Abstract:

In this paper, an interactive 3D puzzle is presented to help in the understanding of the operation of a historical invention designed by Agustín de Betancourt, specifically his wind machine for draining marshy ground. The main objective of this research is that users would be able to understand the design, construction and operation of this historical invention using the game as a tool.

For this purpose, the user would be provided with the planimetry and the memory of the file of the invention where the design and operation are explained, as well as the different 3D elements that compose it. Thus, the user would select each puzzle piece and place it in the correct position in the 3D model.

For the creation of the 3D puzzle, a comparative study has been previously carried out among the different graphic engines currently existing, with Unreal Engine 4 software being chosen, as it is a free open source software.

Firstly, all pieces that are part of the ensemble were modeled in 3D using Autodesk Inventor Professional software, being obtained as files with the extension ".ipt", starting only from the planimetry of the invention.

In order to work correctly some dimensional and geometric hypotheses have been established in the invention because the planimetry was not to scale. Once each of the pieces was obtained in ".ipt" format they were exported to the ".stl" format, and subsequently converted to the ".fbx" format used by the graphic engine, using Blender free software.

The 3D puzzle would have different levels of difficulty so that when a basic level is selected the number of pieces placed by the user to form the 3D model would be smaller, since these would be grouped as pieces of larger size and without rotating, so they just need to be moved to the desired position. When an expert level is selected, the number of pieces would be much larger and they would also appear rotated randomly, so they should be rotated first before placing them in the correct position in the 3D model. For this purpose the user would interact with the model through the mouse or keyboard, being able to rotate and move both the pieces and the model in space. Once all pieces have been placed, the 3D model would be animated, recreating the operation of the mechanism and allowing the user to interact with it by rotating and zooming.

The activity would be a very good user experience because from an educational point of view the interaction with the model and the pieces of the ensemble would allow the user to understand its working, improving the teaching-learning process.

Keywords:

Agustín de Betancourt, Interactive 3D puzzle, Virtual Recreation, Skills, Technical Historical Heritage.