My Last KIB809 Post

Okay, just to show I'm not completely averse to 'prettying up' my documentation, here it is in an easily browse-able PDF form.

Download Gordon's Final Documentation (900kb PDF)

And the two Director files, modified to include space #24 (thanks Aleesha):

- Web-Cam Version (6MB)
- Non Web-Cam Version (11MB DIR)

My Reflection

At the end of this assignment, there are a lot of conclusions that can be drawn from the project as well as a few interesting observations.

From the very first moment our group came together, it was clear that Gordon was our super-amazing leader. I know it was his determination to get this assessment up and running that kept the group motivated. In fact, our tutor Glenn made comments on more than one occasion that our group was quite far ahead of itself! Roles were delegated early and we knew what we were doing from the very first meeting we had. I believe that our group had an excellent dynamic that really allowed each team member to shine (and I guess twinkle as well).

As the work I did was primarily on the art and metaphorical aspects of the maze, I have only a limited amount of knowledge regarding the inner workings of the director coding. It seemed to be quite high-end and I’m confident in saying that Gordon clearly worked hard on it. The rest of the group did well in their jobs too. Aleesha’s designs, combined with Andrew’s help in realizing them digitally, and Dan’s video all turned out great.

In conclusion, I would have liked to see the completed product of our prototype, including the ‘randomness’ factor and the room with invisible maze itself. How the project turned out though is excellent.

Final Documentation

Stuff to create:

System requirements

- Windows or Mac with the Shockwave plug-in installed

Special instructions

- A web-cam (or DV cam) is required for full functionality. Ideally, it should be pointing downwards towards a flat-coloured surface, and a single, hi-contrast object will move in front of it in order to simulate a user moving through a room.

- Projections are, in clockwise order, North, South, West and East

- Valid exits are marked with double-doors, demonstrating a perspective and potential for movement in that direction.

- For the non-web-cam version, click and drag the smiley face into the square on the top row, second from the right - this should change the projections to the instruction tiles. The mapped paths are available from an earlier post.

Summary of who did what

- Gordon: Primary Coder / Program Designer
- Aleesha: Artistic Director / Project Manager
- Zac: 2D Artist / Concept Development
- Andrew: 2D Artist / Backup Coder
- Dan: Documentarian / Concept Development

Major problems enountered (and how we solved them)

Determining user's position in the maze

Our initial proposal involved a grid of beam breakers and nasty, custom-written C-code. Fortunately, we stumbled across the Myron WebCam Xtra as an inexpensive, easily alterable alternative for motion tracking.

Perspective In Artwork

... more to come ...

Web-Cam Version

Removed debugging code, and prepped for demonstration (and publication).

Download Intangible Maze (4.5MB)

Reflections....

Successes

Exploring potential ideas early on with the team was an exciting prospect. Initially, we only had a very vague idea of what we wanted to accomplish, but it seemed feasible and worthwhile. Constructing the scenario designs as individuals revealed further possibilities for implementation, as well as revealing a number of potential artistic styles.

The concept of exploring a foreign, virtual environment without having to wear any cumbersome VR apparatus or be tethered to a mouse and keyboard was an immensely appealing one. As such, we thought it appropriate to apply this style of interaction design to provide an opportunity for students new to the CI environment to explore the ecology in an experimental, highly stylised, playful manner. The exploration of a foreign environment could then be conducted in a seemingly private manner, without fear of 'looking lost'. Ironically, the user is constantly under the watchful eye of the motion-sensing web camera as a means of detecting their current location.

From a technical standpoint, further development of this project seemed only to be limited by constraints on finances and resources - all of the knowledge, skills and technology required to take the project a few steps further existed within the team and its current set of tools. As such, I would be keen to explore the possibility of continuing this project into another semester, incorporating audio feedback, collision detection, more complex room layouts, and so on.

More importantly, I'd love to be able to have the opportunity to implement this interaction piece in a full-size installation, complete with stereo sound and 4-way projection setup. The 360-degree immersion in the 3D environment was a highly sought-after goal.

Incorporating the Myron WebCam Xtra was a major leap forwards for the technical implementation - this was the first time I'd dealt with Xtras, and I was extremely pleased with its completeness, functionality and adaptability.

The late separation of the art direction from the technical functionality was a productive process, particularly since both sub-teams had an accurate idea of what the finished product was going to look and act like. A rigid, logical file-naming convention (and well-distributed layout map) made this process easier still, giving both sub-teams a common language of reference. Bringing the artwork directly into the final Director movie was trivial as a result.

Shortcomings

Demonstrating this piece will be [has been] our biggest trial. There are team-members who have not yet been able to see the fully functioning piece first-hand. Several environmental conditions must exist for it to function at its best, not least of which is a flat coloured, expansive floor that provides ample contrast with a user who happens upon it. This high contrast will then allow for very accurate tracking of movement by the camera. Similarly, the lighting conditions to maximize the impact of 4 simultaneous big-screen projections can be equally difficult to acheive outside of a controlled environment.

