kezya-ar

[kezya-ar]

What’s next for AR?

Now that large industries are incorporating AR in their system (be it social media, offline pop-up stalls, etc), this is an indication that AR is slowly but surely is stepping up the ladder. This is evident in how:

Apple’s recent acquisition of Metaio (an augmented reality software company based in Germany) indicates that hardware companies are looking to built-in AR capabilities. The expectation is that Apple will use the Metaio software to make all Apple devices AR-compatible. It makes sense to create AR Apps for popular products. Metaio’s showroom app for Ferrari perfectly illustrates the value that AR technology can provide. Customers can customize their ideal car in the showroom using the AR app that animates 3D images.

Due to technological advancements and the era of globalisation, our phones do more than just answering calls and sending texts. This may reflect how it is possible for more devices or even appliances to be integrated with technology as its purpose is to ease human workload and improves efficiency.  This can be further extended into the idea of smart homes that are growing more and more popular in certain areas (Developed countries).

Unlike AI, AR does not pose as a threat of further unemployment due to the idea of ‘Machine replaces men’.

AR is not the same as AI and isn’t about designing intelligent services that eliminate the need for human thinking. AR is really about designing layers of added value that reduce the time to complete simple tasks. AR apps should reduce human error by removing room for interpretation because you’re presented with a realistic rendering of something. As the collaborative design app UXPin first explained in their free e-book Interaction Design Best Practices, task efficiency is the core of every great product.

All in all, it might be best to consider the future use of AR in the context of service design that looks into providing a satisfying customer journey throughout every touch points to the end of their journey. Essentially, it should be of worth of something like providing or becoming a solution (or a media) to a problem.

Augmented reality is a valuable added layer empowering us to make more informed decisions. As consumers experiencing information overload, we are desperate for advanced customer service. Augmented reality is like our own personal assistant providing us with an easy way to customize our world. Designing for an augmented world requires an understanding of how to design services that solve problems.

I might not have a specific or solid say in this matter, but I certainly have a rough idea of what AR, VR and MR can be in the near future.

Source: https://thenextweb.com/augmented-reality/2015/08/31/augmented-reality-is-the-future-of-design/

[kezya-ar]

Reflection: Last Thoughts

Although I have written various parts and pieces of my reflection regarding this studio all over the posts in this tumblr, it might be a good idea to write down my final thoughts in my reflection.

Firstly, I would like to give my appreciation to Andy and Karen for making this Studio available and fun for me! It was quite the ride and it is challenging for me. I am faced with myself and at the end of the day, this whole studio brought me back the joy of going along the progress and the steps of the design process and design thinking. Moreover, I started touching various art and design medias that I haven’t been able to interact with these past months or semester such as drawing, painting, crafting, experimenting and many more.

This studio further shaped my mindset and design processes. I shouldn’t be afraid in trying new things and jumping out of my comfort zone cause I won’t be able to grow and learn as a creative and as a person as well. In all honesty, I was very excited about this studio cause I get to learn about AR but as I joined the classes, I had second thoughts of quitting the studio. I just don’t think I can finish this studio well and I believe that I won’t be able to perform well. 

But I am very very glad to know that this Studio pushed me and forced me to upgrade and improve my self. I learned new skills and worked on my own mentality that used to chicken out when I am faced with an issue/problem. Additionally, I also learned to think critically of both my project (what I do) and my future (what I am going to do). Although I am familiar with the idea of having an objective, rationale and meaning in my project and works, this studio helped me to further ground and conceptualise my work by doing extensive research, further readings and iterations from discussions and feedback sessions.

I am still unfamiliar and awkward around the 3D space but I believe that it won’t hurt to expand my wings and try new things. Besides, blender is free and there are countless resources in the internet such as youtube tutorials and assets. 

As next semester will be my last sem in uni, I am not sure whether I am going to meet Karen and Andy in a classroom again. It has been a great semester and I wish myself and you guys all the best of luck!

