LAB / WEEK 03
Think in Three Dimensions
Reconcile a fixed diagram with a differently oriented scene, predict its transformation, then verify direction and height independently.
IN PERSON (PREFERRED) · ONLINE AVAILABLE
What you will learn in this lab
Reconcile a fixed diagram with a differently oriented scene, predict its transformation, then verify direction and height independently.
Keep this evidence: spatial model. Later use: A1 relates an unfamiliar workshop diagram to its connector. A physical final recovery may need this capability; a digital operation need not invent a transport problem.
The online environment also supports preparation and revision between classes. Campus packs specify the proposed teaching setup; physical apparatus has not been validated by this website prototype.
For online participation and revision: follow the Lab mission checklist and named controls below. Complete the practical outcome named for this week. Perform an intervention or receiving handover only when the activity requires it; other field extensions are optional. Explain and save the attempt before switching phases. Need an example first? The demonstration uses a different scenario and keeps separate practice progress.
FIELD TRAINING / 03
Think in Three Dimensions
The Broken Connection. Reconnect the gallery passage by aligning a service module with the building’s connectors and level.
The passage is isolated because its module faces the wrong way. Raising it cannot correct a rotation, and camera direction is not map north.
The skill you need: Rotate a module and change its level to match two connector directions and a specified floor.
Evidence output: spatial-model. Later use: A1 relates an unfamiliar workshop diagram to its connector. A physical final recovery may need this capability; a digital operation need not invent a transport problem.
Learn the skill · worked example
A north/east connector rotated clockwise 90° faces east/south. Raising it from level 0 to level 1 changes position, while its connector directions stay the same.
First explain what you predict. Manipulate the apparatus, compare the observed result, then change one relevant condition. The transfer challenge changes the context so that repeating an earlier answer may fail.
Start here: read the worked example, then use the controls in Practice. After verifying the skill, apply it at the mission station and confirm its physical consequence. Then try Skill check and Transfer challenge. The six rows in the lab timetable describe the whole teaching session; they are not six hidden game levels.
Scene guide · people, evidence and object placement
People and the spatial model
A labelled connector model with world directions and three levels.
- Your part
- The moving student avatar represents you. Inspect the scene and use the lesson controls to record and test your decisions.
- Your instructor
- Mara stands in the marked teaching bay outside the investigation area. She guides the exercise. Her presence, appearance and idle gestures are not clues about what happened in the case.
- People in this scenario
- You operate the connector. Mara explains the model; her facing direction does not define north.
- What counts as evidence
- Use the connector labels, fixed world axes, rotation and level. The camera view is not a change to the object.
- Why the objects are here
- The connector and level platform are a teaching model. Their labels define directions and height; the workbench is support furniture.
Spatial Lab
Explore the room. Inspect its instruments. Discover the obstacle, use your skills and complete the operation.
Loads on request · all equipment also has accessible controls belowHow to move, inspect and complete the activity
Use WASD or arrow keys to walk. Press E near an instrument to examine it. Inspect means read its details; Use equipment performs the action named in its status message. The task controls let you choose exact settings and test a solution. Once verified, use the mission station to put it into effect, collect the resulting evidence or cargo, follow its checkpoints and complete the handover at the receiving station.
Scroll over the scene or use Zoom + / Zoom − for a closer or wider view. Click and drag to turn whenever the cursor is free. Choose Fullscreen mission to keep the scene, mission instructions and all task controls together. Fullscreen starts with a free cursor so you can scroll the panel and choose options. Press X or Lock cursor (X) to turn by moving the mouse. Press X again to free the cursor and return to click-and-drag turning. Tab also frees the cursor. The X shortcut stays inactive while typing or choosing a form value. Press Escape or Exit fullscreen to return to the page. On touchscreens, drag to look and use the zoom buttons. If your browser cannot enter native fullscreen, the mission expands to fill its window.
