FINAL

DEVELOPMENT AND COLLABORATION

Real photographs of studio facade are used to give a realistic representation of the space. Low opacity apha channel is used for the window areas, allowing it to be partially transparent.

This is the texture i used for my threshold. It is a combination of solidity, translucency and transparency. The red tile texture from the balcony is used for the torsional moment which reflects the distorted nature of the courtyard.

In distance my threshold closes and becomes unnoticeable as it merge with the studio facade. But when the avatar approaches my threshold, it extrude horizontally towards the avatar, releasing 'the moment'. The avatar experiences the 2 dimensional surface transit into a 3 detrimental space.

Inside my threshold, the avatar see the surrounding view constantly being distorted due the dynamic torsional space. Particle scripts are then added after crayfishyfishyfishy Manx's onion shaped obstructions. The particles are coherent colour with RiRi Rain's threshold. The particles alters the hue and clarity of the surrounding and the ahead studio space.

Working together with RiRi Rain, crayfishyfishyfishy Manx, and Melody snowfield, our threshold will take the avatar across the courtyard to the studio space and back. In the process of crossing between the two spaces the avatar will be challenged to fight her/his way through the obstructions of our thresholds. Once the avatar has pass through the obstructions, and activated the extrusion of my threshold which leads to the opened space studio, they feel a sense of relief and freedom.

THRASHOLD

From the reading, the medieval carnival was like a threshold. It was a period when the commoner became equal with the royal and people with higher status. The commoners were allowed to be unmannered and impolite without being punished. However, when the carnival was over, people had to return to their life status and face hierarchy and reality.

The studio is a space full of freedom, where ideas can be explored and developed without boundaries or limitations through the collaboration and discussion between students and tutors. While outside the studio, like the courtyard, is a confined space full of reality, where ideas are stuck and limited.

So between the studio and courtyard threshold is the distortion of vision which it obstructs our view and perception of the surrounding.

I wanted to create the distortion of vision through a unexpected torsional space. So once you are inside my threshold, your perception of the surrounding will be distorted.

In 3D's Max i shaped a sphere into a flat square.

I stretched and wrapped the square into an irregular hollow cylinder.

Then twist is applied a to the shape.

This is a view from the inside. The dynamic torsional movement of the surface texture distorts the surrounding view and allowing the avatar to experience 'the moment' - sense of approach and engagement.

I collaborated with crayfishyfishyfishy Manx. His floating fragmented sculpties serves a similar purpose to my idea of distortion and obstruction. However our design was too much like a path way or a tunnel, which is not a very strong threshold.


I changed the placement of my threshold from the courtyard to the inner facade of the studio. The new position is in-between point between courtyard and studio. This make my threshold much more appropriate as the entrance door to the studio is replaced my 'the moment' of my threshold.
In order to make 'the moment' more impactive and unexpected, i applied a change in size and opacity per avatar distance script to my threshold. This makes it unnoticeable at a distance, but as you approach, it becomes more visible and extrudes rapidly to engage you.

EXPERIMENT, AND CONSTRUCTION OF STUDIO AND COURTYARD

Creating scultpies and generating scultpie maps using 3D's Max.
The idea of unexpected and random was my main idea for my trashcan project. The combination of move tool and relax tool in 3Ds Max helped me to create unexpected and random shapes.

Later in Second Life, i applied a alpha texture to the sculptie and added a texture script. The script allows the alpha texture to revolve around the surface of the sculptie. This makes the sculptie to change from solid to translucent, and at some point it goes transparent. The motion and the speed of the revolving texture give dynamism to the sculptie.

COLLABORATING TO CONSTRUCT THE STUDIO AND COURTYARD



I reconstructed the 'bus stop' in the courtyard. The size and dimension of it was measured by using anatomical measurements, without the accurate numerical measurements. This allowed me to have a better perception of the space.

Reflexive Architecture Script 1: change size and colour per avatar distance. This script is applied to the columns and tops of the bus stop. As the avatar walk along to the bus stop, the column length varies and turns red. It reflects the movement and distance of nearby avatars, making the bus stop more interactive.

Trash-can