[kezya-ar]

Tutorial Videos

Here are a list of tutorial videos by Andy and Jasper:

  Tute 1  Unity workflow = youtu.be/4ASntUQOMUo

  Tute 2  Blender into Unity = youtu.be/-xT07Tiqhaw

  Tute 3  Blender Animation into Unity = youtu.be/hA0SIimgKpI

  Tute 4  Typography from Blender to Unity = youtu.be/nOqsKw9AjGY

  Tute 5  Typography from Blender to Unity = youtu.be/YZRBQIV6lrE

  Tute 8  Animation in Unity = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lfeJUvtLQI&feature=youtu.be

I can’t seem to find the 6th and 7th tutes...

Other videos:

Prosper's vid = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0Em6r0Eotk

Mapping material = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmZDFdeneoo

Audio in Unity = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ct6Rvtin6Lo&t=98s

Engraving text into an object = https://youtu.be/M0m2Gnsm3E0?t=101

[kezya-ar]

The Project in Today’s Social Context

As mentioned previously, the objective of my project is to evoke a sense of understanding in the audience regarding to the concept and definition of identity. 

In this day and age where people starts to question their own existence and reasons in this world, there seems to be an increase in scepticism. People start to believe that they will never truly understand and know who they are as it seems as if there are multiple faces of themselves. Leading to a common question of “Who am I” and “What am I?”. Some might be confused as to which face is their genuine self. More and more adolescents wondered about their role in this universe and how to play that role accordingly.

This project is created in the hope that more people will come to an understanding that there is always more to a person, than simply their ‘face’. This does not only affect one, but everyone in this world. So, it would be alright to say that this kind of thing is normal and no, this does not necessarily mean that you are a snake or a hypocrite... It is just within our human nature to act our best in the role we are currently situated in.Thus, it is also important to realise that there are sides of a person that you are not aware of (be it bad or good) so it would be best to stop judging.  

Hopefully, technological advancements in this era of globalisation will focus on improving society by tackling various issues in this age by raising an awareness and/or exploring various topic that are crucial to human beings and the society in general. In a world where technology discourages us to think crucially and thoroughly, let us use technology to start pondering and reflecting about ourselves and seek the answer to “What is and what makes up my identity?”

Further readings:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/social-sciences/identity-crisis

https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/identity-crisis

https://www.simplypsychology.org/Erik-Erikson.html

[kezya-ar]

The Experience: Explained

The Entry 

My ideal entry animation would be having the cube starting out below (or behind) the target image and the popping out from the page as it twirls and rises up. However I noticed that this is not possible to be done as the AR needs to be visible somewhere on the screen as it is first scanned. 

Nevertheless, this works fine as well. I am just not too fond of the idea of having the AR to just suddenly pop up at a certain location/spot without a warning. 

Moreover, the spin right before the cube stops to its idle state slows down to give it a more smooth transition and animation. If you are looking at the cube upfront (not from an aerial view), you will notice that the motion slows down as it shows the left side of the cube. This was done in the intention of letting the reader to focus on the left side of the cube first as it is given more ‘screen time’ before noticing that there is more text on the right side. 

This is because the left side can be read on its own and there lies a meaning to it. But then, if you look at the bigger picture, you will notice that there is more to what is clear and shown. If read from left (side) to the right (side of the cube), there lies my true feelings and thoughts that are hidden away.

The Idle State(s)

The idle state is animated for the cube to move up and down slightly and subtly. This is just a small detail that I look forward as I do not want it to stay still during the idle state.

The Transitions

In order to display the other stories, the cube must be tapped and it will rotate and turn before stopping to show another story. In these transitions, I had the motion slowing down on the title of the story, giving it more screen time for the readers to notice that there is a change in the header/topic of the texts (content). 

