FIT3023 Interactive environments - Semester 2 , 2008

Berwick

• Derrick Martin

Prerequisites

Before attempting this unit you must have satisfactorily completed FIT2015  or equivalent.

Relationships

FIT3023 is a core unit in the Multimedia major of the Bachelors of Information Technology and Systems.

You may not study this unit and MMS3405 in your degree.

Unit leader

Lecturer(s) :

Additional communication information

Course Coordinator:

Derrick Martin
Room 1130, Building 903
Monash University, Berwick Campus
Derrick.Martin@infotech.monash.edu.au
9904 7131

Lectures in this subject will cover a range of theory related to games, interactivity and implementation of 3D environments.  Students are expected to integrate this theory into their assignment tasks.

Laboratory classes will provide instruction of technical skills necessary to complete assessment tasks, as well  as an opportunity to get feedback on assessment progress.

Tutorial allocation

Students should register for laboratories using Allocate+.

Communication, participation and feedback

Monash aims to provide a learning environment in which students receive a range of ongoing feedback throughout their studies. You will receive feedback on your work and progress in this unit. This may take the form of group feedback, individual feedback, peer feedback, self-comparison, verbal and written feedback, discussions (on line and in class) as well as more formal feedback related to assignment marks and grades. You are encouraged to draw on a variety of feedback to enhance your learning.

It is essential that you take action immediately if you realise that you have a problem that is affecting your study. Semesters are short, so we can help you best if you let us know as soon as problems arise. Regardless of whether the problem is related directly to your progress in the unit, if it is likely to interfere with your progress you should discuss it with your lecturer or a Community Service counsellor as soon as possible.

Unit Schedule

Week	Topic	Study guide	Key dates
1	Introduction
2	Narrative
3	Modelling architecture
4	Composition of a scene
5	Philosophy of interactivity	Chapter 1
6	Dimensions of a game	Chapter 2	Assignment 1 due
7	AI interactivity	Chapter 4
8	Cinema techniques in Games	Chapter 5
9	Sound and music in an environment	Chapter 8
10	Particles	Chapter 6, Chapter 9
11	Optimisation of a 3D environment	Chapter 10
Mid semester break
12	Class presentations		Assignment 2 due

Prescribed text(s) and readings

Virtools Fundamentals
by Daniel Liu & Shaun Le Lacheur Sales
Publisher: Axis 3D Technology Inc
ISBN-10: 9868320801
ISBN-13: 978-9868320802

Text books are available from the Monash University Book Shops. Availability from other suppliers cannot be assured. The Bookshop orders texts in specifically for this unit. You are advised to purchase your text book early.

Recommended text(s) and readings

Gauthier, J, Building Interactive Worlds in 3D, Focal Press, 2005,
ISBN: 0240806220 

Bartle, Richard. Designing Virtual Worlds. Indianapolis, New Riders, 2003

Required software and/or hardware

Maya 2008, Autodesk

Virtools 4.0

 Software will be available in the tutorial labs for student access.

Software may be:

• purchased at academic price at good software retailers

Equipment and consumables required or provided

Students may use the facilities available in the computing labs. Information about computer use for students is available from the ITS Student Resource Guide in the Monash University Handbook. You will need to allocate up to 8 hours per week for use of a computer, including time for newsgroups/discussion groups.

Study resources

Study resources we will provide for your study are:

The FIT3023 web site on MUSO, where lecture slides, weekly tutorials, assignment specifications and supplementary material will be available.

Library access

The Monash University Library site contains details about borrowing rights and catalogue searching. To learn more about the library and the various resources available, please go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au.  Be sure to obtain a copy of the Library Guide, and if necessary, the instructions for remote access from the library website.

