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Old 1st November 2005, 08:19 PM   #1
hftw
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Default Recommended software use for my project?

Hi everyone!

I’m not sure if I’m posting this in the right place or forum so sorry if it isn’t. I was wondering if anyone could help me. I have been given a final year project task at university which is as follows:

““To help new bird watchers develop their skill at spotting well hidden small birds in deep foliage a 2D (or 3D model) will present various simulated scenarios with one or more birds present. The birds will move occasionally and at random from place to place in the scenario. Eventually the bird will fly off completely therefore imposing a time constraint on identification. Virtual binoculars will be available for the learner to scan the scene and magnify areas on demand. Lighting conditions representing various times of day for the same scene can also be included.””

The emphasis is more on getting the mechanics to work rather than the making it look nice aesthetically at the moment. Also it doesn't matter whether im making it for web use or as a seperate program. Right now i'm using VRML as it's quite basic for the time being.

Does anyone know if AC3D is suitable or if any other programs are better suited in allowing me to achieve most of the aims above? I am just a little worried that just using a language like VRML may restrict me in creating some of the features that I need (e.g. time constraint and binocular feature).

If anyone could give me any advice on this I would be very grateful. Also, thanks if anyone knows of any links to sites or forums which specialize in such tasks.

Thanks!

Tom

p.s sorry for the long post
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Old 2nd November 2005, 12:25 AM   #2
Andy
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Hello Tom,

Unless you are a programmer, VRML is probably the way to go. You can create your objects and scenes in AC3D and create your VRML animation by hand.

Using VRML also means that virtually anyoner can view/use your work with a standard browser+plugin.
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Old 2nd November 2005, 01:40 AM   #3
griff
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Hi Tom,

Yes VRML should be quite capable of handling that kind of task.

From the way you describe your project, the hardest part will be the foliage. Trees/foliage are notorious for producing lots of polygons if it is all strictly geometry (in any 3d type set up not just VRML). You probably want to look at some of the tricks used by the game makers to keep the polygon count down.

However it sounds pefectly doable

While its not exactly what you are after, this piece of VRML I built a few years back has 18 birds flying around in it :

http://www.3dworlds.ca/castle2/castle2a.wrl

It runs happily in the Blaxxun Contact VRML plugin ... never tried it with any other VRML players.

griff
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Old 2nd November 2005, 07:38 AM   #4
hftw
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Hi everyone. Thanks ever so much for your input! Much appreciated . Yes the foliage will most likely be the hardest part, but thankfully at the moment I am expected just to make a basic tree and a moving bird to show off the mechanics to start. Another person has suggested that I should use Flash. I know that this may not be in your area, but what do u think of this? any ideas?
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Old 2nd November 2005, 03:55 PM   #5
griff
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I'm not a flash user so have no real idea about all the things you can do with it. Just most of stuff I've seen seems very cartoon-like.

With VRML you have the possibility of creating a "first person shooter" game style environment (although in your case not shooting the birds!).

You can use a variety of sensors (proximity/visibility) and LOD nodes to only expose the birds, or trigger the movements, when the viewer gets to within a certain distance of them.

You could also create a "bird" PROTO which could be used for all birds but store information about plumage and movement for particular individual species of birds.

And finally, you can create quite a large environment (from wooded to aquatic to urban) and let a person wander about ... just like a 3d game.

As I said before ... it is very doable. Just how comfortable do you feel with VRML and Flash etc???

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Old 2nd November 2005, 08:08 PM   #6
hftw
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hey griff! That's what I thought when the person mentioned about using Flash, that it would be too cartoonish looking. But then he told me to go on this site: http://www.camperstrike.co.uk/play.php

It' a pretty good realistic 2D animated game. The thing that caught my eye is that it has certain features which my project requires. Such as the zoom, timer constraint and the moving of the 3 targets at random.

I'm starting to get very familiar with VRML and have looked into flash.
Thanks again for your input!
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Old 2nd November 2005, 10:56 PM   #7
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Its kind of cute

Not sure targets are random ... a few tries and i started laying in wait for them as each one follows a fixed path. Mind you ... i'm a lousy shot ;-)

A time contstraint is not hard to do either.

But my suggestion still holds ... whatever you feel most comfortable with .... and is sufficient for what you want to do.

Maybe if i get time i might build a shooter ... just never been big on them

Good luck with it though

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