Game Development Reference
In-Depth Information
the “chance” cards as they attempted to attain the game goal of preserving and increasing their tribal size.
Emergent play developed as the game testers invented new aspects of the game goal.
13.6
PROJECT: PROTOTYPING A VIRTUAL SPACE AND MAKING A 3D PRINT FROM IT
In this project, we are going to make a maze. It has elements of architecture, entertainment, and gaming
embodied in its structure and will provide an appropriate vehicle for learning about the process of prototyp-
ing a virtual space for the real world. For the purposes of this project, you will utilize a simple maze pattern
to make a design that scales from an avatar-size playground to a handheld maze game.
Note: This project starts in SketchUp, a widely available free 3D program that will export models into
OpenSim via the COLLADA (.dae) format and into the 3D printing devices via the SLT format. You could
also make this maze model in Blender, if you wish. If you have a speciic 3D printing service in mind, look at
their preferred ile format before you start modeling. While some will accept a COLLADA (.dae) ile, others
do not, so check the inal specs and see what kind of export plug-in you may need. It is assumed you have
basic knowledge of how to model in SketchUp, which is user friendly. The latest version of the program can
be downloaded (http://www.sketchup.com/). If you do not want to make your maze in SketchUp, then feel
free to download the premade Maze.dae ile from the content included with this topic into your virtual world
and continue from Section 13.6.6.
Let's get started.
13.6.1 m aKing a m aze p aTTern
First, you need a layout of a simple maze that will be printable by 3D printers and complex enough to gener-
ate a challenge for people who will walk through the avatar-size version. If you do not want to draw a maze
of your own, there are many maze generators available online (http://www.mazegenerator.co.uk/ was used to
make the pattern for this project), see Figure 13.8 for the initial maze design. Keep it simple; you can always
increase the complexity of a maze later. Hint: Be aware that wall thickness is going to matter in the 3D print,
so you want to design with that in mind. A quick check of the material options on the Shapeways website
(http://www.shapeways.com/) indicates that the wall thickness should be between 0.7 and 5 millimeters
depending on the material with which you choose to print. In this project, you will make the initial model
with 1.5-millimeter thick walls.
Note: Ultimately, this model was printed in a ceramic material, which has less tolerance for thinness, so
the walls were thickened to 4 millimeters for printing purposes. An image of this object in its ceramic 3D
printed form is provided at the end of the chapter in Figure 13.19.
13.6.2
s eTTing u p and B uilding The m aze B ase in s KeTCh u p
1. In SketchUp, under the Window/Preferences/Template section, choose the Product Design and
Woodworking Template-Millimeters because you want to make your initial model in the 3D printing
size irst and scale up from there (Figure 13.9). In the drawing space, make a plane that is 100 milli-
meters in overall width and length (about 3.92 inches). This will become the baseplate for your maze,
allowing you to print a 3D game piece that you can hold in your hand. Extrude the plate 10 millimeters,
so you have a box that is 10 millimeters high, 100 millimeters long, and 100 millimeters wide.
2. Import the maze as a texture into your SketchUp scene.
Search WWH ::




Custom Search