I didn’t really bother with giving the left side of the cube more screen time because I am sure that the audience are aware and are starting to grow familiar in the reading system of the cube

[kezya-ar]

Rationale: The Content/Stories

There are four stories that tells on how I present myself in different situations and conditions.

1. An Artistic Future Ahead

This explains how I try to give off the vibes of being very happy and sure of my future in the art and design industry. I am positive that I will always love what I’m doing now and I will not question it. I will keep on creating artworks and be involved in projects. I’m talking as if my passion will never end and I am sure that I will succeed in this industry,

But in all honesty, I am not sure about my future at all. I am going to graduate soon and I am scared of everything. What will I do once I graduate? Will I proceed in the art and design industry or should I learn something else? Can I really survive and live off the income I receive as a designer or as a creative? There will be a tight competition in this sector and I am unsure that design and art is sufficient. 

This passage unravels my insecurities and my worries for my own future design practice and how it is going to work out in the working life of a soon to be adult me.

2. In the Eyes of a Young One

This passage unpacks the side of me that puts a brave and energetic front as a young adult in this world. I may look like I am ready to face the next journey in life after graduating (that is working) and I will stay resilient as I know that as a young person, I can always keep on trying. Taking risks are okay and failing is a lesson. Moreover, making mistakes doesn’t seem to stop me from growing as a person. The world looks like an adventure and I simply need to enjoy the ride. 

However, inside, I am scared and anxious of the future ahead. I feel like there is so much to learn and I only know so little about the world. It seems that I know nothing of this world. I am still a green leaf with no apparent and notable experience. I am truly afraid of failing in life and I avoid taking risks. I don’t want to handle the consequences of a mistake I made so I prefer to stay in my comfort zone. Nevertheless, I need to keep on striving in this world although it feels like it’s easier and more comfortable for me to quit everything.

3. Ethnicity and Nationality

This passage points out my personal conflict regarding my identity as seen in my ethnicity and my nationality. I am Chinese by descent but I look different to the Chinese from mainland China. But I am also told that I do not really look Indonesian either. I myself am proud of the fact that I am a Chinese-Indonesian but I always identify myself as an Indonesian whenever people asked me. I held Indonesia dear in my heart and I regard it as home. I also would like to believe that I (or my ethnicity) is accepted and heart-fully welcomed in Indonesia by the (pure) Indonesians.

Despite that, I cannot turn a blind eye on the segregation and sometimes, the mistreatment directed to the Chinese-Indonesians. Additionally, I cannot disregard my fear and concerns of the possibility of the mistreatment I can receive due to my ethnicity. This dates back to my childhood memory of my sisters who were rushing to escape the chase of two children with a broom and rocks in their hands, running at them while yelling racial slurs. They were just cycling around the neighbourhood peacefully when this incident happened. 

This confusion further grew into fear as I am exposed to various horrifying news regarding the tragedy that befall Chinese-Indonesians in the year 1988 and the hate pointed to Ahok, a previous governor of Jakarta who is notable for his positive and successful achievements during his reign several years ago that was framed and accused of a crime of blasphemy that he didn’t do. The main reason? Him being a Chinese-Indonesian who hated corruption and stands for just and righteous acts. 

Although the situation today is fortunately peaceful and normal, I am afraid of the possibilities of another attempt of eradication of Chinese-Indonesians in Indonesia as there are still a lot of hate and discrimination to this minority. I do love Indonesia, but I can’t help but to continuously think of possible negative scenarios ahead.

4. The Values of Filial Piety

In this passage, I am talking in the perspective of a daughter in an Asian household. It is a common sense for us to fulfil our duties as daughters as in respecting and honouring our parents. I am always clouded by the thought of bringing honour to my family or at least, making my parents proud of me. It is a well-known fact that most Asian parents want their children to succeed and mine used to offer me options to become a doctor. Since I am currently living away from my parents, it is easy for people to perceive me as someone who is independent from her parents and she makes decisions for herself. Her life is her own and only she matters at this current moment.

