises three levels: an art gallery, a workshop, and an art studio. We've developed five themes for our art gallery and plan to select three to four of these themes for our project. Each theme incorporates distinctive digital touchpoints. The room structure and style for each space will be different to align with its respective theme. For more details, kindly refer to the slides below: 

Figure 2.1 Concept Development Slide

Our presentation was quite successful, and our lecturer recommended focusing on three themes for our art gallery: Famous European Artists, 3D Art Gallery, and Interactive Space. Additionally, he advised us to enhance our creativity in designing the structures for the workshop and art studio. After knowing that our final presentation is scheduled for 20th December 2023, we recognize the urgency to start the construction of our metaverse promptly.

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Final Project - Design Development

For our final project, we planned to construct three levels comprising an art gallery, a workshop, and an art studio. Renee and I had a thorough discussion, evenly dividing the tasks and offering suggestions to each other. Our collaboration was effective, allowing us to efficiently develop the metaverse.

1. Art gallery - 3 gallery themes, reception counter, hall
2. Workshop - adult room, kids room, reading corner
3. Art studio - working space, VR lab, discussion room

Workshop

First and foremost, we planned to start with designing the workshop, as modeling needed for workshop will be easier to construct compared with art gallery. Essentially, Renee took on the responsibility of designing the floorplan and handling larger furniture, while I focused on smaller and more detailed art supplies. Before we started to construct our workshop, we had discussion regarding the floorplan. This discussion involved deciding on the furniture to be included, determining their arrangement, and assigning tasks to different individuals. Below are some drafts we made on Jamboard for our floorplan:

Figure 3.1 Floorplan for kid's workshop

Figure 3.2 Floorplan for adult's workshop

Figure 3.3 Floorplan for workshop

This was our division of tasks for our 3D modeling:

Renee

• Floorplan
• Cabinet
• Adult table
• Kids chair
• Stool
• Coffee table
• etc

Sze Ching

• Art Supplies, such as colour pencils, brushes, crayons, acrylic paint
• Easel
• Painting storage
• Sink
• Kids table
• Trolley
• Book rack
• Bean bag
• Whiteboard
• Painting
• etc

Below are some models which I have contributed:

Figure 3.4 Colour pencils, paint, oil paints, trash can, bean bag, table lamp

Figure 3.4 Crayon, brushes, palette, acrylic paint, watercolour pad, sketchbook

After completing the construction of the art supplies, I placed them inside the cabinet crafted by Renee, the sink, trolley and also on the kid's table which I've built.

Figure 3.5 Art storage, easel, art supplies, sink

Figure 3.6 Cabinet, trolley, bookrack, kid's table

Overall, we had no problem while building the model as the construction of these models are still considered affordable to us. We also supported each other while having confusion during the model-building process. However, we faced problems when trying to use the model in the metaverse. These images showcase our testing area, where we assess the furniture arrangement, model functionality, and the state of the metaverse.

Figure 3.7 Adult's workshop

Figure 3.8 Kid's workshop

Figure 3.9 Reading corner

Problem

1. The file of the model is too large, especially the cabinet, which make our space laggy
2. Some of the models which we put into the metaverse are corrupted 
3. The models cannot be solidified - the avatar can pass through the models
4. The website might be crashed due to big size of file used
5. Some areas are too spacious

Solution

1. Reduce the size of the file by minimizing the details of the furniture
2. Find out the corrupted areas and remember to apply modifiers on it
3. Lecturer said it's okay to pass through the furniture :')
4. Add some other furniture to make the space more interesting

After making some adjustments to the models, we successfully completed the final version of our workshop in the metaverse. Here are some images for reference.

Figure 3.10 Reading corner

Figure 3.11 Adult workshop 1

Figure 3.12 Adult workshop 2

Figure 3.13 Children workshop 1

Figure 3.14 Children workshop 2

In summary, this provides an overview of our workshop. While we plan to make further improvements, time constraints require us to move on to other areas. Nevertheless, we are quite satisfied with the results. If we were given more time, we are confident we could enhance it even further.

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Art Studio

In our art studio, we use furniture and art supplies similar to a workshop. We've also added a VR room, which makes our studio unique. I'm in charge of creating detailed stuff, and Renee is handling the floorplan. Below is our draft for our art studio's floorplan.

