Project 3 Exhibition piece

My final exhibition piece is now complete.
You can watch it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3Fd5j7rVQ4
Or:

My Creation Process
When I began to create my exhibition piece I discovered a problem. How was I going to get lots of people talking, in close up, and get it looking good mixed with the sounds I had in mind?
I overcame this obstacle by keeping the same idea of sound but changing the way I portrayed it. After many thoughts and possible ideas I settled on creating rain/water droplets that fell down with a splashing sound.

The left frame
In the left frame I had a shape that vaguely represented a raindrop falling but after testing the video on some audience members I realised it was not that easy to understand the metaphor.
This is what it looked like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-29ovSEPi0
Or:



Rethink
So I rethought that idea of the rain drop and came up with a rain cloud instead, with and without water droplets underneath it. I thought this version was much easier to understand then the previous and so i kept it through.

The right frame creation
The right frame was probably the hardest part of the video to create. You may have already spotted this but for those who haven't, it was created through the stop-motion animation technique. To animate this, I pulled together some bits and pieces from around the house and created a scaffold type rig. On which I placed a long rod which had some blue thread wrapped around it. I then molded some blue plasticine around the end of the blue thread and once that was done, I framed the shot (on my camera). To start animating I unwound the thread by about 2 or 3 millimetres each frame and then took photos after each movement. Once the plasticine was on the ground I removed the blue thread and squished the clay down, taking photos after each little squidge. And finally, to make it look like the water was disappearing or evaporating I pinched little slivers off and took photos until there was no clay left. I repeated this for the exhibition piece and then added the left-hand frame symbol (of the rain-drop(then changed to the cloud)) which I had created on the computer.

Revised Project 3

To start with and to make myself clear, I am doing IF/Else for my project


My top TWO ideas
- Video - Black Background, Left frame something happens which influences the right frame
    OR
- Program - If the user selects something on the left side then something corresponds to that action in the right side
    OR
- Program - Have the same visual setup as the video but include interaction. This would be in the form of the Microsoft Kinect or a Wii controller.

Cost/Equipment plan
Equipment                                          Cost
- Pencil                                              $0.00
- Paper                                              $0.00
- Camera                                           $0.00
- Computer                                        $0.00
- Flash drive                                       $0.00
- Video editing software                       $0.00
- Programming program (possibly)        $0.00
- Clay model (if I decide to animate)      unknown

Total cost = Free (dependent on model costs)

Checklist/Plan for Project 3
1. Decide whether to use a video or a program or interaction with body controllers - DONE2. Think of the key events that are to happen in the video/program.
3. Plan them out in a sort of storyboard.
4. IF video is chosen then have a video in the left frame that affects the video in the right frame.
5. ELSE create a program that goes IF a user selects something on the left side then the person/video/object does something on the right side.

I have chosen to go with the VIDEO idea for my project.

Revised time management plan
13/05/2011         Decide whether video or program or interaction with body controllers - DONE
19/05/2011         Have all the ideas sorted out for what I am going to do in the video or program
23/05/2011         Have filmed/created all the reactions to interactions or events
25/05/2011         Have finished the main part of the project
26/05/2011         Have my 200-300 word description of my piece completed
If I am ahead of schedule I would quite like to incorporate the interaction into my project.

My Project idea.

The layout of my video will be a black background with two frames of video in the centre. The left video will influence the right video frame. The left video frame will have a traffic light like symbol but in the shape of something sound related (see example below) and the right frame will display according to the results of the left frame. It will be a collection of voices and conversations that start quiet and increase in volume until when it reaches a certain volume, the 'traffic light' will turn red and the sound will rapidly trail off. Then after 10 or so (currently undecided) seconds the light will turn green and the  noises will start up again.

This is the approximate layout of how I would like the video to look at this stage.


And here is a rough animated edit/draft of what will happen. Wait 10 seconds to see it.

My pseudo Code

IF (Volume equals minimum volume){

then symbol turn green

and volume increase to maxamum

}

ELSE IF (volume equals maximum volume){

then symbol turn red

and volume decrease to minimum

then wait 10 seconds

}

Project 3 Plan

My top TWO ideas
   - Video - Black Background, Left frame something happens which influences the right frame
    OR
   - Program - If the user selects something on the left side then something corresponds to that action in the right side

Time management plan
13/05/2011         Decide whether video or program
15/05/2011         Have all the ideas sorted out for what I am going to do in the video or program
20/05/2011         Have filmed/created all the reactions to interactions or events
25/05/2011         Have finished the main part of the project
26/05/2011         Have my 200-300 word description of my piece completed


Cost/Equipment plan
Equipment                                          Cost
- Pencil                                              $0.00
- Paper                                              $0.00
- Camera                                           $0.00
- Computer                                        $0.00
- Flash drive                                       $0.00
- Video editing software                     $0.00
- Programming program                     $0.00
- Possible clay model costs                 unknown
Total cost = Free (or unknown)


Checklist/Plan for Project 3
1. Decide whether to use a video or a program
2. Think of the key events that are to happen in the video/program.
3. Plan them out in a sort of storyboard.
4. IF video is chosen then have a video in the left frame that affects the video in the right frame.
5. ELSE create a program that goes IF a user selects something on the left side then the person/video/object does something on the right side.

