Virtual Worlds Assignment 1:

Exploring a 3D Modeler (AC3D)

Assigned: Friday, January 28, 2000
Due: Friday, February 4, 2000 (before the start of class - otherwise it is late)

Overview

For this assignment you are going to get to know a relatively accessible (simple interface) but elegant and useful 3D modeling program.

Assignment

1. Exploring AC3D

For this assignment you should use the AC3D modeler. AC3D is a share/freeware 3D modeler developed by Andy Coulbourne from Lancaster University in Great Britain, hence the AC in AC3D. We have a site license for this package on our SGI machines. It is currently available as /home/projects/CS600.460/bin/ac3d. The documenatation is available locally at http://www.cs.jhu.edu/~cohen/AC3D/ac3dman.html.

If you have suggestions for improvement, send them along to the author: andy@comp.lancs.ac.uk.

2. Build a Toy

Play around building a simple model or two with AC3D. Once you feel comfortable in the AC3D modeling environment, build a 3D model for the assignment. The theme for this assignment is toys. Your model should be something that could be considered a toy.

Keep in mind that for Homework 2, I will ask you to animate some portion of the model, and then have you implement code that allows you to view the animated model with a tracked head-mounted display. So your model should probably have some movable parts.

This is meant to be fun, so have some fun with it. Your model should be interesting, more than a few polygons, but need not be a complete work of art. For some idea of the appropriate complexity, check out the virtual amusement park and the virtual science and technology museum models from two similar projects at UNC; they were about right. (If you have doubts, check with me before the due date.)

Use the approximate scale of one AC3D grid unit equals one centimeter.
Please check with me by e-mail before proceeding on your model so that we don't end up with duplication between students.

3. Make it Web Ready

AC3D exports VRML (virtual reality modeling language) files so we should be able to later put together our models in some form of a virtual playroom, available of course from our course web site. So, make your model something that you would be proud to display on the web.

4. Render an image

AC3D includes a render function which employs the POV-ray ray tracer to generate a pretty picture. The viewing parameters from your current AC3D view are used. Please generate a 256x256 image of your toy and convert to a jpeg using xv (use a high quality setting, perhaps 90%).

Deliverables

E-mail me a single .zip file (uuencode the file or do mime attachment) containing the following: (Please do not invent a new, clever way to turn in the assignment, and do include all of the above items.)


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Januar y 28, 2000