Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
5.7 DESIGNING ACCESS FOR ALL
Now, we are ready to set up our visitors' trail on Wheely Island. Again, it may help you to plan this out with
an overhead shot of the sim at hand. Any good nature walk is a loop that brings you back to where the car is
parked or, in this case, where you teleported in. When you design for “all access,” you need to think of access
in several ways. Imagine if you could not actually move the mouse with your hands, if you only saw things that
had a high contrast on them, or if you were there to experience only the sounds of this place. Being aware of the
differing levels of a visitor's virtual experience will enhance your ability to create access for all. It is far better
to begin these considerations in the planning phase of a build than to have to retroit a sim after it is inished.
5.7.1 l
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Once you have downloaded the Chapter 5 content from the Ann Cudworth Projects website (http://www.
anncudworthprojects.com), in the Virtual World Design Book section, you should upload all the .dae iles
into your inventory for use in the virtual environment. As you do that, make sure to name the classroom
parts in the same way. For instance, 45_Degree_Walkway_Left.dae would become a linked object named
45_Degree_Walkway_Left in your inventory. Now would be a good time to review the notes on uploading
procedures in section 2.3, and to look at igures 13.15 through 13.17. Make sure to include the textures on
your Upload, by checking that box in the Upload menu, see Figure 13.17 for an image of this menu. Also
included in the online content, are Physics .dae iles. It is very important that you utilize the physics iles
on your upload, by selecting “From ile” in the Step 1:Level of Detail section under the Physics tab located
within the Upload Menu of the Firestorm viewer. This will ensure that the each part has exactly the physics
level of detail it needs for your usage. As you upload them, make sure you tuck all the parts away in a special
folder, and make a copy of it just in case.
Let's continue building. From the Wheely Island content you have uploaded inworld, take out the elements
called “Turning_Point_Walkways I, II, and III.” These are the turnaround areas and focal points on your walk-
ways path. It is best to lay these out irst and “connect the dots,” so to speak. The approximate coordinates, <x,y,z>
for the Turning Point elements (in clockwise order are: (1) Turning_Point_Walkways_I at <189.086, 213.149,
36.7237> (2) Turning_Point_Walkways_II at <217.029, 161.037, 29.8943> (3) Turning_Point_Walkways_I at
<139.536, 111.79, 24.9081> (4) Turning_Point_Walkways_III at <217.181, 45.6227, 28.5412> and (5) Turning_
Point_Walkways_III at <42.6837, 46.624, 31.0233>. Note, these elements are enumerated in the top left
image on Figure 5.14, and their coordinates are mentioned in the caption. Once you get the turning points in
place, use some large box prims that are 5 meters wide and about 100 meters long to line them up as shown
in the top left image of Figure 5.14. By using these box prims as simple yardsticks, you can quickly get a good
idea of how the walkways can be laid out. Remember from Section 5.4, there is a limit to acceptable gradients
on the ramping, and you should endeavor to stay within those guidelines if you can. You can quickly measure
the height of something by rezzing a box on that location and reading the
z
coordinate.
Once you have roughed it out, then start laying down sections of walkway using the following mesh model
components provided: Long_Straight_Walkway, Medium_Straight_Walkway, Short_Straight_Walkways,
Medium_Straight_Walkway_Planks, as well as the 90_Degree_Walkway_Left, 90_Degree_Walkway_Right,
45_Degree_Walkway_Left, 45_Degree_Walkway_Right, 90_Degree_Walkway_Left and 90_Degree_
Walkway_Left_II mesh parts to connect the turning points. Use the Bridge_Support_Walkways when the
walkway travels over a valley on the sim. Note, these components may be used at your discretion, and in
any arrangement you choose. Continue up the path, laying in sections of boardwalk, until you have laid out
the whole walkway. Don't be afraid to move the turning points to “snug up” the it between the walkways
you are laying down. Once you have the whole path done, upload the mesh model Wheelchair.dae into your
