Gentle start of the project.

Working on the VR Wardsend Cemetery project started gently – as mentioned in my previous posts, site visit and idea presentation to the clients. Next, we were prompted to decide on the roles we would like to fulfil. Annie, our course leader, gave us a list of the positions necessary for the project and prompted us to pick the one most suitable for each of us. At the same time, she has decided that this production will be fully directed and delivered by us, the students. 

I expressed my interest in modelling but also in coding. The first role was supposed to be quite demanding during the beginning of the production – when the concept was agreed, and it was decided which objects in the painting we needed 3D models for. The second role, involving scripting interactions for the models would be something inactive at first, but would get intense at later stages of work, when the environment would be built.  

After the work had commenced, and everyone was working on their delegated task, I was working on the digital image of the Sheffield and the Valley of the Don painting to cut it into planes. It came out that the quality of the image was not good enough. Annie requested a high-resolution image from the Museum of Sheffield we could work with. The Museum kindly agreed to share the image for the purpose of the project. I had to start my task again, despite already spending hours on it. This time all the divided elements had more details due to a better quality. 

I worked in GIMP (GNU Image Manipulation Program) as an open-source alternative to a well-known photo editing paid software. The file I generated, as it was a raw image with over 100 layers, was enormous and caused a significant impact on the performance of my laptop. Luckily, I managed to save my work and upload it online, and then share it with the group. 

Straight after finishing this job, I asked our production directors, Billy, and Collin if they would have a next task for me. They mentioned several objects that needed to be modelled that were already assigned to Anita and Jamie. They also mentioned a train that we would love to incorporate in our VR experience – in the painting the actual train is not clearly visible, there is just the steam appearing above the trees. I expressed my interest in modelling it – which was described in one of my latest blog entries tagged as Mapping Virtual Practice. 

The train was completed, but what I did not know at the time, it had to be re-done. I will write a separate note about remodelling the train and why it was so important.