Content development and design process

1. Step
To explore different content and design approaches some scenarios have been developed. The scenario have a defined content and cover specific aspects of investigation. The scenarios AR-Décors and Ecosystem are implemented in the final exhibition.
(See menu items "Scenarios")

 AR-Décors:
ABSTRACT: The living room of the future is represented as a futuristic ironic interactive tool for domestic use. With an interface the user is prompted to design her/his own extended living room. Different natural environments can be chosen and designed with complementary elements like stones, tress, etc.
INVESTIGATION ISSUES: Audiovisual dissolution/extension of the real space, integration into different environmental contexts, audiovisual GUI within the HMD for interacting with the immersive AR-environment.

Spatial Dramaturgy:
ABSTRACT: Narrative: the visitor has to identify with the person s/he is representing her/himself in a daily futuristic architectonic environment. Invented communication systems, infrastructure and views out of the virtual windows - composed by media from the real and the virtual world - prompt the visitor and slowly show her/him where she/he might be and what kind of person s/he is.
INVESTIGATION ISSUES: Game like ego-shooter perspectives (subjective cam) get examined as a means of story-telling, different communication and information forms from the virtual and the real world let the user know where s/he is, in what time, in what current condition, in what socio-political context and finally what kind of person and character s/he inhabits.

Ecosystem:
ABSTRACT: Strange creatures inhabit the living room. They form an intact ecosystem until the user enters the scene and brings the system out of balance by interacting with innocent curiosity. The visitor can be attacked, integrated or collapse the system
INVESTIGATION ISSUES: Different forms of interaction get examined for both worlds, real (TV, lamps, etc.) and with influence on the virtual (position, look-at-direction, hand-tracker, etc.). Examination of design means to maximize the comprehension and awareness of the user for the system and for her/his interactive impact on the system.

Dynamic Spatial:
ABSTRACT: The living room gets divided by dynamic spatial subdivisions. Behind the walls and in the virtual spaces which always include a real object they refer to a completely new constantly changing context expects.
INVESTIGATION ISSUES: Examination of virtual spatial extensions within the boarders of the limiting living room box. Examination of orientation issues within virtual dynamically changing nestings.

2. Step
The features of the authoring environment Virtools get examined for their possible application in the scenarios. Studies for the main features of each scenario lead to optimized authoring processes and production chains through different software and hardware. Additional required and not covered features get identified.

3. Step
Additional needed features get programmed in C++ and are added as BuildingBlocks to the authoring software Virtools and additional hardware devices evaluated:
- interafces for real world objects control (lamps, ventilator, etc.)
- stereo image features (3D-projection bodies, optical devices, etc.)
- feather shader for the edges of the virtual overlay
- real time video effects to alter the video back drop according to the virtual overlay
- etc.

4. Step
The basic virtual elements for the scenarios get constructed: 3D-models, textures, animations, videos, atmospheres, etc.

5. Step
The programming of the main engine containing the basic elements and features needed by all the scenarios is the next step. The main engine contains: the switcher between the simulator, needed for the development and the spatially implemented scenario, the real space box and furniture for occlusion, physics effects, and shadow perception. The scenarios get loaded into that main engine. (For further information see "toolbox" on the intranet)

6. Step
The studies for each scenario get tested in the living-room-box and archived for the design vocabulary collection. Feasibility, audiovisual design and comprehension of content and interaction possibilities get checked and optimized after first visitor evaluations.

7. Step
The scenarios, including student works and the design vocabulary get implemented and optimized for the exhibitions situation. The user evaluation phase during the exhibition leads to last fixes for upcoming exhibitions.