{"id":180,"date":"2026-02-11T23:24:00","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T23:24:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/?p=180"},"modified":"2026-03-30T22:53:09","modified_gmt":"2026-03-30T22:53:09","slug":"week-4-vr-mechanics","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/week-4-vr-mechanics\/","title":{"rendered":"Week 4 &#8211; VR Mechanics"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>This Week&#8217;s Goals<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-982e4ef2a4b1c4d3b795e6bf8cd01063\">In Week 4, we focused on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul style=\"padding-right:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40);padding-left:var(--wp--preset--spacing--40)\" class=\"wp-block-list has-contrast-background-color has-background has-small-font-size\">\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Prototyping and testing core welding mechanics in Unity<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Refining narrative structure and story flow<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">3D asset iterations<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li class=\"has-small-font-size\">Visiting Mill 19 to deepen our industrial context<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mechanic Prototyping in Unity<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-88dcfb7d389b005386a7afcf21119ea1\">This week, we began testing more detailed interaction mechanics inside Unity. Our focus was to ensure that the welding experience feels both <strong>believable<\/strong> and <strong>engaging.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-7522594c9d262debc3af7969939021a4\">We explored two primary interaction directions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>1. Snapping-Based Interaction<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-335dd62ef84bc6f8551f6d975b81e93e\">We tested a snapping system to support placing and aligning materials before welding, and also ensuring the mechanic <strong>feels satisfying.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"202\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/SnapPrototype.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-226\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1-1.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-222\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1-2.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-223\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h5 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>2. Drawing-Based Welding Interaction<\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-080af2ca647c59e5e28addc3c05a49a8\">We also experimented with two different approaches to drawing the weld seam. Both methods simulate torch movement but differ in how they interpret player motion and feedback.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-nowrap is-layout-flex wp-container-core-group-is-layout-6c531013 wp-block-group-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/PinMechanics.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-225\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full has-custom-border\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"225\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/LineRenderDemo.gif\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-224\" style=\"border-style:none;border-width:0px;aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover\"\/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-f655fc56d19c1a0d410ffcf47f7e35fd\">We plan to visit the Industrial Arts Workshop (IAW) to evaluate which method better reflects authentic welding practices and feels intuitive for beginners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Narrative Development<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-1ae3df3ef6c077edc7aab7f64f4a426b\" style=\"padding-top:0;padding-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--10)\">This week, we further structured the game\u2019s narrative by defining the characters, spaceship, and storyline, with concept art helping visualize these elements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"588\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development-1024x588.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-535\" style=\"aspect-ratio:16\/9;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development-1024x588.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development-300x172.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development-768x441.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development-1536x882.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/narrative-development.png 1653w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Art Production Begins<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-880e5f5790fcbe265451b04a1ec45a95\">Our art pipeline officially moved into 3D production. Current assets in development include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list has-sml-medium-font-size\">\n<li>A welding gun<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A welding machine<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Environmental spaceship components<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"575\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1-1024x575.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-538\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1-1024x575.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1-1536x863.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/art-1-1.png 1719w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b131c561ca8bbf99b50b1b9899438aab\">These assets will continue to evolve as mechanics are refined and scale is tested in VR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-text-color has-base-2-color has-alpha-channel-opacity has-base-2-background-color has-background is-style-dots\" style=\"margin-top:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30);margin-bottom:var(--wp--preset--spacing--30)\"\/>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Mill 19 Visit \u2014 Robotic Arm Testbed<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-91ad01b5153c530d161f8a4aaa90809b\">This week, we visited Mill 19 to observe the robotic arm welding testbed and learn more about advanced manufacturing environments. Seeing real industrial robotics in action provided valuable reference for both our visual direction and narrative framing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-base-2-color has-text-color has-link-color wp-elements-b31fe2f67872cee469c4fd4a7439f257\">We are grateful to <strong>Christopher Adams<\/strong> for guiding us through the visit and sharing insights into robotic welding systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:66.66%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"768\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1-1024x768.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-543\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/2;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1-1024x768.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1-1536x1153.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-1.png 1839w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:33.33%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"766\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-4-766x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-544\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-4-766x1024.png 766w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-4-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-4-768x1027.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-4.png 1031w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-columns is-layout-flex wp-container-core-columns-is-layout-28f84493 wp-block-columns-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"766\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-2-766x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-541\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-2-766x1024.png 766w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-2-224x300.png 224w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-2-768x1026.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-2.png 1034w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 766px) 100vw, 766px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:50%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"769\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5-1024x769.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-545\" style=\"aspect-ratio:3\/2;object-fit:cover\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5-1024x769.png 1024w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5-300x225.png 300w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5-768x576.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5-1536x1153.png 1536w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-5.png 1836w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-column is-layout-flow wp-block-column-is-layout-flow\" style=\"flex-basis:25%\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"767\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-3-767x1024.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-542\" srcset=\"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-3-767x1024.png 767w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-3-225x300.png 225w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-3-768x1025.png 768w, https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/mill-19-3.png 1031w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 767px) 100vw, 767px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This Week&#8217;s Goals In Week 4, we focused on: Mechanic Prototyping in Unity This week, we began testing more detailed interaction mechanics inside Unity. Our focus was to ensure that the welding experience feels both believable and engaging. We explored two primary interaction directions: 1. Snapping-Based Interaction We tested a snapping system to support placing [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-180","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-preproduction"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=180"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":623,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/180\/revisions\/623"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/660"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/projects.etc.cmu.edu\/sparksmith-studio\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}