Figure 4.1 Draft

Task Division

Sze Ching

• Cabinet
• Adjustable table
• VR head set
• 3D printer
• Office chair
• Carpet
• Office desk
• VR space
• etc

Renee

• Floorplan
• Desktop
• Table
• etc

Figure 4.2 Cabinet, adjustable table, VR head set, 3D printer, office chair, carpet

Figure 4.3 Office desk, VR space

Overall, we didn't encounter any issues because our experience from building the workshop came in handy. We managed used the light sources from Spatial.io to the space. Additionally, we created chairs that players can actually sit on. Below are some images which showcase our hard work.

Figure 4.4 Overview

Figure 4.5 Common area

Figure 4.6 VR room

Figure 4.7 Discussion room

Figure 4.8 Overview

While the light source is somewhat off, and the wall appears a bit greyish, the overall result is still acceptable. If time allows, we plan to make further improvements.

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Art Gallery (Old Version)

Our gallery has three themed galleries, a hall, and a reception. We mainly showcase artwork on the walls, so the 3D modeling is easy, but creating the floorplan and sculptures takes more time. Below is our draft and task division.

Figure 5.1 Draft

Task Division

Sze Ching

• Sculpture
• Artwork frame
• Big screen
• Piano
• Bench
• Roman pillar
• Pot
• 3D Artwork

Renee

• Floorplan
• Reception counter
• Kiosk
• Signage
• Video

Figure 5.2 Sculpture, big screen, piano, roman pillar, bench, pot, frame

We have three gallery themes. The first is Eurovision, featuring artworks from renowned European artists. The second is Digital Horizon, showcasing digital art installations, and the third is Dimensional Dreams, focusing on 3D paintings.

Eurovision

The gallery has LED panels that show different artworks, and by clicking on the screen, you can see information about the artist and the artwork.

Figure 5.3 Eurovision

Digital Horizons

This gallery features dynamic lighting inspired by RexKL, where the lights move in response to the audience's movements.

Figure 5.4 Digital Horizons

Dimensional Dreams

This gallery focuses on 3D paintings that play with light and shadow, creating the illusion of three dimensions despite being actually two-dimensional.

Figure 5.5 Dimensional Dreams

Art Gallery (New Version)

Following our presentation, we received valuable feedback for our art gallery project, inspiring us to create a new floorplan to enhance its overall design. While our theme remains unchanged, we've added more creativity to the floorplan, incorporating animations to make our metaverse more immersive and interactive. Below is our draft for the modified floor plan. 

Figure 6.1 Draft

Task Division

As usual, Renee is responsible for constructing the floorplan, while I handle furniture placement using spatial.io. Additionally, I integrate animations, source images and videos, and create some extra furniture elements to enhance our metaverse.

Reception hall

It's a straightforward reception hall where avatars begin their journey to explore our art gallery. A tunnel with a dome shape serves as the entrance for visitors to access our art gallery.

Figure 6.2 Reception counter

In the hall, we incorporated animated arrows on the floor to guide visitors in selecting their preferred path. Visitors can choose any theme of interest they would like to explore.

Figure 6.3 Hall

Eurovision

The focus is on renowned European artists. To reach this section, visitors are directed down the stairs, where the walls are adorned with portraits of these famous European artists celebrated for their remarkable artworks.

Figure 6.4 Eurovision's stairs

In this area, we've incorporated dynamic artwork frames and rotating statue, providing the audience with a glimpse of the statue. Each artwork frame showcases the artworks of a specific artist, and the displayed artworks change from time to time.

Figure 6.5 Eurovision

Dimensional Dreams

The 3D artworks here seem to float in the air, but we couldn't add animation since it made the images dull in Spatial.io.

Figure 6.6 Dimensional Dreams

Digital Horizons

On the lower floor of the art gallery theme, we've included images showcasing an overview of our digital immersive art installation. Visitors are invited to ascend the spiral staircase to experience the digital interactive art.

Figure 6.7 Digital Horizons' first floor

On the upper level, we feature dynamic interactive digital art. While we couldn't achieve interactivity like having the light respond to visitors' movements, we've incorporated sound and visual effects to engage visitors and immerse them in the digital art.

Figure 6.8 Digital Horizons' second floor

Due to time limits, we only updated our art gallery's floorplan. Despite some technical issues like surfaces glitching in our metaverse, we hope our hard work pays off. The project has been a bit crazy, but finishing our metaverse was a challenging yet memorable experience. We faced challenges, but we didn't give up, fixing and improving our metaverse. We're also thankful for our lecturer's support throughout the assignment!

Project Link

• Art gallery (New verion)
• Art gallery (Old version)
• Workshop
• Art studio

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