Team Blog

Added to our team blog:

• Week 6 Studio Class
• Project Progress
• Progress Report
• Project Progress - ArchiCAD Design Developments
• Team Meeting

Team Meeting

We managed to gather together in Studio Class for a much needed team meeting. As many us, are unable to get together face to face during the week. A group meeting was a great time for to us to outline some very important project issues. We’re lagging behind schedule because of some significant changes to the design and the environment.
Gordon and I were able to debate and discuss the issue of our design location. The process of using Google earth maps and height maps to model a life like environment in London’s central business district is coming along but after much discussion and research. We’ve decided as a group to relocate the design from Hyde Park to Regents Park. Only a few kilometers away, but a more meaningful and defining landscape in highlighting our design.

Fig 1.) Regents Park map obtained from Google Earth

The surrounding landscape elements in Regents Park suit the Cenotaph more appropriately and certain concepts such as:

• A specified circular, flat plane already exists in the centre of Regents park fro the placement of our building


• This circular space is conveniently large enough to fit our model. We’ve measured an estimated the size using Google earth and our floor plans


• A lake contours around the west side of the building, accentuating a visual landscape at the top platforms of the Cenotaph. A much more defining water feature to our previous site


• The natural plant life around the site/park contrast with the large scale Cenotaph and outer cityscape


• The surrounding perimeter of buildings allows for a more urban look and also permits the viewing of these buildings inside of the Crysis skybox. The Hyde park buildings were so far and expanse that it was unable for viewing at the top of the Cenotaph


• The roads surrounding the park outline the boundaries of our site and accentuate the difference contrast from cityscape to parkland and memorial

All these factors pushed us to progress working on the new site. Gordon and I discussed what sort of changes had to be made and he explained that the process would be an easy transaction as we already know what to do. It’s just a matter of repeating the things we’ve learnt to this new site. We’ve got an existing map of the new park and the site is smaller to work with, hopefully enabling us to further detail and push for greater design.

What need’s to be done now is researching natural environment models, completing the site, modeling the surrounding building and roads, finding tutorials to create lights inside of crisis and implementing our finished model into the environment inside of Crysis.

Week 6 Studio Class

This weeks guest speaker was from UNSW School of Psychology. Tom Denson's talk explored the psychology of teams and how a group dynamic functions differently to that of individual work.
Tom gave us references to previous psychologists works and experiments in social psychology. He compared these social experiments to the everyday workplace and explained that group collaboration has their advantages as well as their disadvantages.

He illustrated how human behaviour is influenced by a majority and those around us. Conformity and public compliance is an overwhelming facet in human behaviour. The mentality to comply when pressured in a group is a very strong yet natural practice.
I found the talk very stimulating and relatable. Everyone has experienced a time when they've had to make a public decision within a group. Whether they have the ability to fight for what they believe is the right solution, or to "go with the flow" and support the group ideal is something everyone deals with diversely.

I thought Tom's presentation was successful in relating to our current group assignments and found the class entralled during his lecture on what they believe was key to social influence in the workplace. Group decision making and the process for efficient team work is fundamental to the outcomes we wish to achieve in this course and Tom Denson gave us a glimpse of what part of that is influenced by human psychology.

Team Blog

I added to the Team Urbans blog. Revised our team weaknesses and strengths and added a new post "Team Fabrication".
The team fabrication outlines the expected level of resolution that our environment will reach, and detailing individual tasks that need to completed. A strategic plan for the projects progress.
A schedule of designated tasks for each member and the outcomes and goals we hope to achieve.

Webpaint

• Updated my week 5 sources, 'communication' and 'culture' to webpaint.
• Also edited my last topic additions, 'records' and 'context' on webpaint.
• Added all references to webpaint.

Wiki Research

I decided to research and analyse wikipedia's web page on 'Personal computer game'. The topic I have chosen relates to our course as we are using a computer game engine to model our designs.

I had originally typed in wikipedia's search engine toolbar "computer game", but it then automatically redirected me to 'personal computer game.'
I searched again in simplier words; 'computer' and 'gaming' and found that computer games are categorised in various forms. That being, video games - games using a console; arcade games and in our case personal computer game - games using a personal computer.

