VIRTUAL MUSEUM Treasures From The Wanli Shipwreck

Overview

2009-08-13T23:31:00.004+08:00

Here is my final year project titled Virtual Museum - Treasure From the Wanli Shipwreck. It is a virtual museum which exhibits the Chinese porcelains discovered from the Wanli Shipwreck at the east coast of Terengganu, Malaysia. The final outcome is an interactive application which allowed the users to walk through the virtual environment and also interact with the objects. Besides exhibiting the porcelains, the application also enable the user to know about the auspicious messages carried behind the designs and decorations of the porcelains.

It is believed that the Wanli Shipwreck was under attack and an onboard explosion destroyed the ship. So with this hazard and sorrow, I made a contrast by designing a calm and clean environment. The ancient porcelains are placed in a futuristic environment to illustrate that they are the only remains when time goes by.

The Virtual Environment

The Avatars

The Avatar01 and 02 are originated from SiewLee.

Some modification with the models and textures are done.

The Chinese Porcelains

Software used: Autodesk 3ds Max, V-ray, Adobe Photoshop, Virtools

For more information regarding the shipwreck and its porcelains, you can visit the site Nanhai Marine Archeology.

VR Showcase 2009

2009-06-16T16:41:00.008+08:00

VR showcase on 5 May 2009.
Click on the links of my classmates on the right panel to view their works.

Poster

2009-05-14T09:36:00.004+08:00

Presentation Boards

2009-05-14T09:32:00.005+08:00

Interaction Board

Texture and Modelling Board 1

Texture and Modelling Board 2

Final: User Interface

2009-05-08T02:18:00.000+08:00

Final: Texture and Lighting

2009-05-08T02:11:00.005+08:00

Interaction

2009-05-05T06:36:00.008+08:00

List of Interaction

2009-04-23T04:57:00.004+08:00

NAVIGATION IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT
1. 1st person point of view
2. Keyboard arrow keys to move around
3. Mouse to view around

PROXY
1. Rotate object when user approachs
eg. porcelains rotate
2. Animate object when user approachs
eg. doors open
3. Hide/unhide object when user approachs
eg. projection of porcelains appear
4. Play certain animation when user approachs
eg. receptionist welcome the user

ACTIVATION ON MOUSE CLICK
1. Interface appear on mouse click
2. Characters and objects appear and animation starts on mouse click

INTERACTION ON INTERFACE
1. Mouse click on 2D sprites to select types of porcelains
2. Mouse click on 2D sprites to select porcelains to be explored
3. Middle mouse button to zoom in
4. Click and drag left mouse button to rotate
5. Mouse click on sprite to exit interface

Texture: Environment

2009-04-21T15:13:00.004+08:00

Texture: Characters

2009-04-21T15:05:00.004+08:00

Environment Textures

2009-04-01T00:43:00.006+08:00

I figured out that my environment is too empty due to the "white" colour. Therefore, I am currently at the progress of adding some textures for the walls and so on, hopefully can add more details to the scene, and look more interesting as compared to the previous progress.

Religious and Philosophical Symbols

Human and Landscape

Some texture samples created in Photoshop

Some completed porcelains

2009-03-31T17:42:00.015+08:00

Here are the 26 porcelains completed with textures. Rendered using V-ray, haven't tried imported into Virtools yet.
There are about 15 more porcelains to go... mostly plates and bowls.
Click on the slide to have a better control of the album.

P/S: only 1 render image per porcelain. So, stay tune for the final application to explore them with any angle u wish. =P

Characters modelling

2009-03-05T01:41:00.002+08:00

The avatar design of the receptionist is edited.

Scene Modelling

2009-02-24T05:37:00.003+08:00

Shipwreck

Religious and Philosophical Symbols

Human and Landscape

Compound Motifs

Flowers and Plants

Modelling

2009-02-20T04:31:00.004+08:00

Character: Receptionist

Here is one of the character in the scene - the receptionist. The costume will be edited later on as it looks similar to Vietnamese traditional clothes which might result in false info.

Object: Porcelains

Here is some of the porcelains that have been done so far, without complete textures.

Application Design

2009-01-12T02:20:00.003+08:00

Here is the sketchbook submission for Application Design.
Ok, about the same cover as the previous sketchbook.

The PDF format can be downloaded here.

Scene Render

2009-01-12T01:36:00.002+08:00

Application Interface

2009-01-10T01:35:00.002+08:00

The 1st one is the final design.

Avatars Design

2009-01-05T03:12:00.001+08:00

Progress: Application Design

2008-12-23T00:43:00.009+08:00

1st option of the museum design.

Application Analysis

2008-12-14T16:14:00.004+08:00

1st Dec 2008, Monday
Application Analysis Presentation

10 Dec 2008, Wednesday
Application Analysis Sketch Book Submission
The PDF format can be downloaded here.

Calm...

2008-12-05T02:46:00.009+08:00

I intended to apply "calm" as one of the expression in my virtual museum. And therefore, I borrowed this book, The Little Book of Colour Healing - CALM from library.

I was attracted by the phrase,
"Blue can be perfect for bedrooms, It encourages deep rest and is very good for people who find it difficult to fall asleep at night." (Introduction, pg.11)

Therefore, I Google "blue bedroom" and search for the images.
And then, I accidentally came across this image...

"White and blue is a classic color scheme for any room, but using it as a monochromatic palette in a bedroom makes it especially cozy and soothing..."

What so lovely about it? The porcelains... Hahaha! This, is fun! XD

The Resources

2008-11-26T19:20:00.005+08:00

As mentioned in the previous post, the virtual museum will mainly focus on the Chinese blue and white porcelains. But I couldn't find much info on the Desaru Shipwreck. The resources (history, textures, measurements, etc.) would be a problem for me. I went to the bookstore in the Muzium Negara, hoping to get some useful books.

