Programming:
Earlier this week, I managed to figure out several scripts for gaze-click interactions, such as to change scene, hide/show objects and turn animation on and off. This is a big victory for me, since this interaction is the main mechanics for my project. Now the fun part begins! Below is a capture from Unity, with hide/show object on the left, play animation kitten on the right, and scene changer cube on the center.
Art direction:
In the middle of the week, I spent one whole day collecting reference pictures for art direction. I like the art style of old Disney movies like Pinocchio, Dumbo, etc as well as Studio Ghibli movies. For the demo submission, I decided to create two different levels:
1. Bedroom, for starting level or lobby, where user can share their likes and dislikes by selecting items around them. I find this level to be super important, as everyone has different preferences, especially when it comes to dislikes. I want the users to be as comfortable as they can in this experience, and hopefully we can identify things that trigger their discomfort before sending them into the next level.
2. Secret garden or hidden spot on a hill. This will be an example of the area where user can spend 5 to 15 minutes trying to relax, surrounded by their favorite animal companions. There will be interactive objects as well to keep the user entertained if they decide to be more proactive instead of just being passive. These interactive objects will be populated in the level based on the the user’s preference. For example, if normally we have butterflies in this level, but the user were somehow afraid of them, then we could disable the butterflies and replace them with birds.
Testing:
By the end of the week, I started doing some user experience testing to figure out comfortable viewing range. In my design, I want user to have option to run the experience in three different resting positions:
1. laying flat on a bed or sofa, with a pillow under the head
2. recline, for example with 2-3 pillows behind the back
3. sitting up straight
For the initial testing, I created an array of interactive blocks in Unity, as shown below. The blocks are about 1x1x1m, and their location range from about 2 m behind the the user to about 6 m in front of them.
Then we try to interact with these cubes, for the three different resting positions. From several sessions, we found out that position 1 (laying down flat) has the smallest range, while position 3 (sitting up straight) has the largest range.
Next week to do list:
1) More testing – based on this week’s data, try with smaller objects in various distance.
2) Create white-boxed levels based on the gaze data.
3) Test these levels.
4) Start creating custom art assets for each level
5) Implement audio (temp background music, sound effects) within the test levels
6) Figure out how to capture and record VR test sessions.
That’s all the update I have for this week. Happy fourth, everyone. I know everyone’s working hard, but don’t forget to take a break once in a while. 