Monash University Studies Online (MUSO)

All unit and lecture materials are available through MUSO (Monash University Studies Online). Blackboard is the primary application used to deliver your unit resources. Some units will be piloted in Moodle. If your unit is piloted in Moodle, you will see a link from your Blackboard unit to Moodle (http://moodle.monash.edu.au) and can bookmark this link to access directly. In Moodle, from the Faculty of Information Technology category, click on the link for your unit.

You can access MUSO and Blackboard via the portal: http://my.monash.edu.au

Click on the Study and enrolment tab, then Blackboard under the MUSO learning systems.

In order for your Blackboard unit(s) to function correctly, your computer needs to be correctly configured.

For example:

• Blackboard supported browser
• Supported Java runtime environment

For more information, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/downloadables-student.html

You can contact the MUSO Support by: Phone: (+61 3) 9903 1268

For further contact information including operational hours, please visit: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/students/contact.html

Further information can be obtained from the MUSO support site: http://www.monash.edu.au/muso/support/index.html

Unit assessment policy

The unit is assessed with two assignments.  To pass the unit you must:

• achieve no less than 50% in the combined assessment 

Assignment tasks

• Assignment Task

  Title : Render of 3D environment

  Description :

  Your company has decided to submit a tender for a theme park 3D visualisation project by generating a prototype.  For the prototype, you need:

  • A 3D model of a building exterior
  • A A4 sized advertisement of the building, showing renders of the 3D model with a description of the interactivity within

  You need to choose a single building location in  the theme park and:

  1. create 1 building in the theme park
  2. using rendered images, create a promotional A4 pamphlet, suitable for inclusion in a magazine, that shows the building and describes the attractions within

  Weighting : 50%

  Criteria for assessment :

  You will be assessed through:

  • Appropriateness and ability in generating a 3D model
  • Your A4 render
  • Adherence to the brief requirements 

  Due date : Friday Week 6, 22nd August, 3pm

  Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

  Please refer to supplied brief on MUSO for detailed description of this assignment

• Assignment Task

  Title : Interactive Environment

  Description :

  Your design company has won a contract to create a 3D model of a theme park.  You hae decided to deliver the visualisation using the Virtools engine.  For the visualisation you will:

  1.  Import the 3D model into a communal environment where your entire design team may view your model in the context of the theme park
  2. Design an interactive experience, where the user explores the building environment
  3. Show the design in a presentation of key concepts to the class

  Weighting : 50%

  Criteria for assessment :

  You will be assessed through:

  • Completeness of object in the communal environment
  • The design of the type and level of interactivity
  • A presentation of the design to a group of peers
  • Adherence to the brief 

  Due date : Friday Week 12, 10th October, 3pm

  Remarks ( optional - leave blank for none ) :

  Presentations will occur on the day of the lecture; please refer to your timetable.

  Please refer to supplied brief on MUSO for a detailed description of this assignment

Assignment submission

Assignments will be submitted by CD-ROM submission to the assignment dropboxes in building 903 level 1, with the appropriate cover sheet correctly filled out and attached. Do not email submissions. The due date is the date by which the submission must be received/the date by which the the submission is to be posted.

Assignment coversheets

Assignment coversheets are available at the student services desk.

Due dates and extensions

The due dates for the submission of assignments are given in the previous section. Please make every effort to submit work by the due dates. It is your responsibility to structure your study program around assignment deadlines, family, work and other commitments. Factors such as normal work pressures, vacations, etc. are seldom regarded as appropriate reasons for granting extensions. Students are advised to NOT assume that granting of an extension is a matter of course.

Requests for extensions must be made to the unit lecturer at least two days before the due date.  You may be asked to forward an original medical certificate in cases of illness, and may be asked to provide other forms of documentation where necessary.  A copy of the email or other written communication of an extension request must be attached to the assignment submission, and the extension date signed by the lecturer on the submission sheet.

Late assignment

Assignments received after the due date will be subject to a penalty of 10% per day, or part thereof.

Return dates

Students can expect assignments to be returned within two weeks of the submission date or after receipt, whichever is later.

