Toolkit: Modest3D—Don’t Let the Name Fool You!

Ready or not, virtualreality, augmented reality, 360-degreevideo, and other new tech has been coming to the learning field,and it’s coming fast. Like every other new technology in the past, it is up tous to decidewhen these newer methods will help us reach our learners to helpthem grasp and retain the new skills they are trying to learn.

Most learning professionals are not computer programmers.Until recently, creating virtual reality elements in our learning meant we neededto know how to code. However, there are now tools that let us create virtualreality in much the same way that we have been using traditional authoringtools: no coding required.

One of the better tools I’ve seen for creating virtualreality scenarios is the subject of this month’s review: Modest3DXplorer (Figure 1). Modest3D Xplorer is part of the Modest3D suiteof tools and is meant for nontechnical folks and, while powerful, it also isn’ttoo difficult to pick up and start using. There are many features in the toolthat allow for more flexible and immersive learning experiences, but you don’thave to know it all to quickly start building some nice interactive virtualreality scenarios that you can drop into more traditional learning when theymake sense.

Figure 1: Modest3D Xplorer

Where can you use the virtual reality examples you create?While you can certainly use created scenarios with headsets like HTC Vive andOculus RIFT, how would you use them in more traditional eLearning courses?

There are really two ways to publish from Modest3D Xplorer:

1. As truevirtual reality, in which your learners are using a headset, such as HTCVive, so that they can navigate freely and interact in virtual reality with theenvironment. This would be akin to any VR interactive experience that they maybe already running on their headsets.
2. As a desktopapplication that you can embed directly in your eLearning. This giveslearners the flexibility of experiencing a 3-D scenario, using their mouse ortouchscreen, without the use off a headset.

TheModest3D Suite

The Modest3D suite is set up so that you can rapidly create 3-Dand virtual-reality training solutions. There are four applications that makeup the Modest 3D Suite, each of which can be downloaded as a desktopapplication:

1. Portal: Downloadand install this small application to allow quick access to the Modest 3D contentdevelopment tools, Xplorer and Editor. The Portal software manages all of theassets that users have created or imported into Modest3D.
2. Designer:Use this to set up your scene. For instance, I may load anFBX 3-D model and Designer will let me make light changes to my model, such asthe position, rotation, and scale of objects. You can even set up new camerasand lights or change existing ones.
3. Xplorer: Createfull virtual reality scenarios and publish them. My full discussion appearsbelow.
4. Editor: Createthe branching and logic for scenarios using a visual storyboard, createlibraries of interactive sequences and save templates, complete with logic, toshare with others on your team, without the need to be a programmer.

Icould write a full review of each of the above tools. This month I’ll focus on Xplorer.In next month’s review, I’ll discuss the Editor, which goes further in allowingyou to make multi-path scenarios and implement detailed user tracking.

Modest3DXplorer

When you create a project in Modest 3D, the Xplorer productis somewhat reminiscent of PowerPoint because on the left you’ll see a familiarfilmstrip of slides. In Figure 2,you can see the Xplorer interface.

Figure2: The Xplorer Interface 

Another term for slides in Xplorer is states. Each state represents a point in time, and you can have astate change under several different circumstances, including, of course, whenthe learner performs an interaction, such as clicking or touching an elementyou provide.

When you create a new slide,you’ll see a teleport spot (see Figure 3). This indicates the point where thelearner will start when viewing the scenario in virtual reality. You can movethe teleport spot to whichever viewing point you think is most appropriate.

Figure3: The Teleport Spot 

Within each slide a user can tailor the scene view tocustomize the experience, including:

After tailoring the view within your scene, you can add andedit within each slide.

1. Change the color of objects or elements in thescene.
2. Play background audio, with the option oflooping it.
3. Make an object visible or invisible.
4. X-ray an object (Figure 4 shows an example).
5. Expand the model to visualize components.
6. Highlight components.
7. Add 2-D or 3-D labels.

Figure4: The X-Ray Effect

AddingActions to a Slide

When learners interact with a slide or designated objectwithin a slide, you can perform one or more actions. For instance, you can playan animation when a user interacts with a slide, such as the car door openingin Figure 5. The list of action choices include:

1. Display Text, or a JPG or PNG Image
2. Play OGG Audio or MP4 Video
3. Play an Animation
4. VrInpsect, which lets learners pick up anobject in a scene. You can let the user move the object or have it return toits original position.
5. Display a Question from a CSV file
6. Change Material Color

Figure5: An Xplorer lesson—desktop application

Publishing

Remember that you can publish to both a desktopapplication and a true VR experience ready to be viewed through a headset.Figure 5 shows a lesson saved as a desktop application while Figure 6 shows thesame lesson as a VR experience.

Figure6: An Xplorer lesson—virtual reality application

See a video that demonstrates what it’s like togo through the experience at https://vimeo.com/279701290.

Pricing

Modest3D Xplorer is $950 a year for an individual and itincludes Portal and Designer. Volume discounts exist for organizations.

ToLearn More

I think Xplorer is a really nice tool for nontechnical usersto develop virtual reality scenarios. The interface is reminiscent ofPowerPoint and I found the layout of options intuitive and easy to find. Thename of this product is a bit misleading. The Modest 3D Xplorer tool and therest of the Suite are, in my view, a lot more powerful than the term modest would imply!