Evaluation

Re-opening the Renaissance Window

Kieran Hearne

Overall I am happy with my final outcome though I feel there are many aspects that I could have improved on. One of the biggest aspects I overlooked when creating my 3D navigation was sound and I should have created and used more sound effects in the module as looking at now makes the work seem unfinished. This could have added to the effect of the navigation and the interactivity with the user.

Looking back I should have done more research on applications for new technologies and thought how I could have applied 3D navigation to them to improve the functionality and aesthetics of them. I feel more study was needed to create more exciting animations and to improve my competence with the software I was using. Researching other things such as 3D software like 3D STUDIO MAX could have aided me in my production or even looking at free software like Blender could have helped me create a better piece of work.

Much of my work was limited in what I could have achieved because of my lack of knowledge of the software I was using. In the future I will be extending my knowledge of programs and software that could help me when designing something of this kind. I should have tried more experimental ways of displaying the 2D images in the software.

Something I feel let the project down was not utilising my research as much as I should have and pulling in more aspects from different ideas that I had come up with to create a more visually pleasing navigation that could make more use of the Z axis of my 3D design. When developing my final piece I should have looked more into the movement of the camera and maybe used more exciting rotations to put emphasis on the 3D environment. That said I am pleased with getting the camera to move how I wanted it too and feel any more movement would have taken the focus from the images being displayed.

The design that I came up with could be applied to existing websites in functional way if it were to be developed further in software such as Flash, this would also give the user a level of interactivity that it hasn't got at the moment. It would also allow the images to be interchangeable using XML.

Overall I am pleased with my development of skills in After Effects as I found navigating the 3D environment difficult at the start of the project. If I had developed the skills at an earlier stage in the design then this would have allowed me to build the navigation to a higher standard and made the experiences for the user more aesthetically pleasing.

Looking back I wish I had used video recordings and other raw elements in my design to create something with more realism. No text was used in the design and this could have been helpful to show the user what the navigation was for.

I am disappointed with my choice to design a photo album as this limited me to the type of navigation I could have used, as well as the information displayed. A further problem I encountered was that the images I used had already been compressed for web design and hosted on the internet.

As this module is about navigating 3D space I am happy with my work in some ways as it did hit the main objective but this type of metaphor has been used many times before, and it lacks originality. This idea could be developed further to navigate directly from one image to another in stead of navigating through the images one at a time. I would have liked to have displayed more images but the animations would have become even more repetitive than they already are.

The idea doesn't have to be just for pictures its possible to lay out different types of information this way. This would allow the user to navigate information such as video text and other graphics in a 3D environment.

I'm happy that the final video worked the way I wanted it too, it does explore 3d space which is where web design and other media design is heading. There are other possibilities for this navigation. Maybe it could be turned it into an application for things such as the iphone or other hand held devices.

Final Outcome

here is the final video rendered for web

Sketches

I decided that I will be designing a way to navigate through a photo album while utilising 3D space, I started my idea by drawing some sketches and diagrams to help me decide on how I should lay out the photographs. The sketches are displayed below:

I don't feel that this image will best utilise 3D space and I think its too similar to thumbnails you see all over the internet so I will not be developing this idea any further.

I liked this idea but decided the way the images were displayed was too linear so I decided to develop this idea further to show them in a more three dimensional way. The sketch below is one I then came up with and decided it was the best one for me to try and create in after effects.

Useful Tutorials

Here is a useful tutorial on how to create a 3D environment in After Effects with a final video.

http://magazine.creativecow.net/article/building-a-3d-world-in-after-effects

3D Space Video’s

This video shows a good use of how the camera of after effects could be used to navigate information. I would have preferred if the video lasted longer so you could get a better idea of movement but the basic concept of the camera or viewers perspective of an object in 3D navigation is being communicated.

This video is a good example of the use of perspective of 2D objects in 3D design, the camera travels around the elements while they move in-line to create segments of a video.

The video above shows a good use of depth and movement in a 3d environment, though the text would be difficult to understand and navigate it has potential to inspire other ideas for use with 3D space.

