Simulating Scenarios: Creating Lifelike 3D Environments for Interactive Training Modules

By: Mike Schreiner

Introduction

The creation of a lifelike 3D environment tailored for interactive training is an intricate and demanding endeavor. With a true-to-life 3D environment, learners gain an immersive and engaging understanding of real-life scenarios in a safe and secure location. There are stages in the development and design phases of curriculum development that require an iterative process to achieve a lifelike 3D environment. This iterative process is used throughout all the phases of the project. Testing the performance of a 3D environment and how it compiles in the game engine is also an important process in production. All of these areas in the production are necessary throughout the project to deliver a state-of-the-art product.

3D Environment Design

When creating 3D environments, the design phase is a critical stage where the foundational concepts and visual elements of the environment are established. For instance, photos of the environment and its surroundings should be accumulated along with drawings that contribute to the ideal 3D environment. During the design phase, gathering storyboards and reference images is crucial in establishing a lifelike 3D environment. Gathering storyboards when building 3D environments will help provide a guide to the composition of the scene and outline any planned animations and interactions that will occur in the 3D environment. It is essential to plan out the environment before the development phase because any errors can be identified early on rather than later. Errors caught during development cause more delays in finalizing the product. In collaboration with the instructional designer and subject matter expert, the artist needs the necessary reference images required for the 3D environment. These things can be landscapes, buildings, vehicles, machinery, materials, and atmospheric lighting. Then, the art director, instructional designer and subject matter expert decide [LL1]?on the best course of action for what is expected to be achieved in building the 3D environment. This is crucial in establishing the best authenticity in the 3D environment that will be built during the development phase. Also, it is important to discuss the level of fidelity that is expected in the 3D models. For instance, which part of the 3D model is animated, interactable, or what internal, mechanical element[LL2]? needs to be shown in the training module? This will determine the scope of how much content is required during the development phase. Establishing a blockout of the 3D environment can also provide a layout plan of where the things are in the scene. The blockout consists of simple geometric shapes that represent things like trees, mountains, buildings, vehicles, and other man-made objects. Constructing a blockout of the 3D environment illustrates a rough layout of the scenario and the composition for where the camera is placed. Some initial lighting setup is also used during the 3D environment blockout process.

3D Environment Production

The development phase is where all the content creation and implementation come into production. The content assets are either built or bought on a marketplace online. The content assets can be anything from texture maps, shaders, 3D models, animations, sounds, or atmospheric lighting. It’s during the development phase that the virtual world begins to take shape through the implementation of various content elements. Reference images gathered during the design phase are used to help guide the artist in creating the 3D content as well as the texture maps. The process starts when the artists begin modeling the silhouette of the object from the reference images and then proceed to UV mapping the 3D model. After the 3D model is UV mapped, it is brought into the texturing or sculpting procedure. After the procedure, the texture maps are attached to a preexisting or custom-built Physically Based Rendering (PBR) shader. These shaders are assigned to the 3D models. When preparing for the animation procedure, the storyboards and other relevant reference media gathered during the design phase are used for this procedure to ensure authentic and accurate motion. The animations can range from a 3D model, physics simulation, or shader animations. Animators can create these animations in a game engine such as Unreal Engine or in an animation software package. The efficiency, abilities, and constraints that each tool offers make this choice an important part of pipeline development. ? After the content is gathered or created, it is integrated into a game engine like Unreal Engine or Unity. The blockout process done during the design phase is updated during the development phase with the new 3D content. All animations are integrated or merged into the 3D environment within the game engine scene and the animations are set to be triggered during run time in the game engine. Using the reference images and other types of visual media, the atmospheric lighting is further polished and refined to enhance the realism in the 3D environment. For instance, lighting a nighttime scene with a rainy and cold temperature compared to a sunny day with warm temperatures will set the tone of the training and provide increased environmental awareness to the learner. Another instance would be using lighting to distinguish important areas in the 3D environment such as artificial lighting from mechanical buttons in a room, device, or vehicle. During this process, the instructional systems designer and SME need to inform the artist as to what areas in the environment are more illuminated than other areas as well as where there will be artificial lighting versus natural lighting. Using the game engine lighting tools, the artist implements the respective light sources and reflection probes, generates light maps, and adjusts the global illumination parameters. During the post-production process, the artist adjusts the camera in the cinematography environment. This includes color grading, white balancing, bloom, motion blur, and depth of field. These effects are crucial for adding a layer of polish and cinematic quality. The camera can also be used to direct attention to important areas in the 3D environment. This can be done by animating the camera while maintaining good composition. As a result, the final product will be more visually compelling and immersive to the learner.

Testing and Refining 3D Environments

In the testing and refinement phase, the 3D environment is evaluated on its memory consumption, performance, and visual presentation. Depending on the platform the 3D environment is being developed for, it is important that the product can run smoothly during runtime. If there happens to be lagging issues during runtime, the artist will have to reoptimize whatever is causing the lagging issue in the scene.

Conclusion

The process for creating lifelike 3D environments designed for interactive training modules is a complex and time-consuming endeavor. However, the effort invested in this process is well worth it, as it yields exceptional outcomes for learners. By immersing themselves in a realistic 3D scenario, learners can engage more deeply with the material, leading to a more effective and memorable training experience. This meticulous approach to creating interactive modules not only enhances the learning process but also equips learners with the practical skills and knowledge they need to excel in their respective fields.