Unreal Systems (11 Weeks)
The first eleven weeks of the project were dedicated implementing Unreal Engine features to create a navigable and expansive environment geared towards ease of adaptability. This work was necessary to create a foundation and visual acuity references that other parts of this project relied on.
Unreal Landscape Systems - 22 Days
Create and detail large-scale map of Ni‘ihau island from US GIS data in order to make the private island virtually accessible. Successfully implemented Unreal world composition.
Landscape Textures - 4 Days
Create procedural landscape material that is able to mimic ground types naturally found on Ni‘ihau.
Foliage - 4 Days
Implement various pre-made foliage packages that meet mesh/visual standards while assuring baseline functionality across assets.
Lighting / Fog / Clouds - 10 Days
Implement stationary skylight, sky atmosphere, volumetric fog and volumetric clouds.
Character Movement - 6 Days
Modify first-person shooter pawn to handle alternative interaction modes.
VR Systems - 3 Days
Implement Unreal’s virtual reality systems with SteamVR.
Web Systems - 7 Days
Implement experimental web plugin and create ability for interaction.
Object Interaction Preferences (4 Weeks)
The object interaction preferences systems were built to support ux experiments around user preferences to interaction for virtual reality.
Asset Creation - 2 Days
Create interaction related models.
Development - 13 Days
Code three-tablet interaction models that allow for various types of interaction.
Implantation - 4 Days
Make changes found in user experience testing.
UX Display Systems: (4 Weeks)
The user interaction systems were built to support ux experiments around user preferences to information display panels in virtual reality.
Asset Creation - 8 Days
Create tablet display meshes / materials.
Development - 8 Days
Code three-tablet driven virtual reality user interaction types.
Implantation - 2 Days
Make changes found in user experience testing.
Immersive Information Systems: (18 Weeks)
Create interaction systems that enhance guided discovery learning and are based on TEAL classroom models.
Asset Creation - 37 Days
Create various engagement systems, displays, and environment features for use of the immersive environment.
Development - 46 Days
Code various interactions, lighting changes, custom interaction types, and menus to control the immersive information displays. Create custom web resources to pull from within the virtual environment.
Implementation - 6 Days
Make changes found in user experience testing.
Next:
Project Management
As a project, Terra Virtualis was complex given the graduation timeline. The project took careful planning to avoid scope creep within the time constraints of a master’s timeline.
The project was planned in detail over 5 months, while I reviewed literature, analyzed competitive products, and planned out systems.
Followed by a execution phase that was split into four major parts and a standardization effort at the end of the expectation phase.
Testing was broken up into three studies which informed product decisions thought-out multiple phases of development.
The project took 21 months to complete.
Initiation >> planning >> execution >> monitoring >> closure
