1st Edition

Extending Virtual Worlds Advanced Design for Virtual Environments

By Ann Latham Cudworth Copyright 2016
    361 Pages 119 B/W Illustrations
    by CRC Press

    362 Pages
    by CRC Press

    Written as the successor to Virtual World Design: Creating Immersive Virtual Environments, this book carries the ideas brought forward in its predecessor to new levels of virtual world design exploration and experimentation. Written by an Emmy award-winning designer with 22 years of experience creating virtual environments for television and online communities, Extending Virtual Worlds: Advanced Design for Virtual Environments explores advanced topics such as multi-regional design, game-based sims, and narrative structure for environments.

    The book provides bedrock knowledge and practical examples of how to leverage design concepts within the intertwined structures of physics engines, level of detail (LOD) systems, and advanced material editors. It also shows designers new ways to influence the experience of virtual world visitors through immersive narrative and storytelling. With over 150 illustrations and 10 step-by-step projects that include the necessary 3D models and modular components, it delivers hours of stimulating creative challenges for people working in public virtual worlds or on private grids.

    By using this book, novices and advanced users will deepen their understanding of game design and how it can be applied to creating game-based virtual environments. It also serves as a foundational text for class work in distance learning, simulation, and other learning technologies that use virtual environments.

    Concepts in Advanced Design for Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Overview of Concepts in Advanced Design for Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Transrealistic Design, Constructive Imagination, and Virtual Environments
    Designing for Games in Your Virtual Environment
    Designing for the Reality–Virtuality Continuum
    Designing for the Interconnected Virtual Environment; from a Rhizome to the Vizome
    Universal Design and Safety in Virtual Environments
    Design with Code for Virtual Environments
    Taking a Design Discovery Voyage
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    About the Viewers and Content Created for This Book
    Overview of about the Viewers and Content Used for This Book
    Virtual World Viewers and Game Interfaces Used in This Book
    How the Client Viewer Impacts Virtual World Designing
    Selecting a Viewer for Second Life and OpenSim
    Viewer Settings to Enhance Your Safety
    Viewers, Settings, and Considerations for Universal Access
    Some Notes about the Gear
    How to Get and Upload the Content for This Book into Your Virtual World
    Settings Guidelines for Uploading This Book’s Content into Your Virtual World
    Licensing Information
    How to Use the LSL Scripts Provided
    Chapter Summary and Thoughts
    References

