I have been working feverishly these last few days, hoping to get get my game coded before the semester begins. Once the semester begins, I'll have my hands full with grading, teaching, and the what-have-yous of being a university professor. And although I won't be testing the game until the end of the semester, experience…Read more Game Finally Coded

I have been working these last few days on tweaking the game interface and writing the code the will provide game functionality. I'm happy to report that the code for managing the points and health in the game are all finished, as seen in this screenshot:Every minute, the code will deduct one health point and…Read more Polishing Interface and Writing Code

Playing Half-Life 2 Lost Coast a few weeks ago, I was struck by the sense of "place" that the game provides and the story that the spaces tell in a visual manner. Not only were the images beautifully rendered, but the spaces themselves seemed to emit a sense of real history, especially inside of the…Read more The Verisimilitude of Real Spaces

More than halfway with reimporting developed game models, which entails opening the models up in Blender, removing the object scale (Alt-S) and rotation (Alt-R), and redoing the rotation and scaling in Edit Mode. For fun, I decided to throw in a model of a fountain into the museum square instead of a tree. I also…Read more Reflecting and Refracting with the Fountain

Have been busy these last few days putting the finishing touches on the new and improved city museum for the game and have begun reimporting already-developed models. I will be using the opportunity to change the format of the textures from .png to .jpg as the latter seems to be much smaller in size and…Read more Reimporting Blender Models

Finally got the second floor of the museum finished, including all textures and the final changes to the meshes. Although I will be adding several more models for the prototype test (e.g., medieval tower and some traffic signs one would normally find in a pedestrian zone in Germany), I wanted to do a quick test…Read more Blue Window Frames and FRAPS Test

After making some minor tweaks to the museum model inside of Blender, I was finally able to texture- and bump-map the exposed timber work meshes and import them into Unity. Once I got the workflow down, the whole process went very quickly. Main points to remember: (1) make modifications to meshes in Edit Mode, not…Read more Fachwerk Imported and Pontification on the State of Second Language Studies

Just finished getting all the vertical beams inserted into the mesh, which I have highlighted in this screen capture in white:All the beams were based on one root mesh object, to which I applied both a color and bump map channel. Once this was done, I made a copy of the mesh inside Edit Mode…Read more Vertical Beams Completed

Now that the semester is almost officially over (one more final to give, to the regret of my students), I have had more time to catch up on small project minutiae and make some substantial progress on my project. One thing I forgot to mention in prior posts is the Center for the Advancement of…Read more CATL Scholar Award and Bump-Mapped Beams

Seems to be either feast or famine when it comes to blog postings with me. Now that the semester is officially over (besides the final I still have to administer), I have a lot more time to do game development. Wish I would just be able to spend more time on doing background research on the use…Read more Textured Beams On the Way!

Well, I should add that the full museum model is almost finished - I still have to add the door handles to both doors. Otherwise, how will people be able to get in and out of the building? Although I still need to get a handle on how to light a scene most effectively in…Read more Full Museum Model Finished

Since I started redesigning the city museum model, I thought I would add a few extra features that were not in the original. If you check my earlier posts (see below), you will notice in the screen shots that the exposed timber work (Fachwerk) on the second floor of the museum is simply painted on…Read more Exposed Timber Work (Fachwerk)

These last few weeks I have been banging my head against the proverbial digital wall, trying to get my computer game -- or 3D digital game-based learning environment, which sounds more sophisticated -- to work just the way I would like. The primary problems were: (1) the door animations in the game just didn't open…Read more Burning Down the House

I have had my nose to the proverbial grindstone these last few days, working hard to get a Blender animation to play inside of Unity. After two solid days of coding, debugging, and scouring the Web for clues, I finally got it to work:To summarize my findings: Unity doesn't automatically import mesh animations from Blender.…Read more First Blender Animation Imported into Unity

For some reason or another, it has been a busy start of the semester, even though I have one course reduction and also minimal preps since I'm teaching a course I've already taught in the past. Getting the NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant team together, the proposal written, and submitted took some time, in addition…Read more Jacked-Up .blend Files

It's been a long while since I last posted an entry on this blog. The start of any semester is always difficult, and this last was no exception. Between course preparation, grant submissions, and other sundry tasks needing completion, I've been rather busy. To get back in the swing of things, I've decided to post…Read more NEH Digital Humanities Start-Up Grant Proposal Submitted

Earlier plans for the game I am developing included creating an exact mock-up of a real-world German space, specifically Stuttgart Central train station, as the game environment. My thinking at the time was that the game should expose a player to virtual spaces that were as authentic as possible so that the learning that takes…Read more So, Like, Where is Bad Oberdinkelheim?