In contrast to that idea, I am still dependant on my parents in most major decisions in my life here. In an Asian culture, you are not simply your own as your family is a part of you and you are a part of the family. I am scared of disappointing my parents and the thought of it further worries me. I never want to hurt or break my parent’s heart so I try my best to fulfil their expectations despite it being difficult and stressful to maintain. 

Although my parents are not super strict (like how Asians referred them as tiger moms), I find it hard to escape from my own mindset that sticks to the belief that I need to make them proud .

To refer back to the concept: Wiip Link: https://wiip.co/Assignment-1-Press-Release.b-M3aOCvkZCnGJ2uKCORE/

[kezya-ar]

Rationale: The Object/Mesh

Form/Shape

I want it to be a cube as the root and the main inspiration of the appearance is influenced by Jasmine Kay Uy’s art project that is on a pillar. I also want it to be familiar to the audience in its actions. As I want it to rotate, tumble and move, I figured that having it similar like a die is a good idea. 

Colours

As for the colours, I didn’t want it to look too artificial or much like a digitally rendered object (although it is a rendered object) so I added hints of grey and yellow (red-orange-ish actually) to give it a sense of rawness and age to it (to point out to my self as in how I am not born yesterday, still clean, smooth, sparkling and shiny). 

Engraved Texts

I had the text engraved or dissected into the cube to represent how these factors (stories and point of views) are inscribed and are embedded in my identity. This relates to how there is a saying that writings on a rock lasts longer than that on the sand. This reflects how these stories slowly becoming solid and firm in my own identity that is developed and constructed over the years. Although it is difficult to alter the way I am now, it is not totally impossible to change the way I have been presenting myself. After all, the gaps and space of the engraved bit on the cube can be filled with cement. Left to dry and then inscribed with another form of text. This might take process and it is difficult to do so, but not entirely impossible.

Typeface

I chose a serif typeface due to it being more legible and readable compared to a heavy and thick sans serif typeface. This is because the serif lines of the typeface helps the audience to identify each of the letter forms easier and quicker.

Lighting

I also took lighting into account as I want the left side of the cube to be light (shined on) as it is the ‘ideal’ face that I present to others. It is as clear as day and is not concealed. On the other hand, the right side of the cube is dark and shadowed. This represents how there is a hidden side to the bright front a person displays. Moreover, it is also more difficult to read as this hidden side of a person is never easy to discern and revealed to people.

[kezya-ar]

Finally DONE!!

Here is the AR Experience in Action!

I can’t stress enough how relieved and excited I am to know that I finally finished this project!!!

I took Jinni’s feedback into account and added a simple instruction on top of the cube at the beginning of the Experience. It is very simple cause I don’t want it to overshadow the object itself. The main emphasis of the AR will still be the cube but the text is attention grabbing enough to be read before the audience proceed interacting with the AR.

I don’t feel so good about bothering Jinni again so I decided to flip my own laptop screen to have lying on a flat surface like how a publication would.

[kezya-ar]

Experimenting and Testing - Nearing the Final version

I found a very nice material that is up on Unity Asset Store which is thankfully free!

Link: https://assetstore.unity.com/packages/2d/textures-materials/concrete/yughues-free-concrete-materials-12951

My material preset

I changed the colour of the albeido, made the smoothness to 0 to really reflect the materiality of a rock/concrete block.

Add a normal map found on another resource (from the same asset package) that is supposed to be for a wall like texture mapping but I found it working well. It has the right amount of bumpiness yet it is not disturbing and making too much noise and texture.

Testing it out

After the iterations and everything, I decided to give it a go! It works well on my device but I am curious how it looks like on another device other than an Android and how it looks like in a flat surface (that is more closely related to how the publication will look like). I don’t have an ipad so I asked Jinni for help and she’s just really sweet and nice.

