Festival2012/Submit/Kuda a toolset to easily create interactive WebGL assets through a GUI
- Title of session: Kuda: a toolset to easily create interactive WebGL assets through a GUI
- Your name and affiliation: Michelle Fox and Alex Cohen, US Department of Energy
- Session format: Design Challenge and Learning Lab
Contents
What will your session or activity allow people to make, learn or do?
Kuda provides an easy to use interface to build powerful interactive 3D (WebGL) content. This open source framework was designed to empower a new generation to develop the 3D web. Use the new behaviors engine to create complex interactions based on mouse or keyboard input.
Kuda is comprised of an advanced JavaScript library and a World Editor that allows web developers to create these scenarios. Kuda abstracts the complexity of 3D behaviors into basic building blocks for common functions that simplify the process of creating complex sequences of events which respond to user input. The Learning Lab will provide an introduction to the tools and basic training in their use. No sit ups required! Users will be provided with a number of pre-built properly licensed (Creative Commons) models that they can start using.
Kuda is easily expandable. It currently provides functions for asset loading, camera control, particle effects, interactions, animation, shader fx, sprites, simulation, tools for transforming objects, and event sequencing. The tools were designed to support additional interactions and physics to support specific content types. For example, the base tool set had advanced calculations to support light and shadow added to support solar related materials. The community added new interactions such as hit boxes to support avatars in a first person's perspective.
We can think of many more things that need to be added (such as support for multi-users, or something as simple as gravity). We would be happy to user the learning lab as a place to generate a list of top features or we could come prepared with our own list.
The Design Challenge will encourage participants to modify Kuda’s base code to add features and improvements to support a wider learning and entertainment potential. The tool was developed by a Federal Agency to allow trainers to quickly and easily create training materials. It is the hope that this session will allow users to see the potential of WebGL and this toolset to see the potential of a 3D web.
Alternative Design Challenge could focus on using the tool set to build interactive content such as games and simulations.
In the learning lab they will have the ability to create interactive WebGL content such as simple games and simulations without needing to program. These assets will run in any WebGL enabled browser. These could be used in any place that similar Flash content is used but without the plug-ins.
How do you see that working?
One speaker, a couple of assistants to answer specific questions and trouble shoot and of course praise cool breakthroughs!
How will you deal with 5, 15, 50 participants?
5 is easy—they will receive lots of attention. The more we have, the more trouble shooters we would want to bring. We would like to focus on developers for the learning lab, but welcome people of all backgrounds, skills and abilities for the design challenge.
How long within your session before someone else can teach this?
30-45 minutes.
What do you see as outcomes after the festival?
New 3D content and people interested in contributing to the open source base. By learning how to use Kuda participants will be able to create more engaging websites in the future and be on the forefront of the 3D web. Advancing this toolset will help us all to enjoy a more enriched web.