Fall semester will be starting in a few weeks, so I have been working like mad to get as much finished on the game as possible. Experience has taught me that, despite best intentions and wishing otherwise, the start of every semester brings with it the inevitable distractions and game development generally tends to suffer…Read more 3D Resources for Game Prototype Finished

Spent the morning and early afternoon working on a display box for the museum signs. Had some difficulties getting the stainless steel texture "just right" for the sign, so I opted to go with a scratched metal texture from DeviantArt. I wish I could spend more time getting the 3D objects to look more authentic, but since…Read more Signs Inserted

I've been trying to make the historical background to Bad Oberdinkelheim seem as authentic as possible. While looking at the map of the surrounding area, it occurred to me that, perhaps, the Roman presence was felt this far north. After looking at a few historical maps, specifically one that detailed Roman history in the state…Read more The Romans in Bad Oberdinkelheim

While designing the square in from of the city museum, it occurred to me that perhaps the museum should have a special exhibit. A few moments on the Web for gathering inspiration and a few moments with GIMP resulted in the following poster:Very nice that the exhibit has generous support from the Goethe-Institut, Sparda-Bank, and…Read more Special Exhibit in Bad Oberdinkelheim

For the last week, I have been working on getting my Blender models imported into Unity, installing a skybox, and putting some of the first person interactivity in place. Fortunately, with Unity much of this is simply a questions of dragging and dropping the appropriate pre-constructed assets into the game project. Here's a screenshot of what I have developed so…Read more First DigiBahn Walkthrough in Unity

After conducting some initials test of importing Blender models into Unity, I decided that it was time to begin development of the game in earnest. I fired up Unity, started a new project, imported a Blender model, and saved the scene. Here's what I got so far:A modest start, but at least I'm moving forward. In…Read more And Thus It Begins

Keeping with the idea that the city museum will also be a tourist office of sorts in the game, I decided that a map of the city and its immediate area should be located in front of the museum. Simply modifying the meshes for work I have done already on the pedestrian zone sign, I…Read more Stadtplan von Bad Oberdinkelheim

Spent the later morning and early afternoon getting signs made for the city museum. Here is a quick render of what I have so far:I think that in the coming days I just may add a sign indicating hours of operation. Once that is completed, I will add a few other things that can typically…Read more Museum Signs and Integrating Information Channels

Since writing my conceptual analysis on how to structure narrative in 3D digital game-based learning (3D-DGBL) environments in support of second language acquisition, which is scheduled to appear in the upcoming issue of The Foreign Language Annals, I've been thinking a lot about how to make my design recommendations an instructional reality. In the analysis,…Read more Learning Objects and Unity Import Test

I just finished putting the final touches on the 3D tower model in Blender. I decided to document some of my backend work on the model with FRAPS and show of the tower with an turnaround render. This is what I got after merging the two videos in Camtasia:From here on out, I need to…Read more Video of Finished Tower and Explanation

Just finished remodeling the tower, which entailed adding recessed windows for the upper tower structure, a recessed clock face, a recessed door-like entrance on the side of the tower, and a hoist. Here's the most recent render (w/o a bump map or much thought given to the lighting):I suppose if I had more time, I…Read more Windows and Clock Finished

While getting the tower model ready for importing into Unity, it occurred to me that I should perhaps also add some type of hoist mechanism above the elevated window/door. After all, the denizens of the medieval town needed someway to get their mead up into the tower, right? Here's a quick render (w/o bumpmaps or…Read more Tower Hoist Addded

It has been a while since I sat down and updated my research blog. With the birth of our new son, the dramatic and total failure of my computer's video card, and my attendance at the recent Humanities Gaming Institute I have been extremely busy and distracted. Now that things are settling into a routine…Read more Summer Workflow and Theory at 30,000 Feet

Now that the semester is finally over, I thought that I would be able to get some quality development time in. My Dell XPS M1730, however, had other ideas. I've been having nothing but problems with it for the last, oh, four or five months. For a while, the Battlefield 2142 would come up with…Read more The Dell from Hell

Finally got the full license for FRAPS yesterday and I decided to take it for a spin around the Battlefield 2142 neighborhood to see what it would do. All in all, I'm very impressed with the software and consider it $37 well spent. It will be especially useful when I begin to document gameplay for…Read more FRAPS Test and Musings on Second Language Acquisition

This past week I have been polishing my 3D digital game-based learning article for The Foreign Language Annals, getting ready to get the final submission out the door. Now that the text has been corrected and improved, I thought that I would look at the images that I would include in the essay. I have…Read more Test Render for Foreign Language Annals

