Getting started with the 3D models

Second week on project Unibotics, working on the 3D models

After managing to become comfortable with the repository I started my second week by being assigned the production of a 3D grass field on Blender to be exported as a collada model (.dae). Through simple but precise sculpting methods since collada models can’t carry hair particles or most of the other modifiers, I designed various options of different heights and blade widths. Ultimately when one of my peers tried them on flat roads we decided to go with a simple straight plane, comming to agree that the texture I designed for them was enough visual help to help distinguish that was the grass while allowing the field to be used on different exercises regardless of the height of the rest of the elements.

My recent addition to the team also helped discover issues with how unstable the database was being those days due to the multiple hot fixes added before the new users could be updated.

And so on Tuesday I was tasked with taking over the issue opened previously by my coworkers about needing a 3D viewer to showcase the available catalogue regarding the robots and worlds simulated. Though I started out a new prototype at first, the person that was on charge of developing the catalgue before forwarded the code and a small explanation of their own prototype to me so I could fuse our work into a new initial prototype including google’s model-viewer. Initially not using our models yet nor automatizing the access to them, but displaying it properly with intuitive controls and a fitting aesthetic that would look good and blend in with the rest of the web.