The activity below also works without 3D. Follow its objective and feedback, then save your record. Walking around the scene is optional and does not complete the lab by itself. The campus worksheet provides a printable alternative.
FIELD OPERATION · Briefing
The Broken Connection
Reconnect the gallery passage by aligning a service module with the building’s connectors and level. Reconnect east/south ports on level 0.
The passage is isolated because its module faces the wrong way. Raising it cannot correct a rotation, and camera direction is not map north.
Inspect the mission station to begin your investigation.
Nothing collected.
Mission actions become available when the activity loads.
Mission record and accessible controls
These controls perform the same actions as the marked stations in the scene. Use them with a keyboard or touch, or when graphics are unavailable. Equipment tests establish whether your intervention is supported. The final handover records a mission outcome; your explanation is assessed separately.
- No mission actions yet.
LAB MISSION / Practice
What you are trying to do
Match a connector’s direction and floor level while distinguishing rotation from lifting.
DO THIS NEXT
Read Required connectors and level below. The starting ports face north and east; use the compass, not the camera angle.
Equipment instructions for this mission
- Read the target
Read Required connectors and level below. The starting ports face north and east; use the compass, not the camera angle.
- Position the module
Use Rotate clockwise 90° and Raise one level. Watch the Ports and Level readouts; raising does not rotate the ports.
- Track the original north port
Choose its new direction in Where did the original north connector move? Explain the rotation to yourself before checking.
- Test the match
Select Test this configuration. Correct the direction or level identified in the feedback and test again.
How you know you are done: Both ports and the level match the published target, and your prediction identifies where the original north port moved. Then enact the verified intervention at the mission station and confirm its consequence.
Inspect means select a named object and read its finding. Use the equipment means operate the labelled controls below, then check the result. Exploring the scene does not automatically complete the task.
The apparatus and the controls below use the same model. All tasks can be completed with keyboard controls. No timer is required.
The complete worksheet below is available while the interactive lab loads.
Practice in progress
Load the controls or use the worksheet to begin.
Hint 1. Keep world north fixed while the camera changes.
Hint 2. Track the original north port after each clockwise quarter-turn.
Hint 3. Changing floor level moves the module without rotating it.
After playing · explain and save this attempt
Finish the practical attempt first. Then record what you noticed, what changed and any help you used. You can also preserve an unfinished attempt.
Recording preserves your actions and explanation. Practice feedback does not award an academic grade.
Your recent action trace
- No actions recorded yet.
Complete worksheet and explanation · works without JavaScript
Mission: Reconnect the gallery passage by aligning a service module with the building’s connectors and level.
Obstacle: The passage is isolated because its module faces the wrong way. Raising it cannot correct a rotation, and camera direction is not map north.
Task: Rotate a module and change its level to match two connector directions and a specified floor.
Practical enactment: once the equipment check passes, seat the aligned service module. Trace the result through Passage checkpoint, then confirm the passage is connected. Expected consequence: The aligned module completes the connection and the passage gate opens.
Supplied module
The initial ports face north and east at level 0. Practice target: east/south, level 0. Skill check: south/west, level 1. Transfer: west/north, level 2. Draw each original and rotated view; name where the north port ends up.
Explanation: clockwise rotations are 90°, 180° and 270° respectively. The original north port becomes east, south and west. Raising the module does not change these directions.
Reflection and example
Separate demonstration: In the dome example, I predicted north→east and west→north before the quarter-turn. I then raised the connector to level 2. When the target moved to level 1, I changed height alone because the labelled port directions still matched.
Your output: spatial-model. Record the conditions, actions, result and what you would test next. An explanation can be defensible while differing from the example.
YOUR SKILLS PASSPORT
Keep what you learn.
Practice stays in this browser. Export it to take your work with you.
Which save or export should I use?
- Record attempt in skills passport on a lab keeps that phase's actions and your explanation. Save it before switching to a different phase.
- Export backup JSON downloads a backup you can bring back with Restore backup.