Feedback

Jinni said that it took her a while before noticing that she can click on the cube and interact with it. So maybe it would be a good idea to have a mini and simple instruction made in the beginning of the Experience to let the audience know what to do with the Experience.

Once again, many thanks to Jinni for trying out my AR Experience and giving feedback!!

[kezya-ar]

Buttons!

I followed along Prosper’s tutorial and I couldn’t make it work at the first try...

But I finally managed to do it! Wohooo! This tutorial is a life saver!

Button Logic

Canvas - Screen space

Canvas - World Space

Button (details and values)

So important notes:

Always make the canvas as a world space before turning it into an overlay (cause it didn’t work for me when I created an overlay Canvas first).

Ensure that all the values on the inspector are precisely like what it is on the tutorial

The logic behind the buttons are like Conditions of True and False where the chain system will be “Show the next object (enabling them) when the current object is clicked (disabling them)”

To make the animator controllers (the animations) work on the specified object, ensure that the created animation should be made in the specific object.

Ensure that all these objects and canvas are in under one empty object (Game object) to enable them to be a prefab.

How I merge buttons with animations

To be able to have the cube rotate as a transition when clicked, I decided to add animation controllers as a component in the object. 

I animated each of the object and have the idle state as a looping animation.

Then I made animation controllers and have them as a component in each of the object.

The Satisfying Outcome!

I managed to do buttons that trigger the animation using World Space Canvas as I wanted it to transition only when I click on the object!

[kezya-ar]

Testing time!

I tried testing the AR that I created in Unity (decided to just create all the animations in Unity) and here is how it looks!

Scaling is definitely a problem.. it’s too big! I tried scaling it down in the EMS but the result remains the same. I think it has something to do with the EMS itself since it is in the process of updating the system (scaling has to be 0.125 on all axes previously). But I might update this later on!

Video credits to Jinni who is very kind to test my AR late at night :’D. You da real one Jinni!

Next Step

Received an exciting news from Prosper that he has made a tutorial on toggling objects on and off using buttons!! Will definitely have a try and hopefully, it works! 

[kezya-ar]

Solved the Issue!

Found a tutorial that is very helpful in fixing my issue! Some important things to note:

All this time I have been using the wrong boolean modifier mode! I used intersect instead of difference! 

It is also important to note that I must click on the cube first as the main object to apply modifiers to! I have been selecting the text as the main object and this explains why difference won’t work!

After clicking on the correct object, click on apply on the modifier to make the changes permanent. If not, it will just remain as a preview and if you go to edit mode, it won’t affect the mesh!

Outcome

Look at that crisp, smooth and clean cut look!!!

I am very very proud of what I have now and I set out to create moree!!!

Updates

I revised all the phrases I had to have them sit well on the cube as the previous ones are too lengthy! I also decided to have more than just three stories on the cube (adding an extra 1 so 4 in total). I am unsure whether I can have all those stories coming together because I haven’t had the trigger buttons working! So I may or may not use all the stories but it’s better to come prepared with more than what is expected.

[kezya-ar]

Yet Another Experiment and Trial

Triggers in Animation (Buttons and Canvas)

Prosper from the Appearition team is very kind to help us in making our AR Experience interactive in a way that if a certain button was clicked, it will trigger the object/mesh to a specified action (animation). 

There are four recordings (tutorials) of Prosper showing the tutorial live right in front of us but Canvas does not allow us to copy the video link to share it in another platform/social media. 

I tried following Prosper’s instructions and tutorials closely and carefully but I couldn’t seem to be successful at it. 

In the animation controller, create a new one and create the line of animation you want. Then add parameter (trigger) and name it. Click on the transition arrow of the desired condition where you want the trigger to happen. Add condition and click on the named trigger. On the other transition arrow, let the condition be none. Save this and then link this to the mesh

After linkin this to the mesh (prefab) in the animator controller component:

I add a UI --> Canvas and made sure that the canvas is in the right point (location to 0,0,0 or as determined). I can either set it as a World Space (a specific area only) or as Screen Overlay (the whole screen unless otherwise stated.