Through quick category links highlighted in blue and wikipedia's search criteria webpage. Wikipedia illustrated how it wanted users to easily specify what exactly they wanted to search.

I quickly decided to analyse "personal computer game" as we are using PC's instead of consoles in this course.

My first impression of the webpage was the simple layout onto which the information was setup.
There is a permanent column of links, search toolbar and language menus on the left hand side of the page that continues to reside, wherever you navigate through the wikipedia website. Enabling a user to easily direct themselves throughout the website.

The design of the page is very simple, using a white background with black text to detail the written information. No other advertisements and colours are used except in pictures, so to keep the website less confusing and straightforward.

Above the heading 'Personal computer game', there are tabs that users can click that direct them to other features of this webpage.

Fig 1.) Webpage tab sections

• 'article' - the main content of information


• 'discussion board' - where people can add there thoughts on the topic in a forum like message board


• 'edit this page' - a sandbox where users can add and edit information to the main webpage


• 'history' - a statistical list of who edited what on this page and at what time they revised any information or comments

All of these options facilitate users to systematically add to the webpage. Allowing the constant collaborative process to function.

The first section of information below the heading is a quick definition and synopsis of the topic and below it, is table of contents. This table of contents catalogs all the information into a hierachy of data and also acts as a link to jump directly to that specified section of of the page.

Fig 2.) Wikipedia content box

The main body of text is broken up into chronological sections that are defined by easy to read content headings and subheadings. These are formatted with different font settings such as bold and various font sizes. Another example of how wikipedia has made it user friendly is the horizontal line that boxes certain information together and signifies a new section.

At each section of information, across from the heading, a link called '[edit]' directs you to the edit page where one can collaboratively insert there added information or if they wish to modify the existing information.

Fig 2.) Wikipedia edit link and text format

Throughout the whole webpage. Blue hyperlinks are used to direct readers to that specific words own webpage in wikipedia. A very handy tool to allow for that particular word to be researched and understood.

At the bottom of the webpage a section called 'References' outlines a list of what information was sourced from elsewhere, who it was sourced from and at what date was it retrieved. The references are linked to citations all throughout the written text using synchronised number indentations. An important feature of any website, in particular one that uses a collaborative information database. Ensuring references improve the quality of information and protect people from plagiarism.
This webpage from Wikipedia successfully illustrates how a collaborative wiki works and how the simple design elements function. The consistency of the website allows for users to efficiently understand how every webpage works and how each reader can contribute to the use of the website.

References

Wikipedia 2009, Wikipedia Foundation Inc., U.S., accessed 20 April 2009, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Personal_computer_game#cite_note-34

Project Progress

Our project the cenotaph is coming along nicely but there are a few details in the design our group are still unsure of. Alot of the interior plans we have available are very unclear and do not showcase very much imformation. Along with some other items such as the top surrounding viewing platfrom and the cut away angles in the main walls.

We have only a few pictures and 3 plan sections of Boullee's work of the Cenotaph and we hope to gather more information from UNSW library or other libraries to enable us to progress in our design.

On thursay 17/04/09 I investigated to see if i could locate more information in books of Boullee's work on the Cenotaph. I managed to borrow 2 books, 1 from UNSW library and 1 from COFA library:

• Etienne-Louis Boullee 1728-1799 Theoretician of Revolutionary Architecture by Jean Marie Perouse de Maontclos
• Boullee by

Unfortunately the book by Perouse de Maontclos was all in French, but luckily my Dad is fluent and so was able to help out. Both books had some additional information and pictures of the Cenotaph but the information wasn't as plentiful as I had hoped. We're still pleased to have gathered some extra information of the Cenotaph as it will all help in understanding the architects original context of the project.

I was able to find 2 great pictures of the Cenotaph that someone had modelled in a program off the internet. The source didnt have any further information of the building but the pictures were great persepective shots, which helped myself and Jo work out some design problems in modelling it up in ArchiCAD.

Project Progress

Further developmemt of the design in ArchiCAD. Using the preliminary design we are now refining certain elements of the building in particular the levels, walls and the entrance.