One More 3D Website

while browsing the web I accidentally stumbled across a website that used 3D space well, as it was a different way of navigating to the previous websites I had posted I thought it would be useful to post it so I could come back and look at it for future reference.

http://www.nitrogroup.com/

Real 3D

Here are 2 websites that use the depth of 3D space in a similar way to how I want you use it, as you can see from the website there design is a lot more realism from the 3D aspect. These two websites inspired me the most, and I feel they will be the biggest influence on my work when creating a 3D navigation.

http://www.whitevoid.com/portfolio.html

http://direct.motorola.com/hellomoto/razr2/razr2makingof/

Fake 3D

currently there are many websites that navigate well and seem 3D but are still created in 2D software. Though they seem 3D they are actually just a series of layered images that move in reaction to the users mouse giving the image more depth. Though websites like this are look good they are not utilizing the background and foreground depth that gives the impression that you are navigating through space. Here are some links to examples of fake 3D.

http://www.mauriciostudio.com/

http://www.dragonhunters-thegame.com/

http://www.erguvanplatin.com/

http://www.comcasttown.com/

http://www.sensisoft.com/

none of these websites utilise the X, Y and Z axis of navigating through information, though they may have a level of depth they work on the usual way of navigating content by going up, down left and right.

Experimenting With Navigation

I decided to layout a few squares behind each other all of the same size but varying in shade to differentiate them and use the camera in After Effects to try and navigate between the shapes, I am happy with the final out come and think this could be possibly be used in my final design of navigation.

Possible Way of Navigation

I created a cube in After Effects to show my basic ideas on how the program may look, it was also a way for me to get more of a grip with After Effects and give me a better depth of knowledge on how the software controls work as this software will be vital to me when I am creating my 3D navigation. The final outcome of the video is below.

Each side of the rotating cube would have the different icons of the adobe software and when clicked it would launch the software, the cube would then change to the correct colour that corresponds to the program that you are using. When clicked the cube would then fold apart covering the screen and then the software would load.

Searching for Inspiration

To come up with an original idea of how to navigate through information in 3Dspace first I have to have a basic understanding of what existing types of 3D navigation there are, I started my search on the internet, though this is not the only place where navigating 3D space exists it is easily accessible to begin my search.

I started my research looking at how you could create 3D images in software such as Photoshop. The first image I came across was an image of some MP3 players arranged in a similar way to the 3D cover flow that Apple has incorporated into many of their creations. As I am hoping to create something that is easy to navigate as well as understand maybe I can incorporate some of the usability into my idea's.

image taken from http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/03/24/43-really-useful-photoshop-tutorials-for-excellent-3d-effects.html 

 

On the same website I also found an image of three different cubes with the Photoshop logo which cave me the idea of creating a program where you could launch different adobe software from a single 3d environment and it would also allow you to switch through different programs seamlessly. Though the idea is good its already been done and this would be purely for aesthetic purposes.

 

image taken from http://www.smashingapps.com/2009/03/24/43-really-useful-photoshop-tutorials-for-excellent-3d-effects.html

The final idea that I liked was the navigating through a corridor, this is a common idea for 3D navigation but as I want to try and create something with a level of originality I will either have to develop this idea vastly or rule it out all together.

image taken from http://my.opera.com/m2m99/albums/showpic.dml?album=658228&picture=10371530

Navigating 3D Space Initial Idea’s

The first idea that I came up with was to have titles of the different information you want to navigate through in a circle that will react to the left and right movement of the mouse. Then when you were over the title you could navigate through the information either by clicking and dragging the mouse or by using the scroll on the mouse.

My second idea was to display information on top of a title and when the user clicks the link it zooms into the title and the specified information is displayed, I have created a mock up example of my idea which is displayed below.

Contemplation Volume One

The capacity of humans to exercise introspection willingness and openness to learn more about your purpose as a digital designer.

Self Reflection = The contemplation of one’s self.
Extrospection = The observation of things external from them.

“Why should we not carefully and patiently review our own thoughts and thoroughly examine and see what these appearances in us really are?” Plato, Theaetetus 150


COGNATIVE PSYCHOLOGY

What is the scientific method?

Scientific method refers to a body of techniques for investigating phenomena, acquiring new knowledge, or correcting and integrating previous knowledge. To be termed scientific, a method of inquiry must be based on gathering observable, empirical and measurable evidence subject to specific principles of reasoning.

Wikipedia

It operates on the principals of Gershtalt "The whole is greater than the parts".

Problem Solving
In heuristics if you cant find a solution then work backwards, solve a general problem first, the more. Be open to chance and sudden inspiration!