Then UI --> Button is then stretched and positioned at 0,0,0. Height and Width at 0. Min 0 and max 1. Pivot 0,5. Change the transparency of the colour (so it looks invincible)

Then in the button, add on click component and add the list. Under runtime only, create write down the animation controller and next to it, have it as animator set trigger and under it write down the name of your trigger.

Adding a glow effect on Unity

Although I may not use this effect, I might actually end up using it. There is currently no option for us that allows us to export glows from Unity into the assetbundle. One way prosper suggested is to use particle effect but you’ll need to seriously tweak things. This is because the current known alternative to export glow is to use post-production or something on the camera. But this does not export into the assetbundle.

Outcome... Failed

I tried this (the trigger) twice but I can’t seem to make it work. So currently, I managed to create all the animations for the transitions, but they all are merely animated and not able to be triggered on click.

I might miss on several of the instructions or I don’t understand the logic behind it well. Nevertheless, this tutorial is helpful in terms of introducing the concept of Canvas and Buttons to me. I believe that it will further help me more although my Experience seems to need some other chain of work. Cause on click, I want my object ti change from object A to object B as my mesh has engravings on it. And if I don’t switch them out... I will only have two stories to show in my AR!

I consulted Karen regarding this matter and she mentioned that this is only possible with coding... Which means it is impossible for me! But then, she said that she can ask Prosper about this and my only hope is for Prosper to help me out!!

Current Progress

I decided on the typeface (YAHYA Bold) and I set them on the cube according to their designated positions. I haven’t tried engraving the texts cause I still want to have a play with it and save a version where the texts are still in their original form (curves) instead of a mesh. I also haven’t found a way to not make the intersected cube glitchy and wonky (as in the text fading in and out) I haven’t find other alternative to this material cause I don’t want to give it up that easily :(

[kezya-ar]

Another Test and Experimentation

Failure after failure after failure...

I tried modifying them so they will engrave nicely on the cube but instead I have a weird mesh!

There is now a lot of polyglons in the intersected surface of the cube and it is looking horrible! As I move and pan my camera around, the text that is supposed to be permanently engraved seems to be fading and appearing according to the angle I am perceiving the object... I tried to decrease the count by using decimate but it doesn’t seem to help.

I also normalised the face and auto-smoothed it but it stilll looks like this. I also tried beautifying the mesh but again as Andy suggested.... and it doesn’t work. 

Material Issue!

 It also seems like I also have problems in exporting the material from Blender into Unity as it keeps on not allowing me to bake the material (with the error message being: no active image found). This surprises me as I am sure that I followed the instructions as demonstrated in this video:

This confuses me a lot and I am unsure of what to do. So I just exported it into Unity in hopes that all those weird phenomenon is affected by the lighting in Blender. Since I don’t want to trouble myself with lighting, I don’t really touch them in Blender.

Alternatives

Currently, my alternatives are these images that I can probably tweak and work on in Unity:

Next Steps

Find out what’s wrong with my mesh objects and search for a proper tutorial on engraving a text on to an object. Find more textures to make as materials!

[kezya-ar]

The workflow: Unity

Unity is a very powerful yet strange software to me. It is all new and weird in a way... and definitely confusing! Andy gave us a quick walk through on how to use Unity and figure our way around it and it really does help. However, I quickly forget about several of the tricky processes and had to start slowly from the beginning again. 

https://youtu.be/6crhLHeyFLE  This is Andy’s tutorial! (Edit: It seems that it is private now :( )

To make the AR Experience (as in the science, magic and coding side of it), scripting and coding is required but thankfully enough, Karen created a script for us! So what we need is just to export the required file into the EMS (Appearition website) and avoid the scripting bit!) Here is the link to the resources: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1I2Er9pcSJK-nBLQh6dR-BZAHDMVo_GtN

Inside Unity

First we have a scene, this is where we’re going to see and preview the look of the experience. We can always create more and more scenes as we go! We can add mesh and other things in the scene but it won’t be a part of the experience that is going to be imported unless stated otherwise.