Team Meeting & Team Blog

We had a team meeting on 12pm Wednesday 15/04/09 at Red centre to discuss tasks and project progression. We met in Lab 2 and outlined what had to be done by each team member during today and this following week. We split up all the work load and worked out how we were going to communicate with Gordon what neccessary files and duties he also had to do.
After a quick meeting we went about using this time together to work on the project in the labs.

Added to team Blog

Collaboration Topics - Culture & Communication

CULTURE














"A welsh cultural theorist and a professor at Cambridge University by the name of Raymond Williams famously described culture as 'one of the two or three most complicated words in the english language' (Williams 1979, p.76)" (Milner & Browitt 2002, p.2).

In his book Keywords, Williams discussed the originality of the word culture as the tending or cultivation of something, in particular animals or crops.

"In his first major work, 'Culture & Society', he drew attention to four important kinds of meaning that attach to the word; 'an individual habit of mind; the state of intellectual development of a whole society; the arts; and the whole way of life of a group or people' (Williams 1963, p.16)." (Milner & Browitt 2002, p.2)

"Culture as referring to that entire range of institutions, artefacts and practices that make up our symbolic universe. In one or another of its meanings, the term will thus embrace: art, religion, science and sport, education and leisure. By convention however, it does not embrace the range of activities normally deemed either economic or political" (Milner & Browitt 2002, p.5).

Culture can be through viewed various definitions and is something everyone is affiliated with in all aspects of their lives. It is an essential element in any societies past or present and the true meaning of the word is constantly evolving and overlapping into relation with one another.

Reference

Milner, A & Browitt, J 2002, Contemporary Cultural Theory, 3rd edn, Allen & Unwin, Sydney

COMMUNICATION














"The study of the transfer of meaning" (Eunson 2007, p.4)

"Communication, as applied to human interaction includes:

• body language or non-verbal communication
• public speaking & presentation skills
• jounalism or writing for the mass media
• graphic coummunication
• writing documents
• website text, design
• public relations
• electronic messages" (Eunson 2007, p.2)

There has to be a clear separation of two very different meanings of communication and communications the plural.

"Communications (plural) as distinct from communication usually relates to the physics and mechanics of telecommunications systems such as telephone networks, satellites and the internet. A general definition gor these types of communications might be the study of the transfer of data" (Eunson 2007, p.5).

"The difference between singular and the plural usages of communication is to think of the plural encompassing the singular - that is, mechanical transmission enables the transfer of meaning or content" (Eunson 2007, p.5).

"The different types of communication can be represented in such categories:

• intrapersonnel - communication that takes place within one person (thoughts, behaviour patterns, perceptions, accurate/distorted thinking, conscious/unconscious thinking, self-talk, affirmations)


• interpersonal - communication that takes place between two people


• group/team - communication that takes place between members of a work group, team or department, involving more than two people


• workplace/organisational - communication that takes place among the group of groups that is an organisation or workplace


• public/media - communication from inside the organisation to the outside world using public communication or public relations methods, and coming back the other way, the attention paid to the organisation by the media


• intercultural - communication that takes place between people from different cultural/ethnic/religious/racial/national groups" (Eunson 2007, p.3-4).

Reference

Eunson, B 2007, Communication in the Workplace, John Wiley & Sons, Sydney

Week 5 Studio Class

This weeks guest speaker was from Sosa labs. Neil Brown came and spoke about the way in which people in his field of work collaborate. An interesting and insightful presentation, as alot of his concepts and methods of communicating during a working project are quite similar to which our class and in particular our group is going through and researching.

Neil was saying that he works with the software Linux and is a programmer. He explained that Linux is a software much like windows, but a integral component of how it works is that it is constantly developing and evolving through the process of collaboration. Users inform programmers like Neil about problems and bugs and hence a process of fixing problems begins. Neil is part of a worldwide collaborative effort in running Linux.

Because Neil has to interface with people around the world whilst integrating with customers/users of Linx, most of the tools he uses to collaborate are predominately email, forums and other internet based communication programs. A unique system of collaboration not commonly used in the mainstream workplace. We're more known to collaborate face to face and discuss issues in team meetings rather than with short messages and bulletin boards.

