OpenSim Worlds

Undersea Observatory



Turn your students into deep sea explorers! The Undersea Observatory is a lab located at the bottom of the ocean, complete with observation rooms, a classroom, and student-created exhibits about marine life. Students pilot a submarine to reach the facility, put on a deep sea diving suit, and explore the ocean depths. This sim is designed to be a discovery-based, constructionist learning experience, as students participate in scavenger hunts to document the aquatic wildlife, and contribute their own creations back into the sim for the benefit of future learners.
Notes:

  • The sea level of the region is raised to 40.
  • The notecards containing teacher and student instructions are found in the classroom podium.
  • The Personal Submarine is an attachable vehicle, so wear it instead of trying to sit on it. Attach it to the stomach, if it doesn’t attach correctly for whatever reason.
  • The eastern edge of the region is left open in case you want to create an optional neighboring “sandbox region” for students to build their own marine creations.

More information: Blog post


Credits: Underwater facility built with Tube City by Edtharan; Additional content taken from Universal Campus by Oni Kenton; Plants and other creations by Linda Kellie. Original content by Justin Reeve. Song in video: “Point of No Return” by Roger Subirana Mata.

10 comments

  • Fleep Tuque (13 years)

    What a wonderful sim! I had fun exploring, loved the octopus!
    What are the license terms for this OAR, can we re-share it with others?

  • Justin K. Reeve (13 years)

    Thank you! A lot of the content is taken from other free content sources, and they’re listed in the credits, so it necessarily should follow any restrictions they put in. Consider the whole sim under a Creative Commons 3.0 Attribution license.

  • Paul (13 years)

    Hi, great sim.
    As the original designer of the underwater base kit (Tube City) it is great to see it used for such excellent purposes.
    This demonstrates exactly why I made it creative commons.

    • Justin K. Reeve (13 years)

      Hey Paul! Thank you so much for creating such a great building kit. Seriously, it was PERFECT for this.

  • Jim Barr (13 years)

    Unbefreakinlievable!
    Justin, what an amazing design! You assembled all the pieces into a world that is engaging, and beautiful. Oh, and the video is just stunning.

  • Jim Barr (13 years)

    Justin, I could not find another way to contact you, so I’m asking here…. How do you attach the Personal Submarine? I downloaded your standalone version that includes the Imprudence viewer, and while I can add the Personal Submarine to my inventory, I tried to wear it or attach it in several ways, and it simply doesn’t look right. (It’s all cockeyed or upside down, etc.) How do you recommend attaching it? Also, what viewer do you recommend? Thanks!

    • Justin K. Reeve (13 years)

      Thanks Jim! As for the submarine, I did notice that, too (and a few other small issues), when I tried reloading the OAR into another region. I’m going to fix it in the next release. For now, just try attaching the submarine to your stomach, then reposition and rotate it until it looks right. It should save the positioning permanently after that for your avatar.
      I typically use SL Viewer 3 and Imprudence.

  • Joey Essoe (11 years)

    Thank you, Justin, for sharing such a wonderful creation! I am using this as part of my memory research 😀
    I really appreciate the hard work you must have put in!!

  • Latte (10 years)

    I had this installed on a region in AviWorlds, although we couldn’t raise the water level because of neighboring adjoining sims. I was able to adjust everything just fine. What a wonderful and amazing build. I went searching to see who made this, as I want to give credit where it is due.
    I used the attachable submarines and made them into a guided tour. Come by AviWorlds and take a tour, it’s just over 13 minutes long.
    http://login.aviworlds.com:8002
    Scuba Dive Center

  • Li (10 years)

    Dear Justin,
    It’s a wonderful work! Thanks also for generously sharing it. I am studying OS – design and extensibility. Is it possible to ask you some more info about your implementation of the Undersea observatory, e.g. about customization of the client viewer, or other info?

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