IDAT211 - Storyboarding

In order to come up with some kind of context for my perception based video using fluids I decided that I should create a storyboard of how the video would run in the 60 seconds available. I therefore used my ideas for fluid perception and tried to piece them together in a logical way.  I decided the main context of my video would be that it is hosted in a world of water.  This would fit with the concept that water is the only method of perception.  From this idea of a world of water, along with the ideas I had had previously I produced the following storyboard pages.  To see them in more detail click on them:

A number of the objects I chose to use for this storyboard I chose because they were somehow related to the medium of water.  I decided to do this as it would make the relationship between the object and environment stronger, and also help the viewer to better perceive the objects due to this relationship.  I then decided to create an animatic of these scenes to better understand whether I would be able to fit it into the 60 seconds available to me.  This is shown below:

However even though this animatic does fit into the 60 seconds I feel it is probably a bit rushed and will still find that I may need to edit out some element of the storyboard when making my video in order for it to flow more freely and easily. 

IDAT211 - Point of Perception

For my dome video I intend to investigate the leading element of perception, the point at which our knowledge and understanding enables us to find meaning in what we see.  I initially intended to do this through the morphing of objects from one shape to another so that the point of realisation for each object could be discovered.  This would demonstrate what we look for in the object to define it as something specific.
However I did not know where to take this and after working with fluids in Blender decided that I would try to use water to shape an object and develop this idea in a different way.  For example when water is run over an object the shape of the object is made with the water and so even without the object, you can to a point, work out what object it is disturbing the water.  After thinking about this for a while I found a number of different ways this could be done.   Firstly the objects that are perceived need to be invisible in order for the viewer to only base their perception of the shape made by the water and not the object that is already there.  The object can be immersed in water, have water poured over it or can be filled with water to demonstrate the shape of the object.  I therefore decided to test these ideas with fluids in Blender.



Some of these attempts worked better than others, but the liquid mainly has the desired effect. Once I had proved that this concept worked I then had to develop this into a more contextual video.

Stonehouse - Word Clouds

#bdat When thinking about how the concept described below could be developed, it occurred to me that word or tag clouds method could be used as the basis for the data for the projection.  Word or tag clouds are used to monitor the words that are used the most on a webpage or website, showing the main topic of conversation for that group of people at a glance.  The word cloud displays these most commonly used words or terms in an image away from the context in which they were found.  An example of this is shown below:

Word clouds provide a surprisingly effective depiction of the most topical element in a piece of text or on a website.  This concept could be used in some way to produce the data for the projection as the most current and topical information in Stonehouse could be discovered using a site with a word cloud.  The words picked out by the cloud could then be used in the projection, making the projection a real time demonstration of the most popular topics of discussion/interest in Stonehouse.

IDAT 204 - Conclusion

All in all our event turned out well.  We managed to create almost all of the media we used for it by ourselves, without any cost, as we chose to use a Sandbox for our location.  However there a number of problems we did have in setting up the event.  These are as follows:

• We had to set up the objects every time we wanted to use them because of the Sandbox returning them.  Some parts of the Sandbox terrain were also unlevel so the objects had to be modified accordingly
  
• Sharing the Sandbox meant there were sometimes clashes with other people and so we had to try to work around this
• Although we made a list of how to set up the event we still forgot a number of objects when setting up the environment
• When recording the scene we used screen capturing software and a remote camera which meant that the cameraman had to stand by the light sources in order for the lighting to work.  This meant the shots were restricted to a certain point, and the camera man could not move whilst recording.
  
• High latency on the server meant that recording the event and carrying out the event were sometimes disrupted by warping, meaning that it took us longer to complete
• We had to group objects to be able to put the objects easily into the Sandbox and there was a limit so we could not group everything together.  This was also true for lighting.  The objects then had to be ungrouped for the event which resulted in accidental modification of the environment.
• To be able to group all the objects together we had to give the ownership to a single user which meant they alone had to set up the scene. This could have been avoided by creating a group but this would have required a cost and left us in the red.

However there a a whole load of positive points to our event.  These are listed below:

• The editing tool on Second Life is quick to learn and easy to use so we were able to create almost all of the objects for our event.  This made it a very personalised event to us and ensured we achieved everything that we wanted to achieve
• We overcame all of the problems we had with Second Life and still managed to produce a good event.
• We achieved a good level of realism in the event as we designed the environment to be as realistic to the scenario as possible using various objects such as candles to create an aesthetically pleasing scene.  As well as this we had spotaneous conversations alike to those we would have in reality to make it as real as possible.
• The video we created was effective even though we had trouble with the speed of Second Life when we had our Christmas party
• The character animations used added an extra level of realism to our avatars and event.
• The scripting language was easy to obtain and modify to suit our needs for the event.
• All the textures we used were all ready available and easy to implement with our geometry
• By using the Google Wave application it allowed us to plan and collaborate our ideas together easily and quickly and show our development process.