- Export learning record creates a readable account for your portfolio. Print record prepares the same kind of evidence for printing.
- Export assessment record inside a mission keeps that trial's decisions and debrief. Keep your written assessment explanation with it.
These controls keep your work; they do not submit it to an institution. Export a backup before changing browser, clearing browser data or resetting the passport.
Preparing your saved progress…
Your mission, in plain language
Your task: Reconnect a service module from its diagram. Identify whether a mismatch comes from the observer’s view, module rotation or floor level.
What you will produce: Keep a before/after sketch or text model, the prediction made before manipulation, an alternative configuration and evidence separating a level error from an orientation error.
Start here: in-person attendance is preferred. Read the briefing and In-person lab instructions. If you cannot attend, use the Online lab with the same learning record. The 3D environment also supports preparation and revision.
Before you arrive
Read SP-01 coordinate conventions (10 minutes). Sketch an everyday object from above and the side, labelling one shared feature (10 minutes).
Read the briefing. All starting rules and data are supplied here, so you can begin directly even if you missed an earlier lab. For the preferred in-person route, read the campus pack. The online route is available when you cannot attend. Both assess the outcomes below.
What you will learn
- Keep world directions fixed while the object or viewpoint changes.
- Predict both labelled ports before rotating and test the prediction.
- Diagnose direction and level errors separately using a transformation record.
Supplied case file and rules
Where to find the named materials: These labels identify the supplied material on this page and in the combined campus pack; they are not separate files you need to locate. SP-01 is the labelled north/east connector and fixed coordinate convention. SP-02 supplies the target directions and floor levels for the three phases.
- The connector begins with ports pointing north and east on level 0.
- A rotation moves the connector clockwise by 90 degrees; its handedness remains unchanged.
- Practice target: ports east/south, level 0. Skill check: south/west, level 1. Transfer: west/north, level 2.
- Moving up a level changes position but not orientation. Levels cycle 0 → 1 → 2 → 0.
- Before testing, state where the original north port points. World directions remain fixed when the camera changes.
From example to independent challenge
Worked example: use the alternate scenario to learn the method. Its completed decisions cannot be copied into your assigned case.
Practice: use prompts and hints, recording help. Make the prediction or choice before checking.
Skill check: begin from the objective and evidence. Decide which test or action matters before consulting the optional explanation.
Transfer: inspect the changed condition. Decide what it invalidates and what remains supported; a justified unchanged decision can be correct.
The two-hour lab
These are the teaching session’s time blocks, not six compulsory game objectives. Adjust timing as needed; reasoning matters more than speed.
| Time | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0–10 minutes | Compare the scene and diagram; identify their reference frames. |
| 10–30 minutes | Predict the marked port in the alternate example before it turns. |
| 30–60 minutes | Work in pairs: one predicts, one operates, then exchange roles. |
| 60–80 minutes | Independently meet the second target; separate direction and height adjustments. |
| 80–105 minutes | Reconcile the third target from a changed viewpoint. |
| 105–120 minutes | Keep the transformation sketch and a counterexample to confusing rotation with translation. |
In-person lab · preferred route
Printable connector and mechanism sheet. Print at 100% on A4; each sheet includes a 50 mm scale check.
Equipment: One asymmetric L-shaped connector card, a labelled north arrow and three level sheets. Tactile or spoken orientation descriptions provide an equivalent route.
Setup: Cut an L-shaped card with north/east ports and one marked original north tip. Draw three floor levels. Rotate clockwise in quarter-turns; move the same card between levels without turning it.
What you do together: Predict a labelled connector’s directions and height before moving it. Compare the fixed diagram with a changed viewpoint, test orientation and translation independently, then connect the model.
The printable facilitator pack includes rules, prompts and explanation. Campus apparatus is a proposed teaching design; physical construction and handling have not been validated by browser tests. Use the paper model when equipment is unavailable.
Keep the same prediction, changed-condition attempt and explanation as the online route. A dated observation, test, agreement or route sheet serves as the action record. Add acknowledgement where a handoff is part of the task; an additional browser run is not required.
