Towards an Open Source Game Engine for Teaching and Research

This paper aims to describe the need for a course that teaches open source principles, 3D printing, and programming to researchers in Africa. It also describes the implementation of the course in detail so that others may conduct similar programs. The primary goal of the “Open Labware: 3D Printing Your Own Lab Equipment” workshop organised by TReND in Africa (Teaching and Research in Natural Sciences for Development in Africa) is to help the development of local expertise and capabilities of researchers and teaching faculty in the area of Open Labware, capacitating participants to create their own scientific equipment, as well as repair existing ones.

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Inspiring the Next Generation of HPC Engineers with Reconfigurable, Multi-Tenant Resources for Teaching and Research

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su132111782 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (21) ◽

pp. 11782

Author(s):

Taha Al-Jody ◽

Hamza Aagela ◽

Violeta Holmes

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

High Performance Computing ◽

Systems Engineering ◽

High Performance ◽

Bare Metal ◽

Next Generation ◽

Teaching And Research ◽

Exascale Computing ◽

Secure Access ◽

Performance Computing

There is a tradition at our university for teaching and research in High Performance Computing (HPC) systems engineering. With exascale computing on the horizon and a shortage of HPC talent, there is a need for new specialists to secure the future of research computing. Whilst many institutions provide research computing training for users within their particular domain, few offer HPC engineering and infrastructure-related courses, making it difficult for students to acquire these skills. This paper outlines how and why we are training students in HPC systems engineering, including the technologies used in delivering this goal. We demonstrate the potential for a multi-tenant HPC system for education and research, using novel container and cloud-based architecture. This work is supported by our previously published work that uses the latest open-source technologies to create sustainable, fast and flexible turn-key HPC environments with secure access via an HPC portal. The proposed multi-tenant HPC resources can be deployed on a “bare metal” infrastructure or in the cloud. An evaluation of our activities over the last five years is given in terms of recruitment metrics, skills audit feedback from students, and research outputs enabled by the multi-tenant usage of the resource.

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An adaptable multi-learner serious game for learning cultural heritage

Advances in Mobile Learning Educational Research ◽

10.25082/amler.2022.01.004 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 2 (1) ◽

pp. 201-215

Author(s):

Fotis Lazarinis ◽

◽

Ioannis Boididis ◽

Lefteris Kozanidis ◽

Dimitris Kanellopoulos ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Cultural Heritage ◽

Open Source ◽

Serious Game ◽

Game Engine ◽

Educational Settings ◽

Educational Activities ◽

Collaboration And Communication

The current study presents an adaptable light game engine, which is used to produce interactive educational settings focused on cultural heritage. The tool is implemented using inexpensive and open source technologies. In this paper we first discuss the architecture of the application and we then present two games developed by using the proposed engine. The produced games are multi-user and support the collaboration and communication among learners and among learners and instructors. Learners earn marks, badges and certificates as they study the material and complete the quizzes. Various evaluation experiments have been realized to understand the suitability of the produced content in educational activities. The evaluation results of the authentic educational actions were quite positive and supportive by both students and teachers.

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Developing an Open-Source Lightweight Game Engine with DNN Support

Electronics ◽

10.3390/electronics9091421 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 9 (9) ◽

pp. 1421

Author(s):

Haechan Park ◽

Nakhoon Baek

Keyword(s):

Machine Learning ◽

Deep Learning ◽

Open Source ◽

Programming Languages ◽

Cost Effective ◽

Machine Learning Techniques ◽

Learning Technology ◽

Game Engine ◽

Learning Techniques ◽

Technical Issues

With the growth of artificial intelligence and deep learning technology, we have many active research works to apply the related techniques in various fields. To test and apply the latest machine learning techniques in gaming, it will be very useful to have a light-weight game engine for quick prototyping. Our game engine is implemented in a cost-effective way, in comparison to well-known commercial proprietary game engines, by utilizing open source products. Due to its simple internal architecture, our game engine is especially beneficial for modifying and reviewing the new functions through quick and repetitive tests. In addition, the game engine has a DNN (deep neural network) module, with which the proposed game engine can apply deep learning techniques to the game features, through applying deep learning algorithms in real-time. Our DNN module uses a simple C++ function interface, rather than additional programming languages and/or scripts. This simplicity enables us to apply machine learning techniques more efficiently and casually to the game applications. We also found some technical issues during our development with open sources. These issues mostly occurred while integrating various open source products into a single game engine. We present details of these technical issues and our solutions.

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Utilizing Readily Available and Open Source Libraries to Create a 3D Game Engine

International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations ◽

10.4018/jgcms.2009091502 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 1 (4) ◽

pp. 20-49 ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Tim Stowell ◽

Jon Scoresby ◽

Michael R. Capell ◽

Brett E. Shelton

Keyword(s):

Open Source ◽

Third Party ◽

Game Engine ◽

Application Development ◽

Development Environment ◽

Checks And Balances ◽

Development Platform ◽

Making Choices ◽

Game Engines ◽

Fully Functioning

Market 3D engines have all the capabilities needed for developing full-featured 3D simulation and game environments. However, for those in education and small business, it remains a formidable task to acquire the resources needed to purchase or create a development platform with cutting-edge capabilities. Leveraging existing and open-source software libraries can greatly enhance the main application development, freeing developers to focus more on the application concept itself rather than the needed supporting pieces. This article explores the nuances of successfully mixing core code with these third-party libraries in creating a fully functioning development environment. Many steps with accompanying checks-and-balances are involved in creating a game engine, including making choices of which libraries to use, and integrating the core code with third-party libraries. By offering insights into our open source driven process, we help inform the understanding of how game engines may be generated for other educational and small-budget projects.

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The VR-Desktop: An Accessible Approach to VR Environments in Teaching and Research

International Journal of Architectural Computing ◽

10.1260/147807703771799201 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 1 (2) ◽

pp. 233-246 ◽

Cited By ~ 7

Author(s):

George Otto ◽

Loukas N. Kalisperis ◽

Jack Gundrum ◽

Katsuhiko Muramoto ◽

Gavin Burris ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Virtual Reality ◽

Open Source ◽

Low Cost ◽

State University ◽

Pennsylvania State University ◽

Teaching And Research ◽

Design And Implementation ◽

Desktop Computing ◽

Computing Environments ◽

Display Systems

The VR-Desktop initiative is an effort to bring key benefits of projection-based virtual reality into the mainstream of teaching and research at the Pennsylvania State University, through the deployment of comparatively low cost and easy to use virtual reality and integrated multimedia display systems within a variety of contexts. Recent experiences with design and implementation of single- and multi-screen VR systems for teaching and research are described. The systems discussed employ low cost and readily available hardware components, familiar desktop computing environments, and open-source VR development toolkits. The approach is modular and easily adaptable to various applications in research or instruction.

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