 Overall the project was a great success, we all had a great Christmas party, it was a realistic social experience in a virtual world, and we are all pleased with what we achieved.

Programs used:

• Second Life
• Google Wave
• Camtasia
  

IDAT 204 - Project completion

Today we carried out a run of our event and videoed it so that we had a playable record of the event happening.  In order to run the event we had to set up all the items for the event, make sure they worked and also plan how were were going to play out and film it.  The following is a screenshot of our end Google Wave to show the notes we made for some of this following on from the ones previously:

These parts of the Wave outline the plan for how Cookie was going to shoot the scenes with his screen capture software, and also the performance plan for the event, outlining what we had to do in it.  This ensured that the event ran more smoothly as we were able to keep track of what there was to do in sequence.  This also shows the Placement guide which allowed Gavin who stored all our objects for placement to know where to put objects and how.

Below is an image of the scene just prior to its completion:

The following are screenshots of the event as it was carried out showing all our avatars taking part in the Christmas party:

 

IDAT 204 - Our creations

For our event we have had to create a multitude of different items in order to set the scene and make the event viable.  Below are images of the things we have created for the project as well as small descriptions of them.  To see a larger version of any picture simply select it.  These image were taken during the construction of the event and so also demonstrate this process as well as the objects we have created:

This is an image of the inside of the log cabin we are going to use for our event.  Here you can see some of the things items for our event as well as 3 of our avatars, me, gavin and cookie.

This is an image of the turkey for the Christmas meal that will be laid out on a table for the Christmas event.  This is a main symbol of Christmas and so we choose to include it to convey the Christmas theme of the event. 

This is the table and chairs for the Christmas meal which have been installed into the log cabin for the event.

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This is the fireplace which we have included to give a warmer feel to the environment of our event.  This is another common idea linked with Christmas and so we chose to include it in our event.  The fireplace is pre-made content that we chose to use for its suitability

These are a set of candles on a shelf made by Gavin to add to the objects in our log cabin.  These are relevant as candles are often associated with Christmas, including calender candles to count down the days until Christmas.

This is a set of Christmas presents for the event.  When opened these will give the user an item.  The items inside the presents have also been made for the event including a bracelet and slippers among others.

This is an image of the Christmas tree for the event.  This is a tradition for Christmas and was one of the first things that was created. The tree is decorated with tinsel, baubles and also a star on the top. The presents will be located around the tree.

This is an image of the Jukebox and Cookie who created it.  The plan was to have music streamed from the Jukebox but this may be difficult as the music will need to be streamed from a computer, but the music will not be on the computer we want to hold the event on.

This is the cutlery and plate set that I created for the Christmas meal.  This will allow us to lay the table properly to create the right feel to the event.  This set includes a knife, fork and empty plate.

This is a bowl of potatoes for the Christmas dinner table.  We decided to include some other things as well as the turkey as this would simulate he real world more closely.

This is a Christmas pudding made by Paul.  Again this is a traditional element of the Christmas dinner and so we felt we should include it to give a more realistic environment.

This picture shows the development of the table during the construction of the event.  Here you can see that a the turkey and pudding as well as the cutlery have been added as well as a tabe runner to make the table look more well set for a Christmas meal.

This image shows the room as it is being set up for the event and the location of all the items within the cabin.

This is a wine glass for the event.  It has been coded to include drinking behaviour when worn by an avatar.

This is an image of the outside of the log cabin that has been created by Gavin for the event.  This is the location for our event, although the land location is a Sandbox.  We chose a log cabin look as this relates to more wintery environments and hence, Christmas.

This shows an almost completed version of the dinner table after it has been set up for the event.  It includes plates of food, cutlery, potatoes, turkey and the Christmas pudding.

This is a set of mince pies made by Paul.  Mince pies are another traditional food for Christmas and so we chose to include them in our event.

These are a set of Christmas lights made to make the log cabin more festive.  They will be strung around the building alike to the holiday banner showed in the log cabin picture above.

Below are a few more images of the log cabin to give a more general understanding of the layout for the event and to show the construction of it:

Below are some screenshots of the construction of some of the objects listed above:

Stonehouse - The depths of light communication

There are many elements to light communication from Morse Code to fibre optics.  Light has been thought of as a way to communicate in many ways and this post will outline the variety of ways that light has been used for communication as well as how I think this could be developed for our project. The following is a list of different ways light has been used over the years for communication:

• Ancient Greeks used torches over long distances
• Morse code and coded messages from ship to ship
• Lighthouses transmit light to warn ships

( http://ejecant.files.wordpress.com/2008/01/lighthouse.jpg)

• Alexander Bell invented a photophone to transmit speech using light
• moving LEDs fast enough to make a light trace communicating something

• Fibre Optics are the new development of light communication and and allows for communication in a much larger way as it can transmit all types of data rather than just words or meanings like the others

This list demonstrates the extensive use of light in communication and the leaps and bounds it has taken over the years to be developed into an advanced form of communication. My first idea for this project would act as an extension of light communication beyond these previously done.

