KALAVASOS VR

INTRODUCTION

Working with University of British Columbia’s department of archeology and KAMBE (Kalavasos and Maroni Built Environments Project), we were tasked with creating a new type of archeological experience. By combining the experience of archeology with Virtual Reality, we wanted to give users a sense of what it was like to live in Kalavasos during the Late Bronze Age. 

Provided with the data from KAMBE and the research expertise of Dr. Kevin Fisher (Co-director of KAMBE), we reconstructed the site as accurately as possible. We took every measure to both ensure that the artifacts and rooms were recreated to match the photos and scans provided, while making the best educated decisions to creatively reconstruct what was missing. 

Here is a video of the Virtual Reality experience:-

ART DEVELOPMENT

We built most of the city based on the information provided by our client and tried to replicate the scene as accurately as possible within 13 weeks. We started by first modeling the buildings and ancient artifacts using a low poly approach and developed them further depending on the client's input. We then UV mapped the 3D models in an optimal way as to reduce the amount of texture sets, while insuring a consistent level of resolution. We then designed and painted textures onto the models based on the references provided, and exported the textures to be compatible with the Autodesk Interactive Standard Shader in Unity. We then lit the environment in Unity using an external plug called "The Bakery" to create a better looking scene.  

It was important to consider the accuracy for these ancient artifacts, so we had to gather references of similar looking items that existed within the same time frame. Based on the references that we were provided and gathered, we built each of these artifacts in a manner that resembles what out client wanted to convey. 

Because most of our assets were based on conjecture, we had to find a way to alter changes quickly instead of starting over in the development process. In doing so we began from grey boxing the entire area, and increased the level of detail in each room over time. We designed textures that were easily manipulated, using smart masks in substance painter and designer. 

We had to balance resolution and optimization of texture sets in the scene, so our solution was to segment areas and assign each area a texture set based on their appropriate size and shape. With this process, we designed a consistent level of resolution within all objects in the scene and insured a decent frame rate for the application. 

These are some images of the excavation site, specifically the court yard area and the pithos hall. The court yard was an area where the inhabitants would feast, and the pithos hall was a storage room that held large jars of olive oil:-

One of the main challenges that we faced was being able to deliver polished assets that were based on conjecture and research. We had to find a way to iterate quickly and efficiently in order to deliver an accurate representation of the artifacts and the environment models. We resorted to using substance designer whenever we were given a custom material that needed to be built from scratch.

This is an example of a procedurally generated material that we developed using Substance Designer. This material is called chiseled Ashlar, and it was crucial for depicting social hierarchy within the scene. We customized parameters that change elements of the materials, specifically the size and amount of chisel marks, and the amount of cracks on the material. This workflow allowed us to create a sense of variety in the scene and allowed us to iterate quickly with the design. 

TECHNICAL DEVELOPMENT

We played the experience using the HTC Vive headset and controllers (Hardware), and we used Steam VR 2.0 to run the application. The experience features tools that allows archeologists to display their findings within the Virtual Reality environment. These tools include the conjecture slider, the heat map display, and the save button. The conjecture slider allows the user to toggle between different modes of conjecture, based on the certainty of whether those objects existed. The heat map display overlays maps around the environment such as common routes in the building, location of specific artifacts, and the population density of each room. The save button is located on top of the image galleries and they allow users to select and save information that can be viewed after they closed the application. These tools allow other archeologists to understand the specific sections of this Ancient Bronze Age City, and is designed to be appended should new information present itself in the future.

PROJECT MANAGEMENT

We used a framework called Scrumban that combines the structure of Scrum with the flow-based methods of Kanban. It involves a cross-disciplinary team working to achieve specific project outcomes. Development was divided into weekly sprints, each focusing on developing the resolution and functionality of the project. A project board was provided to oversee progress, where the project manager leads the delivery, and the product owner conducts the weekly demonstration.

Instead of using a traditional Kanban board, we designed our own version that best reflects the project's needs. Since the project was only 13 weeks long, we made individual lists for each Sprint that lasted a week and included all the backlog items. The team had to commit to the number of tasks that they were ready to accomplish during a Sprint, and if certain tasks couldn't be finished in a given Sprint they would be pushed to the next sprint. This helped to give full visibility of the process, where the team can measure tasks based on the weeks available. Thus, providing the flexibility to prioritize the most relevant tasks for each sprint.

Trello was the most appropriate project management tool, as it provides a straightforward system for organizing and monitoring projects. 

THE TEAM

The project consisted of a talented team with diverse experiences in Digital Media. The team included:-

ZEHRA KHAN, (3D ARTIST) 

zehrakhan.artstation.com

BASEL ALNASHASHIBI, (3D ARTIST)  

bas-nash.com

DANKA HA, (PROJECT MANAGER) 

hi@dankaha.com

JONATHAN B. J0RGENSEN, (PROGRAMMER)

linkedin.com/in/jonathanbj

LARRY BAFIA, (MENTOR)

larry_bafia@thecdm.ca

DAVID SIGRIST, (PRODUCT OWNER) 

davidsigrist.com

Assets Purchased

Some assets were purchased in order to enhance the experience. These are the following assets that were purchased:- 

  1. Bakery GPU Lightmapper: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/level-design/bakery-gpu-lightmapper-122218

  2. Volumetric Light Beam: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/vfx/shaders/volumetric-light-beam-99888

  3. Food storeroom: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/3d/props/food/food-storeroom-136943

  4. Selected Effect- X Ray: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/tools/particles-effects/selected-effect-xray-59870

Most of the models were designed by the modelers as they were unique and needed to be accurate to the references provided by the client. Assets that were purchased mostly included food and secondary items that helped to bring life to the scene. 

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