Bots with Blocks - Awesome challenge results!
The Modeling Tool
VR creation tools are opening up great possibilities for people to express themselves in ways they were never able to before. For this we take a look at Blocks by Google. Block is an awesome 3D VR modeling app that allows you to create wonderful low poly models as well as remix models created by other users from the ever expanding library. The library has so many models available to use and adapt to individual needs that ideas can be realized even by those who are not professionally trained. You will not be overwhelmed by the thousands of options from a desktop modeling application which should lead to very creative, very fun experiences.
The Kit
I’ve been using Blocks for quite sometime and I very much enjoyed the simplicity of it and how anyone with no 3D experience jump in and create something. But even with barriers being broken and walls not being so high people can still become intimidated. The tools are there “but what should I make?,” many people think.
At that point I took on the challenge to create a kit of over 100 individual modular pieces that people can use to rapidly create. The subject of the kit is something near and dear to me, Robots! I absolutely LOVE robots, mechs, space ships… pretty much anything techie and sci fi. So for me that was the perfect theme to base the kit around. Robot Kit V.1 was then created, some have even compared it to virtual legos which I found flattering.
Now to get he community involved in the creation process! I thought the best way to get people to test out their creativity with this kit would be to throw down a challenge. Something with simple parameters and where everyone starts off in the same place. At that point #BotsWithBlocks was born.
The Challenge
Using/Incorporating the following robot kit bash kit, create a robot, mech or shaceship using Blocks by Google. The models can remain in blocks or be integrated into other software for the final submission but the original creation MUST be made in Blocks.
I wanted to leave the final submission method a bit open to encourage people to explore taking their models into game engines or rendering stills from another 3D program if they chose to. The timeframe to develop was one week, from August 14th through the 20th.
For a little extra incentive I also went ahead and put a $50 Steam Gift Card up for grabs (based on a community vote). It’s not much but my hope was that it would help spread the word. For me, being able to have fun, try something new, learn something, create a cool robot and possibly pick up a game out of it sounds pretty good for a small exploration project. The real key was to have that experience and create something in VR. Whatever the reason was I just wanted people to try it for themselves.
The Week Of Creation
On Monday August 14th the challenged kicked off and people began planning their pieces and experimenting. Quite a bit of participants were using Blocks for the first time so it was very cool to help them break into it via this challenge.
Anna (@AnnaDreamBrush) was awesome enough to create a tutorial to help people understand the process of remixing and how simple it is to create a bot!
I also took part in the creation of mechs during the week to help encourage users in the community and potential individuals who have never modeled or used Blocks before and see what can be achieved in just a few hours of play.
During the week of the challenge there were almost 50 entries (at the time of writing) created with the kit! The bots varied from big and small, friendly and terrifying, companions and worker bots, some where even robotic variants of animals we know well and love. It was great experiencing how much fun everyone was having while creating their entries. You can take a look at all submissions below.
The Results
Now the moment of truth! It was very tough for me to pick a winner for this challenge. Initially I wanted pick the top four and have the community vote on the winner but with this being the first Blocks challenge we can save that for a future challenge.
I just want to thanks and congratulate everyone that participated and took time to explore and have fun with this challenge. I’d love to be able to do more of these in the future and seeing the reaction this got makes me want to do it even more. You all are amazing!
We have a WINNER!!
Chimera Maximus by Romain Revert (@romainrevert)
Romain took a strong interest in BotsWithBlocks. During the week he posted reference material and ideas for where he wanted his submission to be heading and that planning certainly paid off! I LOVE the design choices he made. Romain went with a chimera theme for his mech which in itself is not the easiest to pull off. He ended up incorporating a dragon, a lion and a goat as armor and enhancements to the underlying mech. He also exported the model out of Blocks, gave it a nice paint job and uploaded it to Sketchfab where it’s presented wonderfully for us to enjoy!
The way I read this, the lion is the heart located right in the center where critical components are regularly placed, a symbol of strength and pride. The dragon encasing it’s right arm shows the power contained within both as an offense and intimidation. The goat on the left shoulder symbolizes defense and resistance. Overall a very balanced bot in terms of potential stats.
From my perspective I can see every single piece he used from the kit and how they were combined to make more complicated components and that’s something I really enjoy seeing. It showcases the thought process of the individual and the choices they made to solve their design problem.
I picked this piece as the winner for showcasing great design, visibly pleasing aesthetics, wonderful craftsmanship and sharing what can be done when an artist picks up and explores a new tool set, especially in a genre like VR where we are seeing all kinds of walls being torn down.
Also view the original Blocks model on the Blocks Gallery.
Honorable Mentions
I wish I could put everyone in here but unfortunately, I cannot. These individuals showcased many of the design elements I mentioned above and created some amazing looking bots!
Storm Pecker by Martin Calviello (@Mecalviello)
BWB-ASU-1 by Chris Ross (@crossproduct)
Scorpion by Jerad Bitner (@sirkitree)
A big special thanks to @googlevr, @UploadVR, and @FastCoDesign for helping to spread the word and writing articles about this challenge! I’m really hoping this leads to even bigger challenges and competitions in the future. Thanks for your help!
Thanks for reading!
If you enjoyed reading this and want to take part in upcoming challenges, enjoy seeing cool robots and sci-fi concepts or simply want to talk shop, consider following me on Twitter.
