Planet Postmoderna Blog

Work continues on the demo and prototype of Planet Postmoderna within Multiverse.

Today we added a fertilizer sack. This sack is used to contain fertilizer that is used with the farming modules that will produce food near Base Camp. This small model object was created by our own “Ion.” I think it came out pretty good.

Fertilizer Sacks

Additionally, Ion helped create a replacement to our original Comm Tower which just did not have enough excitement to it. In its place we planted the new packaged communications set. The set comes in two models. One is the collapsed version as seen below. The other is the fully deployed version which follows.

These models were designed using Blender and the textures were done with Photoshop.

Communications Tower Set in Collapsed Mode

Communications Set Deployed at Base Camp

Story Usage: These sets are transported to the planet through the space tear onboard the pods. They are then unpacked and deployed where they are needed for site-to-site communications. Unfortunately, just like all offworld electronic technology, eventually these are rendered useless by the effect of the planet’s crystals. This is the case until they are eventually refitted to use the crystals as a power source.

One thing that I have always noticed about any project or business is that you can take away product, you can take away the money, you can take away all the glitz and glamour but, when it comes down to the true value of what you are doing or working on, it is all about the people.

I am reminded about this countless times, not only from the great people I work with in my real job at Quadrant but by the interactions I have with people on this project team. It’s about people and relationships. I am not the best at managing them. That is evident when I throw my family, all my friends, the parents of my kids’ friends, the band parents at my son’s high school, my daughter’s soccer team and the members of the life group I meet with every week. The things is that no matter what, people are what matter.

This project has added a new dimension to relationships. It is now more exciting not just because of good ideas, concept and storyline, nor because some day we might be a partner planet for Entropia Universe (which I do love to play when I actually have time to do so) but it is because I have had the benefit of meeting some really neat people from around the world.

In addition to the great people on the project team I have also met people beyond the scope of this project. I have met owners and team members of other projects. I have met people from other virtual world companies and people from virtual worlds and games like Entropia. A cynic might think you can’t forge friendships that way but I am sorry, you can. You can build some pretty good relationships through the common interest of the virtual world or MMO games.

Games like Entropia, Second Life, World of Warcraft, Star Wars Galaxies, and many others, have blurred the boundries between countries and cultures and brought people together on a even playing field (pardon the pun). In times like today where anytime you turn on the tube, there is one tragedy or another one bad news or another, it is good to have small distraction like a virtual world or game or even miracle of Facebook (another subject altogether). One might think that you will never know who the RL person is behind that avatar in your game, but the truth be known, people do. They are building friendships not with imaginary characters but the real people behind them.

Not only has this project been the ultimate example of that but I think of all the great people I have met that I would not have met, had it not been for MMO Games and Virtual Worlds.

So, when I talk about plugging away at the basics, I remind myself that the “basics” are really the valuable relationships you forge. No one endeavor can ever succeed without good quality people and the relationships that you surround yourself with. I really don’t think anything on this world is meant to be done all by yourself. Well, I guess you could but, why would you want to? That’s no fun. This is especially true, when you realize that the hidden gems that make life worth living are those that come from the lives you touch and those that touch you back.

This is why I am proud that Postmoderna is a project based on people. We have so much to learn from each other and so much to give back as a result.

I was pretty darn proud of being able to get the textures, the shader models and all that goes with it, imported and working in Multiverse. It looked good and worked.

Dome Model Test

Close-up of Dome Model

Then there came the part about importing the Physics for the Fort Ash Dome Model. I used the instructions on the Multiverse Wiki and thought it would all come together. I used the triangle mesh format within the Blender Physics settings and set it so the physics would follow the parent model. Failure! Well, actually most of the model’s physics worked well. I just could not enter the dome. I got stuck at the doorway.

Working the Physics

Here is a screenie of the settings we used.

Blender Settings

We’ll see what feedback I get from the Multiverse Forums to make this work.

I am really excited about this part of the project. Although Base Camp still has a lot more to tweak and work on it to be done, the Center will allow us to showcase the project within the Vastpark Virtual World Platform and make presentations to hopefully generate interest in the project.

It is my hope that we should be so lucky as to find investors before finishing the demo but if we don’t we will have taken the steps to at least be in a better position for it.

The Planet Postmoderna Visitor’s Center will be on a future Earth in a currently undisclosed metropolitan area. It is located on a hill overlooking the city. New Worlds Corporate owns the building and run many of it’s activities at that location.

Planet Postmoderna University is located there. It is used to teach students and interested hobbiests about 3d Art and Animations and the tools used by the industry. Classes are held there, leveraging the virtual environment of the Visitor’s Center. It is at this location experts interested in teaching concepts using Blender, 3dsMax, ZBrush, Maya, and other programs can better support the industry.

Yes, this is an exciting part of the project and will require lots of help to make it work.  The Visitor’s Center is the first place an avatar visiting our demo will appear.  There will be a Main Hall and Social Center, a University/School for learning about 3D Design and Animation, a Model Testing Room, a Presentation Studio, a Boardroom for meetings inworld, and a Departure Room where visitors will take a shuttle to Planet Postmoderna.

Stay tuned as this part of the project develops.