PennEduTech

The terms “3D” and “easy” rarely go together. Modeling environments or characters  in 3D programs is often time consuming and frustrating and the learning curve for most programs doesn’t seem worth the effort. Trying to incorporate 3D modeling or scenes into a class project can seem nearly impossible because it takes all semester for student to even feel comfortable with programs like Maya or 3dsMax.

But there are two easy-to-use programs (both Mac and PC) that are excellent for human and animal figure posing and animation. “Poser” (available for purchase from SmithMicro at http://my.smithmicro.com/mac/graphics.html) and “DazStudio” (available for free from DAZ3D.com) both can be used within minutes of starting and animations  can be easily accomplished in just a few minutes more. Both Poser and Daz formats are popular with independent model designers and you can purchase (often for as little as $.99) thousands of models online or download many free ones (see DAZ3D.com, contentparadise.com, poserworld.com).

Daz images will be used to demonstrate here but the programs are very similar in their layout and tools. Poser has more sophisticated animation capabilities.

1. Models are loaded into the program by selecting from the content folder that holds the models that come standard with the programs as well as those purchased separately.

2. Models include human of all ages and sizes, as well special humans like “The Freak” which is an oversize, muscular male that can be morphed into various monsters. Animals, plants, and props are also available.

3. Pre-designed poses can be applied to the figures or each body part can be manipulated and posed separately.

4. Switching between different views (front, sides, top, perspective) can make modeling and positioning easier. This scene is shown with 4 views and the screen can be split in numerous ways. A background image or color can be added as can complete 3D environments that allow the positioning of figures within a 3D space.

5. A final rendering, as a still image or an animation, can be produced in high quality and many different formats, including with comic book textures.

Daz3D will be demonstrated in a workshop on March 1, 2010 in the Weigle Information Commons, 10am to 11:30am. Register at: http://tinyurl.com/y8fma6f

Editor’s note: This blog entry was written by Lisa Minetti, Curriculum Design and Assessment Specialist at the College of Liberal and Professional Studies.

Consider this blog post an advertisement of sorts for a great resource I think anyone interested in educational technology should be reading whenever they get the chance!

Educause Learning Initiative: 7 Things You Should Know About

The “7 Things You Should Know About…” series provides concise information on emerging learning technologies. Each brief focuses on a single technology and describes what it is, where it is going, and why it matters to teaching and learning. Use these briefs for a no-jargon, quick overview of a topic and share them with time-pressed colleagues.

This month’s brief examines backchannel communications, which I mentioned in my recent post on designing interactivity into live web conferences on the Adobe Connect Professional tool. While our online faculty harness the power of the backchannel to foster participation and drive lecture content, I wonder whether others here at Penn are experimenting with using backchannel tools in their face-to-face teaching.

Anyone out there using chat, IM, Twitter, or Google Wave for group participation in their face-to-face classes? If so, would you consider sharing your activity with us here?

If not, what do you think are the potential pros and cons of enabling backchannel conversations to become a part of the student experience in face-to-face classes at Penn?

In case you missed it, Frontline on PBS this week was “Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier” .  The program covered a variety of topics of interest to those of us involved in technology and education, including

• students’ perceptions of their ability to multitask compared to the realities of research on the subject
• the perceived demand for classes to be more engaging and interactive than they were a generation ago
• the benefits and possible perils of immersive virtual worlds such as SecondLife

See http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/ to read more about it or watch the episode online.