ARcamp is coming. Indeed.

I’m pretty stoked to be attending ARcamp 2.0 at the Inspire Centre at the University of Canberra from Monday 20 May to Tuesday 21 May as part of my VET Development Centre Specialist Scholarship. Judging by the recent camp update, it looks like we are all going to be immersed in two days of hands-on augmented reality workshop goodness. They’ve also provided us with a link to the ARcamp schedule and the Augmented Reality in Education Wiki and some links to AR industry players such as BuildAR, Metaio, Junaio and Aurasma to help us prepare. Awesome.

In this example, ARIG records a simple 3D cube augment produced with Blender 2.62 and Aurasma Studio.

Unpainted ARIG with tablet mount.

Unpainted ARIG with mobile phone mount.

The complete ARIG kit with light sock components and iPad, mobile phone and DSLR required to record the experience.

A simple 3D cube augment created with Blender and Aurasma Studio

Blender 2.62 does a good job of exporting a 3D scene in the Collada (DAE) format for use as an overlay in Aurasma Studio. You just need to make sure you interpret the newest version of the Aurasma 3D Guidelines in a Blender 2.62 context. For a Blender 2.62 user the most important guidelines to follow are:

• Models need triangulated faces (Edit mode > Ctrl+T)
• No more than four lamps (lights) although three are recommended
• Models are to have no more than one map/texture
• Create a .tar archive to upload to Ausrasma Studio made up of .dae (Exported from Blender 2.62), .png (Texture) and a .png thumbnail (256 x 256).

This video is an example of a simple 3D cube augment produced with Blender 2.62 and Aurasma Studio.

The 3D object used in this augment has been reduced in scale to enable the object to be viewed within the constraints of a marker-based augment.

As part of my VET Development Centre Specialist Scholarship I’m in the process of developing my practical skills in designing and building augmented reality learning experiences. One of the experiences I’m currently prototyping is a formative hazard identification activity. This has brought about an interesting challenge. I’m currently grappling with the challenge of using markers placed on the floor to trigger and then engage with an augment containing a 3D object modelled to scale.

A marker needs to be in view and recognisable at all times for the augment to work. An augment containing a 3D object not modelled to scale can be easily triggered and engaged with by a marker placed on the floor as the marker will most likely remain in view and recognisable at all times. An augment containing a 3D object modelled to scale can also be easily triggered by a marker placed on the floor. The user then needs to move away from the marker to engage with the augment. As the user moves away from the marker it no longer remains in view and recognisable. This means the augment will fail.

Possible solutions?
Increase the size of the marker or place the marker on a wall to ensure the marker remains in view and recognisable at all times. Increasing the marker could be a solution, but then a specialist printer may be required instead of a standard domestic or office printer. Placing the marker on the wall could be a solution, but only if the experience was thematically relevant. A marker placed on wall could also be used to trigger an augment on the floor. This could also work, but would require strict placement to ensure the augment is placed in an accurate position on the floor relative to the marker and not floating in the air or buried in the floor.

Another possible solution could also be to trigger the augment containing the 3D object modelled to scale based on location. This solution could work if the designated location for the augment was outside  or if the location could be accurately determined when indoors.

Testing a marker-based 3D augment with my mobile phone. Pity my phone doesn’t have the resources to manage a 3D augment. If it did it would’ve appeared in Aurasma’s list of supported devices.

Inspired by Adam Lemmo’s investigation into roadside shape recognition and shape accidents.

VET Development Centre Specialist Scholarship: Event 1 – Induction

This year I was fortunate enough to be granted a VET Development Centre Specialist Scholarship. Specialist Scholarships are available to non-teaching staff who wish to develop their skills, capability and professional standing within the VET system. Among the services provided by specialist staff are student support, student administration, human resources, learning design, records management, purchasing, learning resources, information technology, occupational health and safety and financial management. The Specialist Scholarship Program focuses on the professional development of non-teaching staff in the context of high level administrative and specialist tasks required of them by internal and external stakeholders.

How am I using my scholarship?

I’m using my Specialist Scholarship to attend the AR Studio Augmented Reality Camp (ARCamp) at the Inspire Centre, Canberra in May 2013. Attending ARCamp will give me the opportunity to develop my practical skills in designing and building augmented reality learning experiences; access to technology, equipment and expertise to prototype augmented reality concepts and evaluate augmented reality as a technology and then determine how it can be best applied to new and existing learning contexts.

By the completion of my scholarship in late 2013, my goal is to have developed a number of marker-based and location-based augmented reality experiences that can be used and then customised by trainers and learners inside the institute and those outside in the wider vocational education community. My goal is to develop these augmented reality experiences in conjunction with enthusiastic teaching staff and teaching centres to make sure the augmented experience accurately represents real workplace activities. The types of real workplace activities I’m currently exploring for augmented reality experiences include hazard/risk identification in the workplace, apply control measures to a hazard/risk in the workplace and fire drill training.

