> The goals for the UI prototype is to explore how to present a highly > configurable user interface based around vobjects, to consider the kinds > of tasks and workflow a user might perform in the GUI, and to confront > cross-platform issues (in compiling, in the operation of the GUI and in > distributing binary packages) up front, so that development "stays > honest" and as OS-neutral as possible.
Wait, so, you mean, you're rendering the UI widgets in 3d now? (It sounds more and more like Blender each day.) > Both academically and professionally, Reed and I have a great deal of > background in agent-based simulation. It gives us a focus that is a bit > more specific than simply "build a game engine", and looking at it from > a the standpoint of formal simulation design lets us apply a little more > rigor than goes into the average game or entertainment-oriented virtual > environment. Certain elements common to game engines might be helpful for more than just making games, but I can see where you're coming from. > By developing the UI first, I'm also taking a more top-down design > strategy. In the past, developing the backend first has led to the UI > and the sample 3D worlds being an afterthought, which of course didn't > impress most users. To avoid making that mistake again, I'm going to > focus on UI and content creation up front, to make good presentation and > usability (and usefulness) a priority, and only then develop the backend > to support those requirements. With Usability as a focus, you could attempt to allow users to create their own content, which I think should be the aim of a community-oriented project such as this one. More content means more popularity means more content, etc, etc. > (It also helps that I'm getting more comfortable with modeling in > Blender, and can produce programmer art that is at least marginally > better than colored boxes). Extrude. Rotate. Subsurface. ;) > I'm hoping to have something for you all to see (UI prototype, with no > network capability) in two to three weeks. Looking forward to it! -Steve _______________________________________________ vos-d mailing list vos-d@interreality.org http://www.interreality.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/vos-d