I am yet to decide on my favourite and most manageable idea so therefore have no relevant code to show at this time. Check back tomorrow - ish.

DSDN 142 Project 2 Final

Hello there. As said in the previous post here is an easy to find post detailing my final sketch for my second  DSDN 142 project.
This is what the final looks like:

And here is a link to the openprocessing page with the sketch on it (http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=27766).

If you are unaware, the previous post details my journey from start to finish for this project. (http://dsdn142jamesgodfrey.blogspot.com/2011/04/from-start-to-almost-finished-my.html)

OOPS! I have just seen the wording in the open-processing classroom and it says it must be 500x500 (not 750x750 which mine was). Obviously I quickly nipped in and changed the size.

From start to almost finished. My programs creation.

This post will be an in depth walk through the stages of my projects creation right up until this current moment.
As most, if not all media projects do, my current one started with a storyboard. I have already posted this some time ago but for the sake of continuity here it is again.

In this storyboard I basically explain that I would like to make a program that makes sounds when the user interacts. This program has an inner square border and balls in the centre that have different patterns and are floating gently around the inside until the user drags them to the border. Only once the balls are on the border will they make a noise. I also state in the storyboard that I would like to have the sounds change when the balls mix together.

So from that I went onto making the first prototype which turned out looking like this.

This version had many faults, as you would expect from a first prototype. In this version I managed to get the ball to appear when the mouse was clicked but after that it would fly to the bottom right corner then move to the left corner and stay there. Also only one ball could be created. Obviously I had much to do.

In the next version I managed to get the ball to stop once the wall was hit but it still wouldn't rebound.

Because I needed to figure out how to get the balls to bounce off I made a sketch with just one side and had the ball spawn and move. I then added some code to try to get the rebound to work. Here is what resulted.

As you can see it worked. The next thing I had to tackle was getting the bouncing to work with the ball on all the sides.

Here is what resulted.

What you can't see from the photo is that it has just bounced off at an angle from the right side and will then bounce off from the bottom. What you can see from this picture is that I have made the ball transparent now and also removed the block black sides. I thought the black was too overpowering compared to the rest of the design at this point and the white inner of the circle was yuck.

At this point in the project I learnt about the need for arrays in a project like the one I was undertaking. I was swift to incorporate them into my code. Once I had the arrays integrated I realised a problem. Each time the user clicked a new ball would be made. That was fine. But in its current state it would have two outcomes, either the ticker would get to 20 and the ball creation would stop or you would just keep clicking and there would be an infinite number of balls being created (which is really, not good).

I then looked back on my storyboard and was reminded that each ball would have a different colour so I created some code which made this happen in the array.

So in this version I had multiple balls being created and each had their own colour. To do this I made a separate .pde file called Ball.pde and imported this into the project and made it part of the array. This file contained the code for drawing the ellipses, colouring the inside of the circles, and the control for the direction and rebounding of the balls on the border.

As you can see the bold black border is back. Once the balls had colour added to them I thought they needed something to visually contrast with so I put it back in there.

At this point I realised that there was not much interaction being required from the user so in the next version I added two new interaction features. I added right click and hold to change the size of the balls (this was also intended to change the volume in future versions) and the mouse position on the Y-axis controls the speed at which the balls travel. I also changed the balls from having colour to having different shades of black. It is difficult to show the interaction features in a picture so here is the link to this version on openprocessing: http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=26392.

Just a quick note about a problem I ran into while trying to add the circle size adjuster if you are interested. Once I thought I had the right code written I played the sketch and found that they would all resize themselves as soon as you clicked and it couldn't be stopped. Trying to fix this took me a wee while but the result still works well.

One other problem I came across with that last version was that the circles didn't spawn on the mouse position. They spawned a random distance from the mouse each time. This was soon fixed thankfully, but was puzzling while the code causing it lasted.

