Project: Deliverables and Guidelines

Project 1 Due Date: September 21, 2009

Project 2 Due Date: November 9, 2009

Project 3 Due Date: December 7, 2009

Draft of this Document: October 9, 2009


General Goals for all Projects

Use Second Life or OpenSim to develop simulations of phenomena. We will refer to Second Life and OpenSim as the Multi-User Virtual Environment (MUVE). These phenomena may be natural, such as those based on physics or equation-based models, or artificial such as computing or people (i.e., queuing) networks.

Project 1: BUILDING IN AN MUVE

Individual

The goal of Project 1 is to become proficient using the MUVE building tools in preparation for simulation- specific projects 2 and 3. As you walk around campus, look at all of the objects - some may be buildings, sculptures, or natural structure (trees, lakes). The campus is full of them. Your goal is to choose an object or mini-scene of connected objects and then to use the MUVE to represent it. Scripts are mandatory for identifying the object, or part of it, when an observer touches it. These "identifications" are to be labels or phrases that help guide the observor as to define the parts. Any other scripts are optional, but may enhance the experience. The project must include: Deliverable:

Project 2: CREATING A SIMULATION

Individual or Team of 3 or fewer people

Project 1 allowed you to learn how to build objects or scenes synthetically using an MUVE. For this project, you will use what you have learned about models to assist you in creating a simulation, where the object or scene has attributes that change over time. The object or scene chosen must be different than for Project 1. Creating movement or dynamics involves using the LSL scripting language in-world or a standard computer language on a server, which communicates to the MUVE server. Pay special attention to creating robust, and often interactive, scripts that will help to make your project substantial. You will need to make sure that your object or mini-scene is driven by a simulation of reasonable complexity (more than two or three states or linked functions). The project must include: Deliverable:

Project 3: CREATING A VIDEO DOCUMENTARY

Individual or Team of 3 or fewer people

For project 2, you built a simulation and while there was documentation supplied in the form of a delivered notecard, the impact of what you have done can be improved through the creation of a movie. You will use what was done for project 2 and create a movie of no less than 2 minutes and no more than 4 minutes in length. The movie will be a documentary of why the model is important, describing the structure of the model and interpreting the model outputs from its driving inputs. You will need to use a formal script and role-playing for your documentary. Use the following guidelines and "do nots": Deliverable:

Grading

In general, the grade will reflect the quality of the overall project, and how many perceived hours were put into it. Ultimately, significance of a project is defined relative to what other students in the class turn in. In almost all cases, perceived effort (after viewing all implementation aspects) corresponds well with the grade. Grading, as in the exams, will be separate for each class (CAP 4800 and CAP 5805). Specific grading criteria include: