3D models with Behaviors for Alice, 2000-2003
original 3D Models and textures created for Alice, 2000-2003
From 2000-2003, I was a 3D artist for a research group at Carnegie Mellon called Stage 3. While there, I created 3D graphics for an interactive software called Alice designed by the late Dr. Randy Pausch and his team of Ph.D. students and staff members. Alice aims to make the process of learning how to program more appealing to both children and adults through the creation of interactive 3D worlds. Programmers can see their lines of code come to life while certain objects on a “stage” react to various commands. In order to ample creative possibilities to students of Alice, we tried to keep up with consistently adding hierarchical objects to a local and web-based 3D gallery. Some objects come with inherent behaviors, such as walk cycles or skill sets such as skateboarding or dancing, so that the authoring of a 3D world is easier for the beginner student of programming.
While working at Stage 3, I also participated in a research project called Developing Interactive Narrative Components, also known as DINC. This project was lead by then PhD student Caitlin Kelleher who is now at Washington University in St. Louis. challenged Alice developers to consider storytelling as a vehicle for learning programming. Students and staff members worked together during a semester-long project to make worlds that facilitated an original story line. Working with the ideas of narrative and obvious conflict, the three member teams had two to three weeks to design a pre-packaged “Storykit” with characters, objects, environments, and behaviors. These kits were then tested by middle school volunteers who came in each week to use our kits and create their stories.
The DINC, or Alice Storykits, homepage is still available here.
Tools, scripts, software, equipment and ephimera:
the Alice software, 3D Studio Max, Deep Paint 3D, Photoshop
browsing the Alice gallery
I designed clothing textures for the Alice person builder
Examples of characters designed with the person builder
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