An on-screen demonstration of a hi-res monitor split into four quadrants (representing the North, South, East and West projections) fails to accomplish the desired immersive effect, but manages to show off the art style and software-driven technical accomplishments of the piece.

Without a correctly-placed web-cam in a life-sized environment, the impact of the piece loses considerable weight.

If I Was to Do This Again...

Knowing a little more about Director and its capabilities for real-time 3D rendering, I would probably approach the implementation considerably differently. The art team would still be able to work with the current style, but instead of finalising their work as a 2D wall, the textures would wrap around low-polygon 3D models. These models, together with a rudimentary room layout, could be used as the source for the current projection tiles.

Presently, the wall tiles change in a 'flick-screen' manner, reminiscent of pseudo-3D adventure games from the very early 1990s/late 1980s. By positioning virtual 3D cameras within the 3D world described above (one each pointing East, North, South and West), the four walls would be able to move in sync with the user's position, and their view would be updated in real-time to reflect what a user would see if they were looking in that given direction - transitions between spaces would become seamless, and the current collision detection for rooms would be superfluous.

Looking back, few of the team members had 3D experience at the commencement of the project but, now many of them have just completed a 3D modelling subject, it would be worth tackling this approach.

I am excited by the potential direction the application of this technology could have on the future of both projection and interaction installations. For example, the ambient movement of users walking through a public space has a plethora of seemingly random, easily-harnessable inputs that can be transformed into a mesmerising audio or dynamic projection piece in real-time, while still preserving the individual's privacy.

Artwork Inc.

And there it is...

I hope I've done the art team's work justice. Now to un-comment the web-cam specific code and find a way of demonstrating the piece.

Download latest DIR file. (6.6MB)

Other People

Other People.zip

Quad-Output Video Card....Maybe.

Like Andrew, my video card has also been on its way out for a few weeks now. It's replacement arrived yesterday, sporting separate DVI, VGA, Composite and S-Video outputs. In theory, that's 4 separate outputs that could be used for our real-world purposes.

For those interested in tech. specs., this is my card (courtesy of eBay).

text for the guides

Hi,
How's it going everyone? This is what I thought the guides could say. It's a little tacky, but I tried to make it adhere to the criteria as well as I could while also accomodating us well. I can change it if you don't like it. These texts will live in speech bubbles next to their respective guides:

Grid 16 Speech (Hallway grid before the juction)

From the beginning of their journey, students must navigate their way
through university. With all the doors of opportunity opening and closing
around them, it is a world that can feel very much like a maze. The flows
and cycles of the Creative Industries precinct create an environment that is
no exception. Taking a step forward might seem simple, but moving forward
with certain expectations may take you places you would not have
anticipated...

Grid 22 Speech (The Juction grid)

Students make choices everyday. Some are minute and have little effect on
their academic careers, others are far more significant and will change
their lives. The path to the left leads to a lecture hall. The right leads
to computer labs. Taking one path will mean another is left behind. But
what does each one mean? There is only one way to find out...

Grid 19 Speech (labs lv2 exit)

For Students at the Creative Industries Precinct, computers are an
invaluable resource. They are a tome of information as well as a tool which
can be used to show what students have learned. But what have you learned?
As a first stop, there is little that can be done within computer labs when
nothing has been asked of a student. It is too late to go back so a student
can only go foward...

Grid 24 Speech (coke machine exit)

Beyond this point is the entrance to a lecture hall, one of the most
significant parts of university. But as one of the first places for a
student to go on the Creative Industries Precinct, it can be quite
daunting. However, students typically come together as a group and form
close ties which can sometimes begin at lectures once they take that step
forward...

Walls

This is what I've done in response to the hallways. The colours can be changed at anytime, so just ask if they are off. Let me know. Also, I did the door for the level 1 computer room because I wasn't sure if I was supposed to. I'll post the speech bubbles tomorrow

Walls.zip

Patience is a virtue... guys?

Hi everyone,
I figured since I am being waited on for some of the material required to complete the maze I'd post a message letting everyone know I'll have it uploaded on Tuesday(the 7th) afternoon. Yipee!

Frickin' Yeah...

Have commented out some chunks of web-cam-specific code to allow non-web-cam owners to check out how things are progressing.

Click and drag the little smiley face to change the projections - I've only got enough source images at this stage to change the two 'spaces' on the top-left, but it's not hard to get the idea and add more cast members.

I've also adjusted the blend modes on our debugging map so as we can see Wassgoin'ohn™.

Frickin' cool. Bring on the tiles.

Download from GG's public_html page.