Prototyping

Cosmos-Square/Environment/Reference/Prototypes/Prototyping

6.2.3. Prototyping

Considering the size and depth of the project, many aspects, components, and activities have been, still are, and will still be prototyped, in more and more integrated ways, as the project evolves.

Knowledge Resources
More so, every shared, modeled, and animated knowledge resource requires its own set of prototypes. Prototyping is at the heart of the required Cosmos Square iterative and incremental development processes. Some have been prototyped in different ways and levels.

Infrastructure
Some of the currently more advanced prototypes for Cosmos Square, include infrastructure prototypes where DNAOS, REMMS, J2EE, .NET, and OpenSimulator platforms have been used for applications, portals, transactions, and integration.

Models
Cosmos Square visual samples and images included in this document are from prototype 3D models also documented in XML. Designed for presentation, reference, and proof of concept, these prototypes are evolving rapidly, even if the design concepts have remained the same and survived the test of time since the early 80s.

VCE Experiment 1

Applications
Some application prototypes have been run and experimented as for example in the VCE experiments held in SecondLife and associated Web sites, where international experts collaborated through a virtual Lab environment to resolve crisis and emergency preparedness and response cases and issues. These experiments are still documented and where videotaped (through AI-Bots) for further study and evaluation. The related information is available from the OpenVCE Web site. Participants included the US Military Research, the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and many others worldwide.

Cosmos Square Fountain

Clips and Themes
Musical themes and related machinima and 3D animation clips have been written and composed for Cosmos Square and they are scheduled for production as part of the current project. Prototypes have not been published or made available yet. Older themes and clips not directly related to the Cosmos Square Project are available from sites listed in the links section.

Machnima for the Sad Trains Video Music Clip

Ai-Bots
We also experimented with AI-Bots, in virtual worlds, in working with the OpenVCE site, the VCE collaboration experiments, the University of Edingburgh, and the work of colleague Mr David Fliesen and his SunTzu and Greybeards family of AI-Bots.

Sun Tzu in SecondLife

Virtual Worlds
For virtual world application prototyping, we run regularly experiment, develop, use, and record (machinima) social networking, multimedia, design, animation, security, currency, transactions, inventory, AI-bot, and avatars related activities through both SecondLife and OpenSim Grids.

Avatars Dancing in SecondLife

Collaboration
As noted above, various collaboration application experiments and prototypes are executed regularly on virtual world grids, with fascinating results. The VCE crisis and emergency preparedness and response experiments that lasted for a few weeks each, provided especially rich insight on issues and requirements. It was also interesting that everything could be recorded (and was also monitored remotely by many who were not directly participating, e.g. US Military Phychology Laboratory). This information remains available, from the OpenVCE site, although passwords are required to view most of the information, to protect the privacy of the participants.

Virtual Multimedia Meeting Room