My thesis is currently a working prototype, but there’s much more for me to explore and change and I’m working on setting realistic goals. The show really highlighted to me what was interesting and enjoyable for people and I want to focus more on the playful side as while my research is fascinating and serves as the base for my ideas, people enjoyed the visual and interactive aspects.

 

My main issue is I’m a bit stuck technically right, I’ve run into many bugs and issues related to physics in Three.js and interaction with headsets and controllers, things that would help me take my project to the next level. I’m planning on reaching out to a few Low Res contacts for advice on Three.js.

 

I already have a draft of my project statement that I created for the spring show:

 

 

title: cyb3r_spac3

 

one line: A 360 visual exploration of space as part of human-computer interaction

 

Abstract:

 

Through an interactive Web VR journey, cyb3r_spac3 is a meta exploration of our interactions with interfaces through the illusion of space inside our screens. Graphical User Interfaces transformed human-computer interaction from a 2D exchange to a spatial interaction through the direct application of the desktop metaphor. From the layered windows and floating widgets of the Lisa Macintosh interface to speculative 3D interactive designs like Xanadu and 360 browsers, our interactions with the digital world have transformed to encompass us completely. By examining links between GUI design history and speculative futures, cyb3r_spac3 explores the visual metaphors tied to the pixels in our screens. The project is designed for Web VR and VR headsets using A Frame from the Three.js library.

 

Rubric: 10 things I want out of the project

 

I want a working interactive oculus version – success is integration with oculus controls

 

I want a live web version that is fully functional and a complete experience

 

I don’t want a project that’s just an educational experience – success is creating an art piece based on interesting ideas

 

I want to make something that people can understand but pushes boundaries on what we think workspaces can be like – success: people are interested and save the link/look up resources after, discover something new. People ask relevant questions not “confused” questions

 

I want my thesis to be a good representation of my skills at WebXR/VR and be useful for my portfolio in that field – success: good documentation on github and corresponding page on my website

 

I want to include positional sound and more creative use of audio as material – success: interesting audio elements that compliment experience

 

I want to work more with three.js and integration with A frame – success: faster loading times, integration with textures and backgrounds, more interactive elements, physics

 

I want my piece to be something Ted Nelson would be interested in – I want to send him my project with my thoughts on Xanadu and success is him liking it

 

I want to find optimized ways of a multi room VR experience in the browser – success is including a section on this technical exploration in my documentation and experimental transitions

 

I want my project to be accessible to the hearing impaired by adding more subtitles and textual elements so that the flow of the experience makes sense without audio