And I found these 3 books that are related to what I want to do. But guess what, they are seriously very very very very very expensive!!!!!
1. The Wanli Shipwreck and Its Ceramic Cargo - RM280
2. Maritime Archaeology and Shipwreck Ceramics in Malaysia - RM230
3. Mysteries of Malaysian Shipwrecks - RM120

I can really felt a pain in my heart when I saw the prices... It's hurt you know? Gotta tighten my belt... T_T

If I am rich, I gonna buy 3 of them. Yea, only if I am rich. But I am just an ordinary student who has spent all the extra allowance that was earned during the intership lol... So after flipped through the books, I came into a conclusion.

"Let's be specified, and focus only on the Wanli Shipwreck!!! All of the resources that you need are in that book. Yes, ALL-IN-ONE!!! Though it's the most expensive among all, but you just need to spend RM 280 instead of RM630. Banzai~!!!"

So there you go~ My very first investment for this FYP.
You can have a look of its contents here.

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Thanks to my sis again, who "gosok" the credit card on behalf of my daddy.
Thanks to my daddy who is always the investor and supporter of my projects.

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So Jun, you have made the very first step, and you know there is no turning back! Give all your best to this project. You know there are people that you can't disappoint, don't you?

The theme of the virtual museum

2008-11-23T17:53:00.007+08:00

After my visits to the Muzium Negara, there are 2 themes that I think could be used as the focus of my virtual museum.
1. The wood carving of Orang Asli
2. The Chinese porcelains from shipwreck

Well, I am more interested in arts and that's why I believe I could do a better job with these themes.

Ok, so about the wood carving of Orang Asli, their attraction is that, each and every of the "patung" actually has a myth or story behind it. And, I found that it would be interesting to use the patung as a medium for the users to know about the culture of Orang Asli. HOWEVER, the problem is... Somehow, yes, somehow, I am a bit afraid of those patung... Some of the patung are related to their beliefs and rituals, and I could somehow felt their "aura". I am not trying to be silly but it's true, they made me feel that I must take them serious and never ever offend them or I'd be cursed! ...something like that... @@" This is just my personal feeling, no offense, k? I don't even dare to take some photos of the patung. Who knows if some strange things would appear in the photos???

Since there is an indestructible barrier in between the wood carving and I, I guess I shall give up on this. So, let's move on to the Chinese porcelains.

The Chinese porcelains that are displayed in the museum are discovered in the Diana/Desaru Shipwreck. What attracted me is the very detailed decoration of the blue and white porcelains. I just love those Chinese arts that have special motifs behind them.

And while viewing these porcelains, my mind started to visualize the scene where under the deep deep sea, everything seems to be blueish, and with very low visibility, a shipwreck is found... I don't know, this kind of vision just automatically formed in my mind during that moment. And so, I snapped my finger, that's it! The exhibits in my virtual museum would be the Chinese porcelains!

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Thanks to my dear sister who is
- the driver that brought me here and there for site visiting
- the company that discussed with me during the visit to museum
- the photographer that helped me to "record"

Some Info?

2008-11-21T15:13:00.002+08:00

Name: Wong Yee Jun

ID: 1051100629

Title: Virtual Museum

Description:
The virtual museum is mainly focus on the Wanli Shipwreck and its ceramic cargos. It combines the characteristic of both the museum and gallery. As a museum, it tells the history and information about the maritime trade, ship, porcelains and so on. As a gallery, it provides larger circular space, while each and every one of the exhibits is treated as a piece of art. Besides being displaced in a clean and huge hall, some of the porcelains are submerged in the water, where the users get into underwater scene and discover the shipwreck ceramics which are yet to be recovered.

Keywords:
Museum, underwater, porcelains

Objective:
To give the users a different experience which they could not get from visiting to an ordinary museum.

Communicate:
- The design of the museum
- The exhibits (porcelains)

Experience Goal:
- Helpful
- Satisfying
- Memorable

Mind Map

2008-11-21T15:11:00.003+08:00

Things that need more details:
1) Target Audience
2) The layout of the museum

Gantt Chart

2008-11-21T11:29:00.005+08:00

Project Management Initial Document

2008-11-17T23:31:00.003+08:00

Visit to Muzium Negara

2008-11-17T01:28:00.005+08:00

The exhibition is different from what I have seen last year, and is different from what is stated in the official website. (the site is not updated...sigh...)

Will update more about my experience later...

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The main theme for my VR application
This it my main problem now as I still can't decide on it.
But what I wish to do the most, is to create a VR application which allowed the users to discover the artifacts inside a shipwreck.

The Resources
In the museum galleries, I could only found some exhibits which are a collection of porcelains that was found in Diana vessel. Besides, I found some books which could be used as reference in the small bookstore at the museum. However, they are quite expensive as they cost from RM100 - RM280.

How It Started...

2008-11-14T21:51:00.001+08:00

Monday, 10 Nov 2008

I was assigned with "Virtual Museum" as the title of my Final Year Project, and was given a day to prepare a new proposal for it... was really helpless and puzzled...

Tuesday, 11 Nov 2008

Actions that I took to prepare the 1st proposal:
1) Review the photographs that I have taken during my last visit to Muzium Negara in 2007
2) Browse through Muzium Negara official website
3) Google "virtual museum"

Problems that I discovered:
1) Things that are exhibited in a museum could be very broad. I need to decide a theme, a main focus for my virtual museum.
2) The resources of my information
3) The final outcome of the virtual museum would be a supplementary or a substitute.