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Imaginality Create Help – Coding v

This video shows how to learn coding (aka computer programming) in Imaginality Create. This includes creating an example scene of a Magnifying Glass that enlarges the Earth, and using the use “V

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Imaginality Create Help – Coding via UI and Manually

Imaginality Create help – interact

Imaginality Create includes an Interaction Result called ‘Play Animation’, which will play the stecified animation of the chosen model. You can choose the model to play the animation of &#

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Imaginality Create help – interaction result – play animation

Imaginality Create help – interact

Imaginality Create includes an Interaction Result called ‘Stop Animation’, which will stop any playing animations of the chosen model. You can choose the model to stop the animation of 

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Imaginality Create help – interaction result – stop animation

Imaginality Create help – interact

Imaginality Create includes an Interaction Trigger called ‘Model Invisible’, which will trigger an Interaction Result if a model is currently invisible. You can choose the model to be chec

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Imaginality Create help – interaction trigger – model invisible

Imaginality Create help – interact

Imaginality Create includes an Interaction Trigger called ‘Model Visible’, which will trigger an Interaction Result if a model is currently visible. You can choose the model to be checking

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Imaginality Create help – interaction trigger – model visible

Imaginality Create Help – Coding via UI and Manually

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by on December 2, 2014 at 9:21 pm

This video shows how to learn coding (aka computer programming) in Imaginality Create. This includes creating an example scene of a Magnifying Glass that enlarges the Earth, and using the use “View Code” button to view the code that is automatically generated to make this happen. It then uses “Manually Edit Code” to manually edit the code and make it do even more interesting stuff, including “Debug Output” – printing out the value of variables as they are calculated.

You can also download the modules created in this video to try it for yourself and modify it:
The Earth and Magnifier with a point-and-click interaction added.
The Earth and Magnifier with manually coded interaction added.

Using this Example to Teach Coding to Young Children

The example in this video can be used to explain what coding is and give some brief examples of how it can be done. This can be made applicable for any age group – even first graders. Below are some ideas of how you can introduce concepts of coding while providing real-world examples with Imaginality Create. Essentially, I would suggest you should start with concepts of logic and instructions, and then expand this to coding.

  1. Start with an empty scene. Explain that if you don’t tell it to do anything, it won’t do anything.
  2. Put the Earth on paddle 1. Explain what you are instructing it to do by using terms like instructions, objects/data and variables. Instructions (you are instructing it to put the Earth object on Paddle 1), objects/data (e.g. the Earth is is a virtual object, but is essentially made of data – data that describes the sphere (possibly go as far as verticies, edges and faces), data that describes the colours (called a texture), and data the describes how it will be placed (its position and rotation). In programming, this collection of data is also called an object), and variables (e.g. Paddle number 1).
  3. Demonstrate how the Earth object can be changed by altering its data, e.g. by rotating it upsidedown. Then undo this again.
  4. Explain that someone has already written a lot of code to make all the details of this happen, and that that software can be controlled by giving it new instructions. The simplest type of instructions are by changing variables. The more complex type of instructions are by changing code (which you will cover later).
  5. Demonstrate how the software can be told to do something different by changing a variable – by changing the “Paddle Number” variable from 1 to 2. Demo it, then change it back.
  6. Explain that “Earth.mesh” is also a variable that tells it to load the Earth data.
  7. Ask the class how they think you should go about adding a Magnifying glass (MG) to paddle 2. Then go ahead and do it.
  8. Demonstrate the Earth and MG. Hilight how they don’t interact with eachother as they have no instructions to do so.
  9. Ask the class how the Earth and MG could interact. Choose to make the Earth get bigger when it is close to the MG.
  10. Make an interaction where if Earth gets close to MG, Earth gets 200% larger in one (just one) axis. Explain in terms of logic – there are common logic operators that are used a lot, like IF (e.g. IF Earth is close to MG).
  11. Demo this interaction. Explain that code is very precise/literal – it will only do exactly what you tell it to, so if you make assumptions, things may not turn how you expected.
  12. Revisit that instructions can be both changing variables and changing code (technically, code is still just a set of variables, just a larger, more abstract set). View code for the current example. Give an overview of what the code is doing – an initialization set, then an ongoing loop. Point out assignments (make this equal to that); calculations (this multiplied by that); the if statement; other evaluations (Earth.distance(MG) measures the distance from the Earth to the MG).
  13. Save the module. Suggest this is good so you can experiment freely without risk of loosing your work so far.
  14. Edit the code manually. Make the Earth scale smoothly/dynamically as a function of the distance of the MG. Maybe do it in steps, make some errors, correct them – good to demonstrate that this happens and can be discovered and fixed.
  15. Explain that this is coding – writing instructions to make computers and machines do specific tasks. Brainstorm all the different places coding is used: phones, tablets, console games, computers, the operating system itself, web servers, smart TVs, smart watches, even old digital watches, burglar alarms, microwaves, car radios and traffic lights.
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Imaginality Create Example – Magnify the Earth

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:44 am

This example magnifies the Earth when it gets close to a magnifying glass. We place a magnifying glass on paddle 1 and the Earth on paddle 2. We then create a rule so that when the Earth is close to the magnifying glass, it triggers a resize result which makes the earth larger.
Other ideas: show the relative sizes of two planets; add a reposition result to make an insect so large that only its head fits on the paddle (so you can see its facial features up close); make different paddles magnify different parts of the insect; add information text to describe the function of each part; what other 3D models would benefit from being magnified?