At this stage in the project I added the sound I had imagined would be good with it from the storyboard stage but I thought it didn't really suit it after running the program. I also limited the number of balls at this stage to 10 as opposed to the previous 20. This was because if there were 20 balls and each ball had its own sound then the collective noise would sound like mush. If you wish to see, here is a link to the program as again, it is difficult to show sound in a picture. http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=27764.

After this I experimented with other sounds. For example instead of the piano note in the previous link, I tried the sound of a drum. I found this also didn't suit and so I revised the layout and sound further in my sketch until I came to this.

The current sound is plucking of a stringed instrument and when a ball bounces off the sides it pushed out by an amount as if to look like it was plucked. This fitted nicely with the 'Sound-Objects' we have been encouraged to aim for in our projects. And again you can see the bold black has left the project, this time for the last time. This is what the final look of my project will be and after some minor bug fixes to the program I will include an openprocessing link to the sketch for all to enjoy.

One final note. I am undecided at the moment on whether or not to have the final sketch playing only one note or playing a different note for each ball. That decision will be made imminently and will be talked about in my next either update on this post or on a new post.

UPDATE

Ok so I have spent most of the rest of my day finishing up with this and I can now share my mainly finished product. The openprocessing link is here (http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=27766). Another wee change made today was the right click resize. It is now right click on the right half to make it bigger and right click on the left half and make it smaller. The resizing now properly changes the volume too, with bigger circles making louder sound and vise versa. There is still a slight error that needs fixing as well which is that if you resize a ball beside a border line it will get stuck on it. I know (sort of) the code to put in the program and I will do that tomorrow. Also another condition I need to add is to not allow the creation of the circles outside of the border lines (otherwise it gets messy). I have also come to a decision on the sounds and that is to have multiple sounds and not just one that bangs into your head repeatedly.

UPDATE 2

Alright, what I said I would do yesterday, I have now done.The balls now only spawn in the inner area and the balls never get stuck on the border. My finished code is still on this openprocessing link and is updated with the latest version. Here is the link again (http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=27766). To make it easy to find I will also make a single post with my final in it and a link to the openprocessing sketch. Even though I say it is finished, the sound still delays after the first playback and I cannot see any code that I can edit to stop this. This is only a tiny glitch though and really isn't that noticeable when the circles are all going at once.

First uploaded attempt at my deisgn

here is the link to the openprocessing  upload.


http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=26392

This is the first functioning properly-ish sketch where you can sort of expect what the final might be.

My Storyboard for project 2

Here is my storyboard for project 2



 Please click the image to read the words.

Wallpaper 1 complete, for now.

I have now just completed wallpaper one visually,  although may (probably will) require some code cleanup after the other wallpapers are completed.

Here is what it looks like:

...and here is the link to the completed wallpaper on open processing:
http://openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=23753

Next Version of my afternoons work

Here is the next version to the background troubles. Now includes a rough line which will be turned into a pattern (just a test at the moment to get the line on top of the back ground) and the .png screencap from pattern maker.

open processing link:  

http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=23753

Long struggle, but now I undersand.

This afternoon I have spent a very lengthy period trying to get a line of tiny ellipses to cover my screen using processing. It wasn't a problem to get just the one line of ellipses, but getting it to then fill the screen was a nightmare. I finally found out what code needed to be moved where and then this was the result.

Turned out I just needed to move two lines of code out of some curly brackets. stage one of my wallpaper complete-ish.

My Friday Presentation

Here is my plan for next week, my source of inspiration for my wallpapers, my goals and also a copy of the images themselves.

My inspiration:

I am basing all of the wallpapers on the style of scratch art. This is the art that children make at kindergarten or primary school where they colour a piece of paper with crayons and and the cover it with black paint. After this they scratch it off and get something like this:

My goals:

By the and of this project I want to be able to easily create interesting looking designs with code. I also want to be able to create lines that don't have a defined edge to them and look kind of fuzzy.

My Designs:

Design 1

Design 2

Design 3

Design 4

Next Weeks Plan:
...is in the works.

My first post and links to my first open processing patterns

Hello, as you can see this is my first post on my new DSDN 142 blog. In this post I have linked to my first pieces of work for the course. They are made using the processing program (version 1.2.1) and hosted on the open processing website (http://www.openprocessing.org/).

So here are my four pattern links:




First Pattern V1
http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=22369

 
Simple Pattern V1
http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=22405

Lecture Pattern V1
http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=22703







For this last pattern I googled "simple design" and it presented me with a box shelf. I then proceeded to create a look-a-like in processing. The shelf that inspired can be seen below.

And so here is the final pattern created at the end.





Shelf Inspired Design V2
http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=22716