RICH MEDIA PRODUCTION
NMIX 6310
What role did this course play in my EM journey?
This course concentrated on SwiftUI. What is SwiftUI, exactly? Only the most powerful iOS user interface tool available to developers will undoubtedly determine the future of app development on Apple’s platforms. SwiftUI allows developers to build User Interfaces for all iOS devices and native iOS apps with a single tool. What is really cool about Xcode is that while you are building your app, you are also running it.
Throughout the semester, my course objectives have shifted. My first strategy was to learn as much Xcode as I could before embarking on any project. As the semester progressed, I encountered numerous limitations and discovered workarounds for the majority of the problems I encountered. While I am unlikely to become a full-time app developer, I do have a better understanding of what is required to create a successful app. What interests me is how invested Apple is in SwiftUI. Is the long-term goal for all developers to fully embrace SwiftUI, or will it simply become another Interface Builder?
Minecraft Man
The Miracle Man was our first meaningful class exercise. I used ellipse, circle, and rectangle basic shapes, as well as Zstacks, Hstacks, Vstacks, Offsets, and colors. The final app was a carousel of Minecraft characters all wearing the same set of clothes.
Baseball Jukebox App
The objective at hand was to create an app that “stretches you” while also being “interesting.” I decided to make an app that would allow fans to construct their own lineups based on the UGA Baseball team’s roster. Fans can follow the team on Twitter or view current standings and statistics. The best feature is the option to listen to each player’s walk-out song before deciding whether or not they are worthy of starting.
Final App
For my final application, I wanted to test my skills by making an AR app with RealityKit and SwiftUI. I didn’t want to make an app that basically repeated what we had already learned. I wanted to build on my previous knowledge and add something new that I need to know before I begin my career in XR. The UI and 3D content creation were the easiest parts for me. I was able to convert normal 3d Models to.usdz files so they could be imported into Xcode using Reality Converter.
Where I ran into issues was when I used a plug-in from an outside developer that had not yet been updated for the latest version of Xcode. I needed the plug-in so that my AR models could detect the ground plane before they could be placed in my space. Only after trying two different App versions was I able to narrow down the cause of my problem to the plug-in. I had most of my app built to illustrate the UI and simple placement of a Cube to demonstrate my design intent. I’ll come back to this app once the plug-in has been properly updated.