The mesh and other objects in the scene can be made into a prefab where you can easily drag and drop the object on the side menu (usually on the left) to the prefab bar. A prefab is something like a copy of the game that is converted into a reusable asset. It is sort of like the Master page in indesign where you create one page and you can keep on recreating the same page by appling that Master page into a blank page. It is highly recommended to change and alter the objects in the prefab.

Then comes the material, which is pretty much self-explanatory. It allows one to change the colours, type of texture and appearance (as in the skin) of the objects. We can also have image as our texture!

The camera basically gives us the preview of how the object in a scene looks at the designated spot, angle, height and so on. 

If by any chance I am planning to have a model imported into unity from another software, I can drag it and drop it into the Models folder. This gives me the ease to keep on going back to the original file of the model after I mess up or alter the model in a scene/prefab. This is why it is important to have it as a variant prefab (a kind of save as thingy).

There is also Unity asset store that offers numerous packages and bundles of models, textures, presets and many more. Although I am looking forward to explore the store, I am only interested in the free assets though! I don’t think I’ll spend money on them as I can keep on looking for other free-of-cost alternatives in the internet.

Exporting the Objects as an Experience

To export the files in Unity and have them as an experience, I have to ensure that the object is a prefab and I have to name it. Then I can head over to Assets (in the menu bar) --> Build Assetbundle while ensuring that I am on the right prefab and assetbundle! I also need to ensure that I avoid using symbols when naming the assetbundle to avoid errors and such.

[kezya-ar]

Animation: Blender vs Unity

Animation is very crucial in my AR cause it will look very very plain and boring without it. I tried animating in Blender first and it was quite easy to understand. 

Blender

In Blender, all you need to do is to hover on the desired information that you want to add keyframes on and click on ‘I’ for the software to add a keyframe. 

Above is a very useful tutorial Andy shared to us on animating in Blender and then importing it into Unity.

I struggled with creating multiple animations in one blender file but I found out the way! Just make sure that the window is on Action Editor and here, you can always add more animations.

I honestly think that there is no need to bake the animations cause when you import it to Unity, there will be duplicates of the animation (baked and unbaked) but I shall listen to Andy who understands these things more than I do.

Unity

At first, I thought that animating in Unity will be harder in comparison to Blender... but to my surprise, it is far easier to grasp!

By simply clicking on the red dot button to record the actions and sliding through the ‘time line’ window, the keyframes are created once the values and numbers in the inspector window are altered. This works for colours as well!

It is also easy to create more than one animations in an object/prefab. The animation can then be used for another mesh as long as it is in the same Unity file. Although you get to see the contents and details of the folders and files in Unity (which can be rather overwhelming and confusing), it is rather reassuring as you know what’s inside of the folders and you can easily navigate through folders to check on the files.

[kezya-ar]

Test and Experimentation

After trying to figure out what seems to be the problem in the previous versions, I discovered the beauty of beveled edges! The cube now looks less childish and like a badly rendered game object. I guess it gives it more substance and form by simply softening the edges of it !

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dice

I was inspired by those dice often seen in games that blunt on the edges as the animation of my object resembles that of a dice (tossing and turning, rotating). So I though to myself, why not have this object resemble something that we are familiar with so people won’t be alarmed or shocked by how this object is going to work!

The Material

I found a resource in the internet that gives me this desirable material that I envisioned my AR as. It was under a youtube video that shows a tutorial on creating an experimental concrete texture in blender:

I decided to use his already ready made material and export it into Unity!

Link to the asset: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EI61KXr8xocr6nY4L8JYjUtRMHCO2rQj/view