VR content dev status- Update

Just want to keep a link to the VR content development inside my blog:

Space Bounty Hunter - Dev Blog

Garage 1

Garage 2

Trophy Museum

Condo Sim

VR mobile : looking for the right balance

I've been testing several ways to improve a mobile VR setup that wouldn't be as expensive as buying an Oculus Rift or a Samsung Gear VR. There are other factors that need to be consider as well:

* Input/controller,
* Head band or "head" holder,
* Field of vision degree (as much as possible, ans still cheap),
* Battery life,
* Processor power and GPU (if available),
* Comfortable,
* Fashion factor (is it "dress able"? is i presentable?),
* Desirability factor,
* "X" factor (novelty, how is accepted by the user immediate social circles);
* The capacity to assimilate new technology o new ways to consume media).
* Portability (fold able, pocket size).
* Cheaper than the actual systems.

These pictures are my approach to a system that potentially can keep up with all these requirements:

So far is working pretty decent; I'm very pleased with the results. I've been noticing a couple of issues that can be addressed. And of course, also working on the content, which also has its own requirements.

The setup:
-Wearality SKY googles,
-A small android bluetooth controller,
-Nexus 5 smartphone

3D printing with the FORM1+ : more pictures

Here are more pictures with the results of printing parts for my PLAY-BIG toys collection. I also printed a vintage Lego helmet.

My vintage german toys blog

Here I'm adding a link to the PLAY-BIG RETRO blog if you want to see more details and pictures about the 3D print batch.

The highlighted zones are some of the parts reproduced in 3D printing with the FORM1+.

3D printed parts:

-wiper blade,
-Mercedes-Benz logo
-Unimog plate logo
-Plate
-Bumper Flag 

3D printed parts 2:

-Wrench

-Screwdriver

-Door lever or door lock

-Extra: vintage Lego Castle helmet

The helmet didn't print well: walls too thin; needs adjustment.

The flag, plate and unimog plate needs wall thickness adjustments.

The FORM1+ printer is great for this small detailed parts. 

About Prototyping (interactive prototyping)

Interesting article about prototyping (interactive prototyping):

http://gamesfromwithin.com/prototyping-youre-probably-doing-it-wrong

Hive - characters

These are some napkins sketches for some of the characters involved in a possible future game.

Solferino

Some time ago we were playing cards in the living room with the great-grandma (and she still kickin'!) and we were drawing cards in the middle of a Rumi-Q game, when she says something like: "hey, pass me that card with the solferino color...". For the first time in my life I heard that word and sounded so flamboyant and vintage. I asked her if she were talking about "gobelinos", which is an old art of making wall textiles; she told me that she wasn't referring to that, she was specifically saying "solferino". After a while of hassling with explanations and descriptions about one thing or the other, she finally explained to me that "solferino" is the same color that we call today "magenta" or "hot pink". I was so surprise and amaze of such a beautiful word used on that time was a right match for such a exotic color as magenta. Later on those days I looked for it on the web to find more about the history of the weird word "solferino" and few results were giving back by the net, but enough luck I had that I found this picture on the web, which is the living proof that great-grandma was right.

We laughed that day for hours about this "solferino" deal. I still enjoy remembering about this discovery.

3D printing with FORM1+ : dream come true

A friend was able to loan a 3D printer Form1+; we are going to test the resolution and the materials. Here the pictures of the set-up with a laptop.

The software is very easy to use. Initially preparing the printing process with many parts and little details here and there makes the experience a bit messy, but after a while you get use to it and then the fear of messing up goes away and the printing flows more natural and easy.


The first printing was a 10 x 10 x 10 mm cube, the cube is still holding by the supports; also the cube has to be printed in an angular position (since its the recommended way to do it, because of the peeling with the supporting base). Here some pictures of the cube:

We measured the cube and it was 9.7 (approx.) per each side. After some days, the cube measured around 9.8 ~ 9.9 mm. Pretty good in comparison to the other samples I had printed in white plastic or the metallic in other type of printers.

Then we printed another more complex sample: a my little pony figurine from Thingiverse:

We printed this figurine with the lowest quality for the sake of the speed. Not bad at all in terms of quality. By the way; initially we had a failed printed pony and we weren't sure why it failed. After a while of tinkering with the machine and making theories we figured out that in the software there is an option to select the color of the material; this feature seems to affect the final output. We had it by default on black and since we change the resin to grey, we forgot to change this option to gray in the software. We repeated the print with the right color selected and then the printing was successful.

Later my friend printed another pony with a better resolution (half way up the lever of quality), but in my personal appreciation I still cannot tell the difference between both samples. Here I added the samples for your own conclusions:

Then we went for a print batch of several pieces at the same time. I had some 3D models done previously for some vintage toys that I'm reconstructing and I wanted badly to print them on this Form1+ printer. I put some of these 3D meshes into the printer load to see how it goes. The final output is on the pictures below:

We obtained mixed results. Maybe caused by the overtime in the alcohol bucket, the pieces with the thin walls ended eaten away. I guess we will try again paying more attention to the time on the alcohol bucket step.