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 1 - Magnify the Earth

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Imaginality Create Example – Ninja Vs Many Robots

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:44 am

This example makes a ninja fight off a horde of robots. We place our ninja on paddle 1, and our robots on all empty paddles (2-11). We make the robots Look At the robot, and use a series of Play Animation results so that the ninja and robots fight, and the robots get knocked over when they come close to the ninja.
Other ideas: make these interactions also play sound effects; try playing other animations.
Note, you can’t make the ninja look at the robots so easily, because it doesn’t know which one to look at.

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 2 - Ninja Vs Many Robots

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Imaginality Create Example – Scaler

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:44 am

Add all planets. Make all planets scale when they touch the sun so that both are at their relative sizes. Then do the same for the earth relative to the other planets.
Other ideas: make these interactions also play sound effects; make a jelly alien squash the appropriate amount compared to the gravity of the planet he is close to; make an astronaut jump as high as he can appropriate to the gravity of the planet he its close to; make a bar get taller appropriate to the mass or density or distance to the sun of the planet it is close to; what other 3D models could benefit from this interaction?

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 8 - Scaler

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Imaginality Create Example – House Raise The Roof

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:43 am

This example lifts off a house’s roof when it gets close to an up arrow. We place an up arrow on paddle 1 and a house (with a separate roof and base) on paddle 2. We then create a rule so that when the house roof is close to the up arrow, it triggers a reposition result which makes the roof lift off the rest of the house.
Other ideas: use different paddles to lift out other parts of the house; combine this with a magnifier that enlarges the house base; add sound effects; combine this with the colorer example described later; add information text to describe the function of each part.

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

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Imaginality Create Example – House Change Colour of Roof

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:43 am

Make a house change colour by simply touching it with different coloured blocks. Do this by exporting a house from SketchUp with separate parts for each item you want to colour (e.g. Roof, walls, etc). Create a set of coloured blocks, then for each block, create a rule so that when it gets close to the house part, it changes the texture of that house block.
Other ideas: what other appliances or vehicles etc could you recolour?; investigate insect camouflage by making them blend into the background; see the effects of making a character’s hair and skin colour change; use similar techniques to change hair styles.

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 6 - House Change Colour of Roof

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Imaginality Create Example – Highlighter

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:43 am

Load a Human head with separate parts, and some household objects. When the objects touch the head, make the parts of the head that can sense them turn green.
Other ideas: make these interactions also play sound effects; do the same with flowers and insects that can pollinate those flowers; add information text to describe the function of each part; what other 3D models could benefit from this interaction?

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 7 - Highlighter

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Imaginality Create Example – Builder

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by on September 13, 2012 at 5:43 am

When you move the separate parts of a car engine close to paddle 1, they move to paddle 1, locking into place to build a engine. Find a good model in SketchUp that has multiple layers, like a car. Export each layer separately (select layer -> Export Selected) and add them all to separate paddles (e.g. paddles 1-6). Make interactions so that when the separate parts come close to paddle 1, they make match the position and rotation of the part on paddle 1.

Other ideas for Builders: the human body, a car engine, different vehicles, flowers, animals and insects, buildings.
Other ideas: repeat exporting each layer separately (select layer -> Export Selected) and add each one to paddle 1, in a semi-transparent form, then instead of moving the other parts to paddle 1, make the paddle version non-transparent, and the other version semi-transparent; add information text to describe the function of each part.

You can download the module to run it and modify it.

Example 9 - Builder

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Imaginality Create Activity – Gravity with Allen the Alien

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by on September 12, 2012 at 4:10 am

Learn about gravity with your squishy friend – Allen the Alien. You will create a module where each of the planets and Allen are on their own paddles – when Allen gets close to any planet, the gravity of the planet squishes him (complete with sound effects) – the more gravity, the more he squishes.

You can download the  module to run it and modify it.

You can download the activity sheet for instructions.

Create Activity 1 - Gravity with Allen the Alien - Beginning

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Imaginality Create Activity – Earth Builder

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by on September 12, 2012 at 4:05 am

Create your own interactive module where you can build the Earth up from its inner core, all the way out to the surface. You are provided with the five layers of the Earth – one on each of the Paddles 1-5 . Then, when any of the Paddles 2-4 get close to Paddle 1 , their Earth layer moves over to Paddle 1 and locks into place.

You can download the  module to run it and modify it.

You can download the activity sheet for instructions.

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