Online lab · equivalent participation and revision
Do these actions in order
- Select Practice and read the required connector directions and floor level. The original module has north and east ports at level 0.
- Before moving it, predict where the original north connector will point. Select that direction in Where did the original north connector move?
- Use Rotate clockwise 90° to turn the module. Use Raise one level (cycles 0–2) to set its height. Read the ports and level display after each change.
- Select Test this configuration. If it does not match, decide whether the error is in rotation, height or your prediction before adjusting the relevant control.
- Before switching, complete the current phase’s Field operation intervention, checkpoints and receiver acknowledgement, then select Record attempt in skills passport. Repeat that handover and save after each later phase. Try Skill check, then Transfer challenge. Read each new target; rotation and level requirements change.
- After playing, draw or describe the original and final ports. Explain why changing the camera view is different from rotating the module.
Put your solution into effect
A correct equipment check is the preparation for your mission action. In Field operation, first Inspect mission station. Once your skill check is verified, select Seat the aligned service module. The scene and mission record now show the consequence: The aligned module completes the connection and the passage gate opens.
Collect the named result or record, follow the checkpoint controls in order (or visit the marked stations in the scene), and select Confirm the passage is connected at the receiver. The status changes to Mission accomplished only after that acknowledgement. Keyboard and touch controls perform the same actions. If you change the underlying model, the dependent intervention must be verified again.
Your mission outcome is practice evidence, not an academic grade. Explain its reasoning in the debrief after playing.
Finish and keep your work
After each practical phase, open After playing · explain and save this attempt, write a brief reflection and select Record attempt in skills passport before switching phases. Keep the attempts and changed-condition evidence you discuss; an unfinished attempt can still be useful if you explain its limit. Export a backup using the passport tools.
For an uninterrupted view, choose Fullscreen mission. The Mission & controls panel contains the task and lesson controls. Scroll over the scene to zoom, click and drag to turn with the cursor free. Press X to lock the cursor for mouse-look; press X again (or Tab) to free it for scrolling and choosing options. Esc or Exit fullscreen returns to the page. Touch and keyboard controls remain available.
What leaves the room
spatial-model
Keep a before/after sketch or text model, the prediction made before manipulation, an alternative configuration and evidence separating a level error from an orientation error.
Include scenario and assistance. Preserve a failed attempt if it explains a useful revision. Add approximately 100 words connecting result to decision.
A1 relates an unfamiliar workshop diagram to its connector. A physical final recovery may need this capability; a digital operation need not invent a transport problem.
Feedback and explanation
Optional explanation and separate exemplar · open after an attempt
One, two and three clockwise quarter-turns move the north port to east, south and west respectively. Translation to another level does not rotate it. Matching a silhouette without tracking a labelled port can conceal a reflection or orientation error.
Worked reflection from the separate demonstration: In the dome example, I predicted north→east and west→north before the quarter-turn. I then raised the connector to level 2. When the target moved to level 1, I changed height alone because the labelled port directions still matched.
Inspect this example’s complete record. Use your own assigned scenario and observations for your reflection.
How to judge the response
A strong response makes a decision the instructions did not supply, supports it with evidence and explains an alternative or limit. A model check establishes its published conditions only; a facilitator judges reasoning. Text length and game endings are not academic grades.
Keep a before/after sketch or text model, the prediction made before manipulation, an alternative configuration and evidence separating a level error from an orientation error.
Closing reflection
Which labelled port helped you check the rotation, and how did you verify height separately?
Afterwards
Export your record and keep a backup. It contributes to Weekly Fieldwork, with the best ten of twelve counting. Continue to the assessment brief and consult policies for access, collaboration and extensions. Exporting does not submit coursework.
SLOP UNIVERSITY · THE ACADEMY OF IMPOSSIBLE SKILLS
An original fictional course. Progress records practice, not academic certification.