The GalleryVirtuality Project - ALPHA TEAM UPDATE 01 [plus more 1-22-15]

An introduction to the program "GalleryVirtuality" with Code Designer, Bret Sheppard, and Karen Patrick, Community Development. More of a technical introduction of the program as we would love to have artist/coders join us in the project that is Open Source. In this blog post is a video done on Google Hangouts in January 2015. Currently, the project is released in an early form just to show people what it's about and to show what tools are used to program a virtual space.

A fully-functional version is on it's way with an exciting new outreach in the community development aspect. The GVP team has been looking for Featured Artists for the full release and our first featured artist is going to be the iconic Los Angeles artist, Andre' Miripolsky. Some of the screen shots included in this blog is of a virtual gallery being developed using GalleryVirtuality featuring Andre's amazing, energetic work. in development. Andre's work can be viewed at http://miripolsky.blogspot.com/. More on this story later in this blog.

Streamed live on Jan 17, 2015

PROJECT SUMMARY: The GalleryVirtuality Project is an Open Source creator community of users and developers co-creating GalleryVirtuality, a "Neutral Zone" virtual environment using the Quake III Game Engine that simulates a modern art gallery. The gallery space can be used by artists to show work in a virtual environment familiar to patrons of the arts. The viewer can wander through the rooms, look at the art, get information about the art and artist, with no time limit or distractions. A music track may be added for ambiance. The code is greatly simplified which makes it a useful tool for viewing maps and features in the design phase at one's leisure. The simplified code environment also can help students of gaming design or the visual arts learn basic coding skills and to simulate how art might express in a physical environment.

GVP "ALPHA TEAM" Bret Sheppard, Code Designer and Karen Patrick, Community Development

GALLERY VIRTUALITY MAPPER SOFTWARE: http://goo.gl/1tyHb1

GALLERY VIRTUALITY PROGRAM (SAMPLE GALLERIES): http://goo.gl/bqJclj

SOURCE CODE REPOSITORY: https://github.com/bretcolin/GalleryV...

BLOG: http://galleryvirtuality.blogspot.com/

GOOGLE PLUS COMMUNITY: http://goo.gl/vJbBYq


SCREENSHOTS:

NEWS 1.17.2015 - GVP TRENDS TOWARD SUMMER 2015 BETA

PROJECT SUMMARY: The GalleryVirtuality Project is an Open Source creator community of users and developers co-creating GalleryVirtuality, a "Neutral Zone" virtual environment using the Quake III Game Engine that simulates a modern art gallery. The gallery space can be used by artists to show work in a virtual environment familiar to patrons of the arts. The viewer can wander through the rooms, look at the art, get information about the art and artist, with no time limit or distractions. A music track may be added for ambiance. The code is greatly simplified which makes it a useful tool for viewing maps and features in the design phase at one's leisure. The simplified code environment also can help students of gaming design or the visual arts learn basic coding skills and to simulate how art might express in a physical environment.

GVP NEWS: GVP TRENDS TOWARD SUMMER 2015 BETA

The GalleryVirtuality Project plowed through the winter holidays adding functionality and some community assets. Bret Colin Sheppard, Code Guru, is working on taking two ends to make a middle. He is determined to create a much simpler interface for artists who want to participate in the project. The working goal of the BETA (SUMMER 2015!) is to have "the average artist" who also uses a computer regularly, to be able to use some kind of interface where they can choose a pre-set gallery style, upload standard-sized art files to pre-set locations in the various rooms, upload an MP3 for "ambiance" music and then the gallery is rendered into the 3-D environment. Artists who are also code-monkeys are welcome to either contribute to this goal, add more features, or take the Open Source concept into mind-bendingly alternative ideas.

On the Community side, Karen Christine Patrick the "Cruise Director" has created several supporting assets for what we hope will be the Brain Trust of the GVP. Says Patrick, "We are welcoming interested artists who want to learn to code, coders who are artists or like the idea of the designing Neutral Zone we got going. Hoping we can widen the community much further in the future.  

Blog: http://galleryvirtuality.blogspot.com/

Code Vault: https://code.google.com/p/gallery-virtuality-project/

G+ Community: http://goo.gl/vJbBYq

The GalleryVirtuality Project: Using the Quake 3 Engine to create a Virtual Art Gallery

The GalleryVirtuality Project is the brainchild of Bret Colin Sheppard, Designer and Chief Programmer. "I designed this so people in the art community would have a virtual space to show their work. It is extraordinarily expensive to rent space in 'actual reality' to show work and in the remaining venues, many artists are turned down when they apply. This project creates a way to use virtual reality, in the control of the artist, free of cost except the cost of learning how to use this tool and time."

Bret has "disarmed" the Quake 3 engine from it's myriad weaponery and created a slimmed-down environment for displaying art. No crazed creatures are there to chase you or shoot at you as you can take your time, perusing art. Artists can show their work virtually in a familiar environment to patrons. Teachers and parents can help kids put their art in a "gallery" inspiring them as future working artists. A walk-through can be recorded into a YouTube Video to share on social media, can be used as a movie-making tool, and possibly as an interesting "presentation" tool. The virtual sky is the limit. That is the idea, still developing and we are welcoming interested game designers, artists and others into this project as it comes online in 2015. Those interested in the code can email bretcolin@gmail.com.

Karen Christine Patrick is the Director of Community Development for The GalleryVirtuality Project which is now a Google Plus Community. The tagline "Your Art Deserves To Be Seen" pretty much sums up the intention of the project. "Bret showed me this project and my wheels started to turn. The slimming down of the code means some possibilities for apps development. I am a media person mostly, so using this tool for videos is very interesting to me." Contact kcpatricktexas@gmail.com for community questions.

The Blog about the project from Sheppard and Patrick is at http://galleryvirtuality.blogspot.com/

The Google + Community is at http://goo.gl/vJbBYq