Assessment for the unit as a whole is in accordance with the provisions of the Monash University Education Policy at http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/assessment/

In cases where a time extension have been granted to student/s in a class, all assignments will be returned within two weeks of the last assignment submission.

Plagiarism, cheating and collusion

Plagiarism and cheating are regarded as very serious offences. In cases where cheating  has been confirmed, students have been severely penalised, from losing all marks for an assignment, to facing disciplinary action at the Faculty level. While we would wish that all our students adhere to sound ethical conduct and honesty, I will ask you to acquaint yourself with Student Rights and Responsibilities (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/about/committees-groups/facboard/policies/studrights.html) and the Faculty regulations that apply to students detected cheating as these will be applied in all detected cases.

In this University, cheating means seeking to obtain an unfair advantage in any examination or any other written or practical work to be submitted or completed by a student for assessment. It includes the use, or attempted use, of any means to gain an unfair advantage for any assessable work in the unit, where the means is contrary to the instructions for such work. 

When you submit an individual assessment item, such as a program, a report, an essay, assignment or other piece of work, under your name you are understood to be stating that this is your own work. If a submission is identical with, or similar to, someone else's work, an assumption of cheating may arise. If you are planning on working with another student, it is acceptable to undertake research together, and discuss problems, but it is not acceptable to jointly develop or share solutions unless this is specified by your lecturer. 

Intentionally providing students with your solutions to assignments is classified as "assisting to cheat" and students who do this may be subject to disciplinary action. You should take reasonable care that your solution is not accidentally or deliberately obtained by other students. For example, do not leave copies of your work in progress on the hard drives of shared computers, and do not show your work to other students. If you believe this may have happened, please be sure to contact your lecturer as soon as possible.

Cheating also includes taking into an examination any material contrary to the regulations, including any bilingual dictionary, whether or not with the intention of using it to obtain an advantage.

Plagiarism involves the false representation of another person's ideas, or findings, as your own by either copying material or paraphrasing without citing sources. It is both professional and ethical to reference clearly the ideas and information that you have used from another writer. If the source is not identified, then you have plagiarised work of the other author. Plagiarism is a form of dishonesty that is insulting to the reader and grossly unfair to your student colleagues.

Register of counselling about plagiarism

The university requires faculties to keep a simple and confidential register to record counselling to students about plagiarism (e.g. warnings). The register is accessible to Associate Deans Teaching (or nominees) and, where requested, students concerned have access to their own details in the register. The register is to serve as a record of counselling about the nature of plagiarism, not as a record of allegations; and no provision of appeals in relation to the register is necessary or applicable.

Non-discriminatory language

The Faculty of Information Technology is committed to the use of non-discriminatory language in all forms of communication. Discriminatory language is that which refers in abusive terms to gender, race, age, sexual orientation, citizenship or nationality, ethnic or language background, physical or mental ability, or political or religious views, or which stereotypes groups in an adverse manner. This is not meant to preclude or inhibit legitimate academic debate on any issue; however, the language used in such debate should be non-discriminatory and sensitive to these matters. It is important to avoid the use of discriminatory language in your communications and written work. The most common form of discriminatory language in academic work tends to be in the area of gender inclusiveness. You are, therefore, requested to check for this and to ensure your work and communications are non-discriminatory in all respects.

Students with disabilities

Students with disabilities that may disadvantage them in assessment should seek advice from one of the following before completing assessment tasks and examinations:

• Faculty of Information Technology Student Service staff, and / or
• your Unit Coordinator, or
• Disabilities Liaison Unit

Deferred assessment and special consideration

Deferred assessment (not to be confused with an extension for submission of an assignment) may be granted in cases of extenuating personal circumstances such as serious personal illness or bereavement. Information and forms for Special Consideration and deferred assessment applications are available at http://www.monash.edu.au/exams/special-consideration.html. Contact the Faculty's Student Services staff at your campus for further information and advice.