Tuesday, March 20, 2007

SL ARG: Week 2 Research

Sorry but I forgot to update on my progress last week. Anyway this post is to make up for last week's. Basically, it's research on:

Importing 3DS Max models into SL
I found this link on the net: http://www.windyweather.net/smf/index.php?topic=108.0
The importer can be found in SL based on the location given in the abovementioned URL. The URL also has instructions on using the SL Importer.
By the way, I have found a copy of the Importer but have not tried it yet.

Importing animation into SL
After searching for ways of doing the animations for use in SL, I don't think there is anyway to actually use MoCap for the animation, or should I say, maybe there is, but I didn't manage to find it. Anyway, below are some links to the programs for animation in SL.
-http://www.avimator.com/
-http://caladan.nanosoft.ca/c4/software/posemaker.php
This page contains a guide to uploading and making animation for use in SL.
-http://secondlife.com/knowledgebase/article.php?id=050

Research on organ donation schemes
Singapore's Human Organ Transplant Act (HOTA)
http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/systems/organ/hota.do
-All non-Muslim Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents between the ages of 21 and 60 years are included under HOTA
-Willing donors will have priority in receiving a cadaveric organ if they need one
-People can opt out of HOTA if they do not wish to donate their organs
-HOTA includes kidney, liver, heart and cornea
-HOTA includes cadaveric donation and living donor organ transplantation

Singapore's Medical(Therapy, Education and Research) Act (MTERA)
http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/systems/organ/medical.do
-MTERA is an opt-in scheme for individuals 18 years and above
-In this scheme, the adult next-of-kin can also pledge the organs of deceased patients of any age for donation.
-MTERA includes all organs and tissues
-Under MTERA, people pledge their organs or any body parts for the purposes of transplant, education or research after they pass away.
-Muslims who pledge to donate their kidney, liver, heart and cornea under the MTERA will receive the same priority as other Singaporeans and PRs who have not opted out from HOTA

US's National Organ Transplant Act (NOTA)
http://www.optn.org/policiesAndBylaws/nota.asp
-NOTA established the Organ Procurement and Transplantation Network (OPTN) to maintain a national registry for organ matching and for the network to be operated by a private, non-profit organization under federal contract.
-NOTA states that organ means human kidney, liver, heart, lungs, pancreas and any other human organs other than cornea and eyes. Bone marrow is included.
- Any knowingly acquire, receive or transfer of organs for valuable considerations is prohibited under NOTA
-Organ donation scheme in US is opt-in.

Australian Organ Donor Register
http://www.medicareaustralia.gov.au/yourhealth/our_services/aaodr.htm
-Administered by Medicare Australia on behalf of the Australian government
-This scheme is for people 18 years and older
-Voluntarily, individuals can limit donation only to certain organs/tissue
-Organs include kidneys, heart, lungs, liver, pancreas while tissues include heart valves, bone tissue, skin and eye tissues.
-Donation only occurs if person dies under certain cirsumstances and if consent to donation has been made
-People have the freedom to opt-in or opt out of the scheme

New Zealand Organ Donation System
http://www.givelife.org.nz/
-Registration through the drivers' licence
-Unable to specify which organs to donate
-Family can override a person's wish to be a donor

Research on ARGs
Basically, I have read the book, Beyond Reality: A Guide to Alternate Reality Gaming.
The book talks about the ARG and also give some examples of past ARGs including, The Beast(ARG for the movie A.I.) and The Art of the Heist. It mainly summarises the storyline for the 2 games and the process of solving of the games. More information on The Beast can be found here: http://www.cloudmakers.org/
I also read through the forum thread for an ARG called Doom Skull. This game ended just only recently and players of this game were fully aware that this is an ARG. However, the game was so engaging the the players worked hard on this game. The game features alot of encoded clues.

1 comment:

D. Alejandra said...

About animations in SL: I keep forgetting to comment that actually yes, you can import motion capture data into Second Life in the BVH file format.

NYP uses Autodesk Motion Builder; there's a thread on the discussions groups on how to export to BVH.