# Seasearcher's Git-Gud trial

Inspired by: https://github.com/M3-org/git-gud

## 1. Mindset

I have been building on the mindset over the last half year. Snow Crash in the pocket and feeling like Hiro when exploring and building in Somniumspace VR. Got a taste of the basics of Blender (yes, made the donut)and made the first baby steps in Unity to start building VR worlds. Before continuing building I would like to get some more basic knowledge. Therefore this git-gud to Explore, Discover and Share.

## 2. Start a journal

A notetaker by nature, I am used to pen, paper and several digital solutions. HackMD is new for me and looking forward to discover its power. This note is the start of my journal.

## 3. Make stuff

### 3.1 VRoid

Making a avatar in VRoid. My aim is to make the avata, use it in Webaverse but also try to get a working version into Somniumspace.

https://vroid.com/en/studio

- Installed the windows version of VRoid from the website.
- Scanned through the "For Beginners" instructions.
- A VRoid hub account is needed. Made one on https://hub.vroid.com/
- Made my avatar in VRoid studio. Many ways to customize. Kept it simple for now. Hold right mouse button to rotate the model, middle mouse button to position it. See below a snapshot of the first trials.
- Exported a high quality and low quality .vrm file
- Reduced polygons hair, body, clothing
- Reduced materials
- Reduced texture

- Downloaded and installed CATS to Blender: https://github.com/absolute-quantum/cats-blender-plugin
- Downloaded and installed VRM add on for Blender: https://github.com/saturday06/VRM_Addon_for_Blender
- Imported the low quality vrm version of the avatar first, using the CATS import function. Fixed the model using CATS. This model has got two materials. I tried using a version with 8 materials but not all get exported later in the fbx. After some trials I used the high poly version with all bones but only two materials for the final upload version.
- From the shading mode saved the various texture images by hand and noted the material they belong to and what function they have. This in order to easily reconstruct the materials in Unity.

Ready for build and upload with the Unity somnium SDK to Somniumspace. Notice the black areas above the eyes. It took some trying but found the solution in changing the render mode on the material in Unity from opaque to cutout

### 3.2 3D Scan
I ignored the advice on not using the 3D LiDAR scan option and tried Scaniverse on the iPad Pro. Exported a scan of a sea urchin skeleton as .glb for editing in Blender.

- In Blender reduce mesh using decimate modifier: https://all3dp.com/2/blender-simplify-mesh-simply-explained/
- Clean up open gaps by merging vertices close to each other edit mode/ mesh menu / merge / by distance

- Again with decimate, made an even lower poly mesh to function as mesh collider.

This video helped me to bake the remaining diffuse image after all the changes made to the original scan.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uc8fPyl0vxs
- Played around with the various automatic UV mapping options to get minimum distortions. Sphere option worked best on this item. Also baked a normal image, projecting the detail of the high poly version on the low poly version.

- Exported the reduced version and the collider version to fbx format and imported with the new diffuse and normal textures into Unity Somniumspace SDK. Combined them in a Prefab and placed the end result on the spawn point of the Seasearcher Atlantic world.

Far from perfect but a nice beginning. The process of making an item from scratch in Blender exporting it to Unity and making a pre-fab including mesh collider is well described in following tutorials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KFEb51rinwI

## 4 Creating a World

I am building worlds in Somniumspace. These are not directly visible on the web. Since September 2022 however, Somnium Web Worlds can be created and shown via Somnium Web. I have used this git-gud challenge to build such a Web World with PlayCanvas. I have choosen for an augumented world where the building in the world is similar to the building on a Somniumspace parcel. The world around it is made with PlayCanvas. The PlayCanvas files are hosted on Github. I first want to finalise the world prior to trying and hosting it on IPFS. The following tutorials helped me getting started with Somnium Web Worlds and Playcanvas.

SM Sithlord explaining the set up from scratch
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TqLRwLoLuWk
Selfhosting of Playcanvas files on Github
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLNV0NRwLkw

The files are hosted on: https://github.com/Seasearcher/BeachSceneSmall
You can enter and play in the world via: https://www.somniumspace.com/parcel/2523
or in PlayCanvas via:https://seasearcher.github.io/BeachSceneSmall/

I have taken the VRoid avatar into various places. It performs well in Webaverse. It visited the Urchin in my Somniumspace Small World and its is visible animated in the Somnium Web World. The animation was done with Mixamo. This video helped me setting it up for PlayCanvas. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r0LYQw7laRA

## 5 Promotion

I have made a short video and will take you on a trip from VRoid avatar creation to Webaverse, Somniumspace Web World and Somnium Space VR.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y2HIYgV9t_Y