Good news on the DigiBahn front! Briefly stated, the paper I submitted to The Foreign Lannguage Annals (FLAnnals) was accepted with minor revisions and my application to the Humanities Gaming Institute was also accepted. Wow, hitting two-for-two. I was particulalry surprised (and flattered) about what the three reviewers for the FLAnnals had to say about…Read more Hitting Two-For-Two

I am getting closer to finishing work on Building A, after which I will make a movie using most of the models I have developed so for for the game. Because I couldn't wait to see what it would all look like in the end, I inserted my lamp model last night and did a…Read more Leave a Light On

Since I started using Blender, I have been using GIMP to make my bumpmaps. Usually I just took the colormap and did the following to it:Desaturate the layerInvert the colorsAdjust the brightness (to 15) and the contrast (to 90)Then I would import it into Blender in its own texture channel, map it to the rendered…Read more Layering the Bumpmap

It has been a long while since I made a video detailing work on the 3D models for the German town I am currently developing, so what better time than the present to correct this oversight? Here's a brief 44-second video of what I got so far (with a voice narration as an added bonus):Although…Read more The German Town is Taking Shape, Nein?

Spent a nice spring day, when I should have been outside, instead in front of the computer working on 3D models. I was able to get a substantial amount of work done on the second floor of Building A, which entailed fiddling with Blender settings to unfold the mesh a bit cleaner, looking at photos…Read more Fachwerk and "Jacob’s Ladder"

Some good news to report: The Center for the Advancement of Teaching and Learning (CATL) at Elon University has awarded me with a substantial grant to foster the development of the DigiBahn Project. The grant will be used to upgrade the game engine from the free Unity3D Indie to Unity3D Pro (license comparison here), which…Read more Grant Awarded, Game Progress, and Application for Summer Gaming Institute

I've been having some fun recently getting the textures for my game models look just right, which has resulted in a change in my workflow. In the past, I would create a UV map by first making seams in the 3D meshes where I think the least amount of distortion would occur, unwrap the mesh,…Read more Making UV maps and 3D model textures get along

I have been wanting to get some development on the project done these last few weeks, but I have been distracted by the day-to-day responsibilities of a college professor that have been nickel-and-diming my time. An interesting product of these distractions, however, has been a new general studies course examining the role of the hero…Read more Heroic Narratives?

I have been busy with various university responsibilities this last week, so I have had time neither for modeling in Blender nor posting my progress here. I have a few extra hours today, so I was able to quickly knock down a few buildings for the game level. Here's a quick wireframe of the scene:In…Read more German Town Taking Shape

I had a few hours free last night to make an animated render of the latest model, the tower at the end of the pedestrian zone where the player will be inserted into the game level. Add a snowstorm this morning that makes the streets somewhat impassable, and you get a weekend with Blender, GIMP,…Read more Animated Render and Turnaround of Tower

After nearly two weeks of working on the pedestrian zone tower in my spare time, I am happy to say that I finally got it finished. And here is the final product:Not bad, considering that I have no 3D art experience at all and am pretty much self-taught on Blender and GIMP, the two open…Read more Tower Finished!

Had an interesting problem a few days ago with Blender's texture channels. I had developed two models separately, a sign for the pedestrian zone and the tower, and wanted to bring them together (a) to see how they looked and (b) to get my workflow ironed out a bit. I am planning to develop the…Read more Fun With Blender Texture Channels

As I mentioned in my previous post, I just found the FRAPS shareware online and downloaded it for doing screen captures to support my book project. I also noted that the software supports games using OpenGL technology, which meant that - perhaps - it would also support Blender video captures as Blender is OpenGL API-based…Read more FRAPS Test of Blender Interface

On account of the recent holidays and an unfortunate problem with my computer's motherboard, I haven't been blogging as much as I would have liked. Now that the computer problem is resolved and the powers that be have turned the heat back on in my office, I am once again in full production mode. A…Read more FRAPS and Feedback from The Modern Language Journal

Just found an extremely facinating video on the CNN website detailing how American soldiers prepare for deployment in Iraq. Apprently, the US Army has developed a National Training Center at Ft. Irwin in the Mojave Desert which realistically simulates all of the stresses a soldier will face on deployment in Iraq. There is even a…Read more Real-Life US Army Simulation

Finally got the turnaround for the pedestrian zone sign finished and posted on YouTube:For the pole and brackets holding the sign I applied a galvanized metal texture to the meshes and created a bump map on the same texture to give them a more authentic feel. The signs themselves just have specularity and reflectivity maps…Read more Fußgängerzone Sign Turnaround

Just finished putting the bump and specularity maps on the sign for the pedestrian zone and did a quick render:Looks pretty good, nein? I was thinking of doing a quick turnaround render before I went home, but will probably do this tomorrow once I come back to the office. Anyway, I'd still like to add…Read more Pedestrian Zone (Fußgängerzone) Sign