Stonehouse - Communication through light

As a group we have decided that we are going to follow the communication through light theme that I mentioned in a previous post after creating the long exposure pictures on Union Street.  I developed this idea as the exposure pictures we took created very loopy lines of light due to the movement of the car that looked like writing.  This made me think of the concept of communication through light which can be dealt with in a number of different ways in terms of this project.  Firstly it links with the projection as the projection itself will be made of light and is also a way of communicating information.  There are also a number of ways this concept has been dealt with previously such as with Morse code which uses light to communicate through sequences such as those below:

I then thought of how light could be used in our projection to communicate something further.  It then occurred to me that perhaps we could do some kind of projection that when captured in long exposure would communicate something to the viewer, but without the long exposure would continue to keep its message hidden, alike to that of other long exposure images shown previously.  The following is an after effects mock up of something like this showing the two states of the projection, with and without long exposure:

This mock up was influenced by Sam's attempt at showing how a projection may work for our ideas (http://thebillatron.wordpress.com/2009/12/03/stonehouse-floor-ideas/) and demonstrates that this method would work quite well, even without the long exposure as the activity on the floor made by the projection is dynamic and engaging and would likely have an effect on the people who use this part of the pavement.
However there are bound to be other ways to look at communication through light and so I will continue to investigate this in my next posts.

Stonehouse - Journey Video

As well as doing long exposure photos on our drive around Stonehouse, our group also took video footage of the journey from two positions in the car, so that we could edit the video in a number of different ways.  This would then add to our understanding of the environment, demonstrate the area over a period of time, and also possibly provide us with more ideas we can use for the project.
The following is a youtube video that acted as an influence for our video.  There are many different time lapse road videos on the internet, and these demonstrate both the area in relation to time, as well as showing elements of light tracing.

However our video was not done quite right for time lapse as it was done with cameras.  The following is a sped up version of the video from the front of the car done my Sam in my group:

In terms of using this video I was thinking of editing it alongside the other video we took so they are syncronised providing a wider viewpoint in the video for those watching.  As well as this I was thinking of doing some kind of overlay using the photos we took at the points in the video when we took them.  This wold mean the pictures would have more context in terms of what they refer to in the environment as the viewer would be able to see the normal and timelapsed versions of the environment at the same time.  However currently the copies of the video I have I cannot use as they seem to have been corrupted and so I need to get a successful version of the videos to be able to work with them in this way which I intend to do as soon as possible.

Stonehouse - 3D time based model

After finding the interesting work of Mr Mann, listed in one of my posts below, it was suggested that as an aside to working on the project ideas, I could also have a go at doing this kind of time based sculture myself using one of the photos we had taken and some 3D modelling software. This could of course also act as some kind of inspiration for our idea for the project.  I therefore took an Illustrator trace of the light captured in this image:

and then turned this into a 3D object using 3D Studio Max.  The object I created was only basic and could be developed further later on, but demonstrates how this technique can be used for our work in some ways as well as the work that Mr Mann does:

These are very basic attempts and my skills at this kind of work are not ver well honed, so the scultpures were not that well formed, and broken in some places.  For example you can see the plane missing on the end of the sculpture in the second image.  However this does demonstrate a different way of looking and tracing the light, in a more 3 dimensional way, rather than on a basic 2 dimension surface such as a photograph like those in the previous post.  This develops the concept of light traces as objects in the environment, and gives a more physical form to the idea.

IDAT204 - Project Planning

In order to create our christmas event for the Second Life project we needed some kind of plan as to what to make in terms of objects, clothing, building location and a number of other elements.  In order to do this we set up a Google wave on the new Google Wave application.  We made a list of all the different elements we already had in our inventories that we could use, as well as all the things that we felt we needed to create using the build function in order to create the event (http://paulbird-idat204.blogspot.com/2009/11/project-2-social-vr-environments.html) and then put this onto a Google Wave.  The following is a snapshot of this list just after we had started on the project, dated 1st Dec:

From this list we were able to work out what things needed to be done, and so we were able to delegate these throughout the team so that project was completed efficiently.  The current state of this list is as follows:

As you can see this shows the project has developed a lot and is near completion ready for the deadline on Tuesday.  Some elements have also been added to extend the amount of functionality the event will have, such as the addition of other present objects and a bar.  The main thing now is to get all of the objects together and create a performance plan for the event to work out what we will do whilst at the event.