    The Vizome, Developing Creativity, and Virtual Environmental Design
    Overview of the Vizome, Developing Creativity, and Virtual Environmental Design
    Discovering the Vizome
    Pushing the Design Further by Using Observations within the Vizome
    Designing with Semiotics, Collective Intelligence, and Perspectivism
    Setting up a Creation System to Develop Ideas Like a Vizome
    Spotlight on Deborah Thomas: SillyMonkey Games, Training, and Social Media
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Planning and Prototyping the Design of a Game-Based Virtual Environment
    Overview of Planning and Prototyping the Design of a Game-Based Virtual Environment
    Emergent Gameplay in Virtual Worlds
    Types of Games Found in Virtual Environments, and the Mechanics, Dynamics, and Aesthetics (MDA) Framework
    Designing for Game Player Types
    Documents, Prototypes, and Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Playtesting the Prototype and Game Jamming for Game Design Development
    Project: Creating Four Development Documents for a Game-Based Sim
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Designing for Social Interaction in Virtual Spaces
    Overview of Designing for Social Interaction in Virtual Spaces
    Designing for the "I," You," and "Us" in a Virtual Environment
    The Face, the Voice, and Social Interaction
    Designing for Social Media Interaction
    Designing for Social Collaboration and Competition
    Project: Building a Collection of Related Content for Your Game-Based Sim
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Developing the Designer–Scripter Collaboration
    Overview of Developing the Designer–Scripter Collaboration
    Collaborating Guidelines for Working Together on an Advanced Design
    Case Study: Scripted Trees and Emergent Play on Sundial, the Season Changing Sim
    Case Study: Creating a Game-Based Sim Called "Inland: Search for the Sky"
    Top 10 List of Scripts That You Should Have
    Other Scripting Languages Used in Virtual Worlds
    Project: "Script Roulette"—A Collaborative Game of Chance
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Designing with Level of Detail (LOD)
    Overview of Designing with Level of Detail (LOD)
    Fundamentals of LOD Systems for Designers
    Perception and LOD: The Basics
    Making LOD Work for You
    Client Viewer Settings, Imports, and LOD
    Project: Creating Mesh Content from Photogrammetry; Working with LOD
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Designing with Virtual Physics in Mind
    Overview of Designing with Physics in Mind
    Spotlight on Professor Vicki Robinson: Teaching Real-World Physics in a Virtual World
    The Basic Elements of Physics in a Virtual World
    Basic Vehicles and Their Functionality
    Important Considerations of a Vehicle Design
    Universal Design for Vehicles
    Design Planning for Vehicle Usage
    Project: Creating a Fae (Fairy) Boat Vehicle for Your Game-Based Sim
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Landscape and Terrain Design in Virtual Environments
    Overview of Landscape and Terrain Design in Virtual Environments
    Landscape Personality and Social Relationships to the Virtual Terrain
    What World Are You From?
    Using Your Worldview and Storytelling to Create a Landscape/Terrain Design
    Exploring Terrain Methodologies: Heightmaps, Polygons, and Voxels
    Project: Creating a Four-Region, Game-Based Terrain
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Design Considerations and Mesh Usage in Virtual Environments
    Overview of Design Considerations and Mesh Usage in Virtual Environments
    Sources for Mesh in a Virtual Environment
    Overview of Rigged Meshes; Moving Avatars and Their Clothing
    Comparison of 3D Mesh-Making Programs; Some Thoughts on Choosing One
    Project: Building a Game-Based Environment with Component Meshes
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Designing with Advanced Materials and Animated Graphic/Textures
    Overview of Designing with Advanced Materials and Animated Graphic/Textures
    The Structure of an Advanced Material Used in Virtual Environments
    Designing with Advanced Materials in Mind
    UV Unwrapping and Uploads of Meshes with Advanced Materials
    Virtual World Viewers and Advanced Materials
    Understanding Bumpiness (Normal) Graphics and What They Contribute to a Material
    Understanding the Shininess (Specular) Layer and What It Contributes to a Material
    Notes Regarding Bumpiness (Normal), Shininess (Specular), and Alpha Mode Usage
    Scripting for Animated Graphic Textures in a Virtual Environment
    Project: Adding Advanced Materials to the Fairy Bridge
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    Reference

    World Building and Design with Procedural Techniques
    Overview of World Building and Design with Procedural Techniques
    World Building and the Creation Myth
    Overview of Procedural Techniques and Design
    Procedural Techniques Used in Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Project: Utilizing a Procedural Script to Make a Fairy Tree
    Chapter Summary and Final Thoughts
    References

    Designing Virtual Environments for Head-Mounted Displays
    Overview of Designing Virtual Environments for Head-Mounted Displays (HMDs)
    Overview of a VR HMD and How It Works
    Five Dimensions of Design in HMD Virtual Environments
    Experiencing the Virtual Environment with a Real Body
    Project: Developing a HMD–VR Narrative Environment for Storytelling
    Conclusion: Building the Last Platform?
    References

    The Multiple Dimensions of Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Overview on Multiple Dimensions of Game-Based Virtual Environments
    Developing Game-Based Environments for the Future Player
    Spotlight on Jacquelyn Ford Morie—Art, Virtual Reality, and Education
    Chapter Summary: The Multiple Dimensions of Game-Based Virtual Environments
    References

    Appendix A: Game-Based Sim Design Document

    Appendix B: Exhibit C—The Journal of Dr. Aubrey Wynn

    Glossary

    Important Links and Resources

    Bibliography

    Index

    Biography

    Ann Latham Cudworth is a two-time Emmy award winner who designs virtual and physical scenery for network television. She inspires people to engage with the message embodied in her virtual environments. A transplanted Bostonian thriving in New York City, she has shared her knowledge as a teacher of design and visualization at New York University, and at workshops and conferences worldwide for 16 years. Her weapons of choice are SketchUp, 3DSMax, and Photoshop. More information about her numerous projects is available on her website: www.anncudworthprojects.com.