Week 01

Where do we begin? It's the first week of our Multi Disciplinary Project (MDP), and my group and I have chosen to work on Augmented Reality (AR), specifically, on Digital Visualization for Machines Operations (CNC Milling Machine). A topic that we have little to no knowledge about.

Here's a brief description of what AR is. AR will most likely be the 8th mass medium. It is similar to the Virtual Reality (VR) we are familiar with expect it's real, at least part of it. It is something that is beyond reality or an extension of reality. Pokémon GO and Google Glass are some examples to get everyone familiarize with the idea of AR.

Being new to this technology, it was time for us to research about it. Our supervisor has also given us hints and objectives to help us get off the ground. These are things that we scrape the surface of:

---

Since, it's the first week and we didn't have anything to work with (Vuforia, Creo Illustrate, etc.), we decided to download to trial version of Vuforia Studio and play around with it. By following the basic tutorials provided, we were able to create text labels and 3D models through scanning ThingMarks, the QR code look-alike and outlines of objects.

Granted, this is the first week, and I am pretty lost, but my group mates and supervisor have done a great deal to help guide me along. Hopefully I won't be too burdensome to them. That's all for this week.

Week 01: A Blank Canvas

I've always enjoyed discovering upcoming and latest technology. Last year, I explored software such as, Auto CADD Design and C++ Programming. Starting on a new project, Digital Visualisation(AR) for CNC Milling, has allowed me to venture out and discover more software compatible to Augmented Reality.

When I first started out my Multi Disciplinary Project (MDP), I began by researching on compatible AR developing tools and software in the current market. Some of the compatible developing tools I've discovered were, Wikitude, ARKit and ARCore.

The next thing I discovered was, Vuforia Studio, which was another AR developing software. I've personally never used these types of developing software before, but I was ecstatic to try it out.

Learning how to use Vuforia Studio was relatively an easy and effortless process. The tutorials provided on the official Vuforia website were clear and concise which makes grasping the processes easy. However if you're like me and dislike having to read the tutorials, there are plenty of similar tutorials that can be found on YouTube.

After mastering the basics of Vuforia Studio, I tried testing the boundaries of the software by experimenting with 3D models of different file types, mix-n-matching the different functions available to recreate different ideas and overall, to see how we can use the software to achieve the final product.

With this new-found knowledge and discovery, I am already thinking about the many possibilities Vuforia Studios could do. Now excuse me whilst I try and work out how to use this software......

"Light-bulb Moments"

One month is about to past and I feel like we are gradually grasping the concept of Augmented Reality. We have got out of the "omg this is so difficult, I am so uncomfortable with this" stage, and of course we did have our light-bulb moments exploring different kinds of software and the machine - Vuforia Studio, Inventor, Creo Illustrate, CNC Milling Machine. After our trip to the CNC Milling Machine workshop, I went back home to re-watch the videos that I took when Mr. Poh [Our TSO], was showing us the steps to cut the workpiece. There were absolutely too many steps to comprehend... AND THIS IS JUST THE BASE OF THE WORKPIECE - HALF OF THE BASE. So, I made a consultation with Mr. Poh, to clarify my doubts. Hence, I decided to use a sketchbook, to help my team members & I to better visualize the sequence of steps. z

Other than just focusing on the CNC Milling Machine, we were also experimenting with audio in Vuforia Studio. First, we tried to put the audio into Vuforia Studio, then we had to manually PLAY or PAUSE the audio. After that we tried it with the Thingmark and a 3D model - once it detects the Thingsmark/3D Model, the audio will start playing. One discovery that we found is that there is a bug in android devices whereby, we were unable to press the audio panel to play or pause the audio.

With all the experiments and work we had done, we have to present it to our supervisor. For our very first presentation, I am honestly feeling a little nervous. So our presentation would be what we have done for the past 3 weeks - Research, Vuforia Studio, Creo Illustrate, Inventor, AutoCAD, CNC Milling Machine. I hope our supervisor would not be disappointed, and nonetheless, giving us critical feedback on what we can improve on!

With that, I will see you next week. ;-D

Ashley