INSTALLATION VISUALIZATION
June-August 2018
This is a simple visualization of potential digital installations I completed for an internship project at 1-10 Inc. My task was to propose and prototype a digital installation that could be placed in the Tsukiji outer market. Tsukiji Fish Market’s inner market(築地場内) was the largest fish market in the world and the main draw of customers to the community surrounding it, but was scheduled to move to a different location in October, 2018. As a result the Tsukiji community, which has a unique history and culture, would face a loss of income so the goal of my internship project was to prototype a digital installation that could help revitalize the area by encouraging young people and tourists to visit.
During the first couple of weeks of my internship I did a lot of research into Tsukiji and potential installations that could be done. We agree early on that any installation space we use should be made to feel like it’s part of Tsukiji, and that the installation should contribute to, not distract from Tsukiji's culture. To help visualize how different installations could transform a space, I built models of the type of room we would were envisioning and created a simple VR visualization in Unity where the user could experience different installations. I then used this tool to get feedback on the installations concepts from my coworkers before choosing one of the installations to build a physical prototype of.
I used Autodesk Maya, SubstancePainter and Unity to implement this project. I hadn't had a lot of experience with SubstancePainter and Unity before so this project ended up being a very fast-paced learning experience for me.
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BRAINSTORMING
In order to understand what typeof installation would be most effective, I researched Tsukiji's inner and outer markets, and also visited both to interview workers there. I used my research in combination with some Design Thinking techniques to brainstorm many different types of installations. My goal was to come up with installation concepts that would first engage and excite the use users, then encourage them to either learn more about Tsukiji’s culture or visit businesses in the outer market.
As I worked, I kept my ideas up on a whiteboard so I would get feedback from my coworkers as I walked by. I ultimately chose to model 5 different installations.
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MODELING & TEXTURING
I first built a model of what the installation venure could look like in Autodesk Maya, which I imagined to be a room inspired by the appearance of Tsukiji Market stalls. To save time I tried to build a small number of models which could be duplicated to decorate the room, and for larger pieces built models which could be altered slightly to make new models.
Because I needed to texture a large numbers models, I decided to learn how to use SubstancePainter. Most of the textures were relatively simple materials which I added dirt and stencil effects to, but some of the models had to glow or be translucent which required a bit of fiddling with emission maps and shader options in SubstancePainter.
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MODELING INSTALLATIONS
Once the room was complete, I built models for my five installation concepts in Autodesk Maya. For the more complicated models I made the most simple part of them I could and then used MASH to procedurally model the full structure along guidelines. For the simpler models, I built a single relatively simple model that could be duplicated, and altered slightly to create the full installation.
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CREATING VR EXPERIENCE
Once I completed all the models and textures, I began loading them into Unity. From there I made a first person player module and added functionality to switch between installation models in response to key presses.
The visualization was ultimately capable of showing five installation ideas:
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Screens where fish commonly sold at Tsukiji interact with viewers by responding to their movement. This installation would also display a coupon for a shop in Tsukiji in response to users touching it or doing the right pose
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Recycle the styrofoam boxes used to transport fish and make them into sculptures that light up in response to music.
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Large-scale fish models which light up when users touch them
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Abstract sculptures, possibly with animated projections of fish on them, which light up when two people touch them at the same time
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Modular "fish tanks" with screens on them which respond to user interactions and touching other tanks. If the user interacts with them correctly, the boxes will display coupons for local businesses.
PRESENTING & EVALUATING
Once the VR visualization was complete, I presented it along with my research and goals for the project to 1-10’s board of directors. After hearing their feedback, along with getting feedback from my coworkers, we ultimately chose to prototype the modular fish tanks installation because of how easily it could be adapted to any space. You can see the presentation I gave the board of directors above.