I found the lecture quite motivating as our group has a unique obstacle in collaborating across from Perth to Sydney. We've found it difificult to exchange ideas and information with each other, but after Neils presentation its evident that professional businesses do communicate and manage in such schemes.

Strengths & Weaknesses & Team Logo

Posted on our Team Journals 2 strengths, and 2 weaknesses of our Draft Fabrication as well as our class members.

I also designed a team logo in photoshop and uploaded it to our team blog

Wiki

Allan gave me administrator rights to Webpaint.

I added to the class webpaint wiki. Posting the information gathered on my collaboration topics records and context.

Allan and I worked out a system for our class mates to add their references. We added a new reference page under "Topics of Collaboration" and posted both our references.

Week 4 Presentations

In studio today guest speaker Michael Brand came and lectured on the issues of conflict resolution in the workplace. He ouline the various legal concepts and issues regarding the management of facing conflict in the workplace.

Second half of class was group presentations. Each group presented their first draft fabrication. Their were class discussions after each presentation and we were introduced to every teams concepts and progress learning the CryEngine.

Our team Urbans presented well and with use of images and videos, we were able to illustrate our initial stages of development and present of intentions for future progress.

Jeremy, Graham and Stephen Peter gave us feedback on our first fabrication and explained what was necessary for team urbans to develop in the next stages. We received some positive feedback and hope to heed their advice on certain ideas and strategies.

Assignment 1 Collaboration

ArchiCAD modelling - Developing the building inside the ArchiCAD engine. Particular time and effort was out into created the sphere. Two solid dome were created and mirrored to obtain this large sphere solid.

3dsmax software was used to import into the CryEngine. A SDK plug-in was used to import the solids into crysis.

Virtual Worlds; Second Life, Sony at Home

Second life and Sony at home are virtual 3d gaming worlds where users create avatars in which they can interact with other avatars. One can immerse themselves in a world where they can chat, play games, build spaces, and find communities and express individual ideas globally.

These immersive virtual spaces have penetrated mainstream society and for those who have access to a computer, using these virtual settings are particularly effective in replacing and extending the abilities of modern real-time collaboration systems.

This concept of virtuality in both these two programs, encourage the exploration of ideas through simulated communication. As they relate to a new digital experience, the shared virtual experience puts all users on an equal playing field. Race, sex, age and creeds are left behind for any variety of interactive collaboration to develop.

They are in fact, social systems, where any sort of interaction can occur. These networks allow for virtual relationships and encourage communication through IM chatting and VoIP.
Second Life and Sony at Home interactions can replace real meetings and collaboration to some extent. Besides benefits such as cost and time saving, there is another very important advantage. Being a public space creates opportunity for a wider range of participation and hence ideas. Innovative and additional solutions can result simply because of more participants.

What these programs lack however is its use in collaborating files and transferring of documents, fundamental in business collaboration. But their main advantage is there ability to enable online collaboration in forms of conferences, training and meetings. Collaborating simultaneously, that’s the key concept of such programs as SL and Playstation at Home.
Creating content, consuming content and communicating all at the same time. Mirroring how people like to interact and exchange ideas in the real world.



Fig 1.) Second Life



Fig 2.) Playstation at Home

Additional examples of Virtual Worlds:

• The Sims
• World of Warcraft
• Handipoints
• Nmc Virtual Worlds
• Project Wonderland
• CreativeVR

Assignment 1 Contributions

In the process of developing our Draft Fabrication Environment my contribution has been in:

• Tech testings in exportation into various programs
• Collaborative design inputs in the dimensioning of our building inside ArchCad
• Exporting building from ArchCad to 3dsmax
• Working out how to export into CryEngine using a STK plug-in
• Modifying design in 3dsmax - particularly grouping objects and components and also boolean unwanted objects in 3dsmax
• Updating team blog as well as transferring content into new blog program "Blogger"
• Writing 600 word description of our environment
• Capturing Images highligjhting aspects of Draft Fabrication.

Team Meeting and Correspondence

Working out how we would split up the workload and designating roles for all team members was covered in a team meeting today. We meet up in labs and made a plan on the processess needed to accomplish before thursday. Made sure we discussed through emails and SMS with Gordon over in Perth what our intentions were and how we were going to transfer information, files and ideas to him.