As you might guess I have been working on something and I am quite determined to get it finished. More specifically, I am determined to get it done so that I can turn it in and
hopefully get it reviewed before I go to the ZBrush Summit. So this week, instead of telling you about art I’m working on I thought I would share with you about this maze project for the VR course I’m taking. It’s been a lot of fun.
I’m always excited when I get something to work like it is supposed to or the the way I want. Those are not always the same thing. Still it’s exciting to toil at something and then see it all come together and this maze project as really been that. First there was building the maze which for me was an insane amount of fun. I really had a good time with creating false paths to follow as well as a somewhat challenging maze. I don’t think it is anywhere near the most challenging, though I did have one person get stuck, still it’s not a quick walk to the building in the middle or at the other end.
It is designed to run on an Android phone and is best viewed using a cardboard device. When it’s on my computer, as the screenshots show, it is just one screen but on the phone you have two view ports designed such that when using a cardboard viewer it gives additional depth to the scene. It’s a form of VR (virtual reality). The really cool thing about being able to run it on my phone is that I can share it, fairly easily, with people. I’ve had a few friends play it and their general reaction has been how cool it is and that it’s a lot of fun. Dang. What more could I ask for.
The assignment was to create this maze and then there were additional criteria that had to be met. Like adding a key that you click on so that it unlocks the door of the building, and adding some coins to collect along the way. Oh and sound. The door is supposed to play
two different sounds, one if it’s still locked when you get to it, and one as it opens. That part nearly kicked my butt. Seriously. But I finally got it and in my triumph I thought I might go about tackling the next bit. Until I looked at the clock. Off to bed I went. The next night was no better. It’s now a bit of a blur and I’m not sure what I tackled next but I was up late once again. I finally got all the bits finished the next day and was able to get it sent to my phone so it could be played in full. I’m so excited. I have a few tweaks I want to make before I turn it in. Compared to what I did to get to this point they are very minor.
A quick bit about some technical bits of this project. I’m using the Unity engine for this course. The assets for the project were provided by the organization I’m taking the course through. I did not build any of the assets. I used them to build the scene and it’s functionality. Since I do model things that could be used for something like this, I don’t want to take credit for someone else’s work. I am taking the course through Udacity.
The screenshots in this post are from the game play on my computer, not my phone. 
Though I will need a screenshot of it running on my phone when I submit it for review. I have also been asked to create a video of it. Since I have no clue how to do that on my phone I’ll be doing it from my pc. Something that took some work to figure out as well.
I’m coming to the end of this part of the course. I will be turning in the maze in a few days and then will have a little time to prepare for the next segment before I go to the ZBrush Summit. As much as I’m looking forward to the next segment, and the summit, I’m also looking forward to a little bit of time to work on the Christmas card and some more art. With that in mind. Come back to see if I forgot anything in the maze and what else I get to work on.