Finally got a streetlamp object made for the level where the player will be inserted into the game. Here is a quick turnaround of the mesh, complete with a bump map applied to the glass panels of the lantern itself (and some additional tweaking done to the raytracing for mirror reflection and transparent refraction rendering):I…Read more Streetlamp Created

I was interviewed a few weeks ago by a student reporter from The Pendulum, the student newspaper here at Elon University. The interview dropped off my radar until just a few days ago when I noticed that an article on my efforts to develop a 3D-DGBL to teach beginning German had finally been published. The…Read more Student Newspaper Article and Final Findings

Now that I have my article on digital game-based learning out the door and the semester is gradually coming to an end, I have had much more time to spend on Blender and creating 3D models. Although directly related to the research I am conducting on 3D-DGBL environments and their eventual application for second language…Read more Visual Learning and Game Maps

It has been a few weeks (months?) since focusing intently on Blender, and I have been having some difficulty getting back into it. I thought I would start out small and finish work on the center point of any pedestrian zone - the fountain - but this has proven to be somewhat of an arduous…Read more Getting My Blender Chops Back

Finally made it back to Elon University after a whirlwind couple of days in sunny San Diego at the 2009 ACTFL conference. I had many excellent opportunities to share ideas about 3D digital game-based learning with interested colleagues. Many thanks to all I met at the San Diego Conference Center and who visited my poster…Read more Back in the Saddle and Paper Out the Door

I have not been blogging for a few weeks now as I have been busy with other things, such as getting ready for the upcoming ACTFL Conference in San Diego, teaching my German language courses this semester, and finishing a research paper on the pedagogical applications of narrative in first-person 3D gaming interfaces of the…Read more Going to California

Just cruising around the recent postings on BlenderNation and came across the news item that the Unity 3D game engine and editor are now being released under a free indie license. Apparently there is tight integration between Blender (and other 3D applications) and Unity, which will allow all development in the DigiBahn Project up to…Read more Unity Available for Free!

I spent the time this weekend working on my poster presentation for the upcoming ACTFL Conference, which will be held 20-22 November in San Diego, California. I will be chairing a panel at the conference, presenting my own paper, and also doing a poster presentation: Should make for a busy and exhilarating couple of days.…Read more ACTFL Poster Presentation and Handout (Thanks, Inkscape!)

For the last, oh...I dunno, say, four months I have been reworking my submission to L2 Journal, at the cost of me actually doing any real game development. I just finished up a section of the article, which describes the applicability of 3D-DGBL, specifically its first-person ilk, for second language acquisition (SLA). A dry theory…Read more Aligning Narratives: Theories of Situated Cognition, SLA, and Game Studies

I'm sitting in my office, looking across the Fonville Fountain Plaza and making some Blender renders for the upcoming 2009 ACTFL Conference, where I will be presenting a poster on DigiBahn game development, when it occured to me that I have not yet actually blogged on the background story of the game. What's it all…Read more The Game Background Story

As part of their midterm, students in the intermediate conversational German course tested what they had developed so far today in class. Over the past few weeks, students in this course have been researching assigned identities for the NPCs in order to develop more realistic depth of character. I am hoping that this research will…Read more First Test of Prototype Game Level – Paper Version

Sorry that I have not had the chance to put any new posts up. As I had anticipated, teaching responsibilities this semester have put a slight damper on my development activities. In addition, I have also been investing more effort into the research side of the endeavor - and reaping the benefits! I have two…Read more Been Really Busy. Sorry.

I have been playing with GIMP to create the textures for the fountain. Although not as "intuitive" as, say, Adobe Photoshop, I have found GIMP to be adequate for my needs. It is also free, which it great for an indie game producer/university professor with a tight budget yet big ideas.Using Blender to export UV…Read more Toward More Perfect Textures

I spent Saturday afternoon playing with the procedural textures that ship with Blender to create the water pipes on my recent project, the fountain that will go in the center of the pedestrian zone. Thinking about how these pipes should look like, I thought that they would have been exposed to the elements for some…Read more Old Rusty Pipes

We spent a fair amount of time in our last class period fleshing out the NPCs for the DigiBahn game. Here are some images of the work that the students produced on the whiteboard:The students will be working in small groups over the course of the next week, working with library resources and databases to…Read more More Student Work on NPCs and the Bologna Process

Since every Fußgängerzone needs a fountain, I've been busy these last couple of days modeling one in Blender in my spare time. Creating the basic shape was fairly easy, as was making an animation for the water in the fountain:And here is the original image on which the design of my 3D model is based:I…Read more Hast du Durst?