Week 4: Progress

This week was the groups chance to get to know the client John James and find out what he wants us to complete for the project and how he in visions it. We got the chance to ask him any questions we were unsure about the project and make it clearer.

The following points are some of the things that I picked up from John speaking to us:

- The audience that the project is aimed at is more for academics, historians and scholars.
- He wants the unity and the data base to be easily editable so that other buildings can be easily linked up without having to make any huge changes.
- He wants a set of instructions that anyone can follow without any trouble to show how to link the data base with buildings, this can be written or shown in a video whatever is easier.
- Keep the textures, and colours of the church similar to ones set in Sketchup.
- Originally there was two main churches assigned to us that we were asked to work on John James made it clear that he only wants us to work on in particular and if we have progressed enough by the end of April he will give us another to work on.
- What is put together now will be demonstrated to a few academics in London to make the project bigger, and expand it.

During our studio session each of the groups were assigned their collaboration presentation topics, the group chose to go with COMMUNICATION. This topic fits really well with the project that we are doing, as it's also based on communicating information to a certain audience using unity.

For the week my focus was to learn, different ways to add shaders and textures in unity, after going through many tutorials on Youtube, I feel confident enough to change them on the model.

Below are some of the youtube videos that were really helpful to me when learning how to apply textures and shaders. They were all quick and easy to follow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Op10dBJ69dU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJTTGKDRy14

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-6iquaC0Hf4

Week 3: Progress

This week as a group we presented, to Russell, Stephen and the rest of our peers using a Power-point presentation to tell them what we think the project is about and what our back brief is. Together we managed to come up with an aim for the project.

Aim: To create a reliable visual database subjecting to Gothic architecture, whilst design and efficient and simple user interface the general public can access and use with ease.

Below is a link to the Presentation that the group put and presented together:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/jn87g162w58ly2v/6yVi0B85n5/GOTHIC%20ARCHITECTURE.pptx

My original understanding of the project is that we need to create a visual database that people can access whilst travelling or even while they are at home without moving from their seats, that will allow them to see and find out certain information about an object or feature in a building they are looking at and may want to know about.
After discussing the project with the group, I now see it a little more clearer and understand a little more what is need for the project, and believe that the aim we have come up with is on the right track.

The project still seems a little unclear though, to the group over all, hopefully we will get a chance to get in contact with the client and hear it from John James himself as to what he really wants to get out of us from this project.

As a group we went through certain roles that people may want to take on and assigned them, my role for the project is to work on shaders and textures and renaming parts in Sketchup so that it will line up later on with the data base. We agreed as a group that although we have been assigned certain roles each, it will also be a good idea to help out with other roles when needed.


For this week I decided to start working on the project and my particular role by doing some research on the building and finding as many images as possible of the church so that I know what kind of textures to look for the church.
There wasn't much information about the church and I was not able to find many images, the ones that I did find are below: (These do not include the ones given to us)

http://en.patrimoine-de-france.com/aisne/cerseuil/eglise-1.php 

http://jeanjacques8420.fond-ecran-image.com/blog-photo/mes-clochets/ 

It was also time to start learning how to use unity, through Youtube and Unity forum online i was able to pick up a few things that would help when it comes to using the engine below are a couple of many videos and sites that have been useful in learning unity.

http://forum.unity3d.com/forum.php

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Xr5Rc9Rw6I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mbm9lPB5GPw

Week 2: Group Allocation

This week each one of us were put into groups based on our CV's, the project that I have been assigned is; CREATION OF GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE

Group members that I have been put with are:

- Bassel Wannous
- Anthony Constantinidis
- Benjamin Hur
- Xiaodong Fan
- Yaoyu Xiao

Seen below is an image of one of the main churches that we have been assigned to work on it is called Cerseuil, located in France.

http://jeanjacques8420.fond-ecran-image.com/blog-photo/mes-clochets- Date Retrieved 10/04/2014

For our task in week three we have been asked to put together a  back brief which includes our understanding of what the project is about, what it needs to include and how we plan on putting it all together using Sketch Up and Unity.