A risk/hazard identification AR experience previsualised with Duplo.

What have I been doing?

Recently, I’ve been researching tools that I can use to develop my augmented experiences. For the moment, I’ve decided to use Aurasma to create my marker-based experiences and Layar to create my location based experiences. During this time I’ve also been using my iPad and a booklet of AR markers on loan from a colleague to explore a number of different marker-based AR experiences.

I broke a string, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

The G string never stayed in tune. I broke the string while I was trying to tune it. Next stop? The guitar shop.

E minor

D major

Strumming D major and E minor (Badly)

My new D’Addario Medium Light strings. They have a full, bright tone?

It took some time, but I was finally able to string my guitar with new D’Addario Medium Light strings. This is the process I worked through. Using pliers, I gently tugged the bridge pins from the bridge, removed the old strings and then placed the ball end of each new string into their respective bridge hole. I then inserted the end of each string through the hole of each tuning-post. Next I had wind each string around its post. I found an informative video on YouTube demonstrating how to string a guitar and do a funky little loop around each post. I had to watch it a couple of times just to get the direction of the loop right.
All up, it took me about 45 minutes to finish stringing my guitar. Now it’s time to tune it.

Guitar Tuna! The polygraph test line-on-graph-paper style, individually labelled strings and Tune up or Tune down instructions made it easier for a total guitar beginner like me tune each string.

I had tried using a number of different guitar tuner apps to tune my guitar. I had even tried using the web-based guitar tuner. I felt like they were more suited to people with a bit more guitar experience than me. That’s ok. I just needed something with a little more instructional scaffolding.  That’s why I liked I Guitar TUNA! I was able to select the string on the app I wanted to tune, pick the same string on the guitar and then adjust the tuning key according to the feedback provided by the coloured line drawn by the pen on the graph paper and the Tune up or Tune down instructions that were displayed. Once the line was drawn in the middle of the graph paper and coloured green I knew that the string was tuned. I then followed the same process for the remaining strings. With more experience and the need to play songs with alternate tunings, I might find Guitar TUNA! restrictive, but for now it’s my tuner of choice.

Chapter 1 – Last Saturday

The story of my guitar is plain and rather unglamorous. I wanted to take part in the Introduction to Guitar course, so I went to a nearby pawn shop and then bought an acoustic guitar that seemed to be in a reasonable condition and was within my very limited budget. The guitar happened to be a Tanglewood Indiana Series (TW28ST-USA/NA).

It was missing a string and the fretboard was filthy due to some questionable maintenance from the previous owner(s), but I didn’t want these minor issues to get in the way of my guitar adventure. Besides, some new strings and a serious clean with a soft cloth and some citrus cleaner would remove any remnants of the past. After a serious cleaning the guitar would have a new owner. Me.

Chapter 2 – Today

It’s now Monday night. I’ve cleaned the fretboard and body with a soft cloth and citrus cleaner. The funk, the gunk and the grime have gone. I’ve removed the old strings and thrown them away. All that remains is to string the guitar, learn how to tune it and then learn how to play. They’re the next chapters in the story of my guitar.

Bobbin’ and weavin’ (and let the good get even), originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

Bob takes cover behind a car in a Heat themed Gun Crazy GIF celebrating DS106 GIFfest. There’s a lot of crazy gun action in Heat that I’m sure can be sampled for an animated gif. This animated gif sampled a shot from the gun battle in the street scene. I particularly like how the camera mirrors Bob’s movement from behind the car.

Automated holster action from Robocop, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

Automated holster action from Robocop for a Gun Crazy GIF celebrating DS106 GIFfest. Robo’s gun spinning and holstering sequence is reminiscent of a Sheriff in a Western. A lone (rebuilt) lawman responsible for cleaning up the town.

Moo Moo Says The Boid GIF, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

A dancing bird inspired Moo Moo Says The GIF for DS106 GIFfest. If only I read the assignment brief correctly. Animation is restricted to COWS ONLY. Other animals are not included in the assignment brief. Maybe, just maybe these boids could be considered an unofficial remix.

You’ve made my GIFlist, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

A shopping themed You’ve made my GIFlist for DS106 GIFfest.

When I get mad
And I get pissed
I grab my pen
And I write out a list
Of all the shopping
That won’t be missed
You’ve made my GIFlist

A Heat themed The Music Of GIFs for DS106 GIFfest.

Kaneda gets Gun Crazy, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

An Akira themed Gun Crazy GIF for DS106 GIFfest (Extended).

Shotaro Kaneda gets Gun Crazy while battling Tetsuo Shima.

Two guys and their Miniguns, originally uploaded by Rowan Peter.

A Minigun themed Gun Crazy GIF for DS106 GIFfest (Extended).

With its rotating barrel, cascading cartridges and dramatic muzzle flash the Minigun seems to be the weapon of choice for movie characters who need to battle against great odds. Terminator 2: Judgement Day and The Matrix are two of the many films that feature a Minigun.