http://rooreynolds.com/2007/08/17/yo-yo-tuning-tangible-audio/

http://mtg.upf.edu/reactable/?software

http://andypiper.wordpress.com/2007/08/08/slorpedo-the-video/

http://sourceforge.net/projects/reactivision/

http://reactivsion.s4.bizhat.com/reactivsion.html - forum for projects

PureData info and doco

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pure_Data

http://www.puredata.org/

http://crca.ucsd.edu/~msp/Pd_documentation/

 output graphics library options

http://openframeworks.cc/faq

http://www.multigesture.net/

http://www.skanskgardsost.se/puredata/projects.html - reactivision output project ****

 http://vvvv.org/tiki-index.php?page=Documentation *****

These were done in the Week 5 Seminar. Explanation below each image.

This is some rough sketch based on Kyle’s idea for building a virtual environment from the tangible lego block interface. By using cameras placed at appropriate angles and then using an algorithm to generate the 3d space. Reilly and I discussed this with Jane, as there are MANY possibilities here. Kyle’s was to create an environment that could possibly be dropped into UT for a player to explore.

Reilly and I had similar game design ideas, mostly inspired by the upcoming PS3 game LittleBigPlanet. We could use the lego blocks to design a 2d environment that players are dropped into providing a platforming experience. Or perhaps even a car racing game where the player tests the physics with ramps created…and then having to go back and alter their lego construction so that the player can launch their car at the correct angle to land on another piece of terrain.

After further discussion with Jane we decided to try think of other ways to use Lego, we were feeling inspired by the Case Study my team presented today, the reacTable.

As Kyle’s idea mentioned, the camera would read the colour of lego blocks and then apply certain texture in the Virtual Environment. We took this idea, but wanted to change the output, as Reilly has outlined in his post below. The drawings above represent our ideas that he has written about. The Lego would be looked at from a top down view for the sound tracking (like a non-linear AV editing system), and the side view would replicate the amplitude (volume) of the audio, as per the regular sound wave images we are used to seeing.

The tracking camera may also read the values of samples placed above (looking down onto the lego board) as higher pitched than those below. There are a lot of interface design issues, and many, MANY possibilities with this system.

The main issues that could appear would be if there are valleys in the middle of the ‘construction’. The camera can not read these from the sides if obscured by other blocks, and getting a reading from the top would be hard too. A setup involving IR technology *might* work, but I’m not sure on the small distances an IR camera system can distinguish between.

Anyway, Reilly and myself really like this idea, after running it by peers and Jane they agreed it was pretty cool, and I’m thinking it would be great as a final project, but possibly hard to pull off technically…

I was lying in bed but couldn’t sleep because I just kept thinking of new ideas. I had to get up and map this one out.

After speaking to Tim (a peer) about the idea and music feasability of it, he brought up that it could be tricky depending on the samples used because of how discrete the length of the blocks are. To ‘fix’ this, I say we just base it on a loose timing system. This isn’t going to be like Fruity Loops with 16beats per second and a million samples to fill in the looping gaps.

This idea was inspired by the ReacTable in a way. I was thinking this whole system would be a great idea for kids to experiment with, so wanted to built something extra to give the idea more depth by the ability to add and change samples on the fly. As above, there would be a touch screen with a list of samples on the left, touch a sample to play it (they should all be less than 2 seconds in my opinion). Now, to link a sample to a block, touch the marker on the edge of the sample, and drag your finger along to the corresponding coloured block (perhaps it is just a 3d model of a block). A link is created and any blocks that are now read by the camera with this sample, will output this sound. So a user can quickly change the entire sound of their constructed model.

To unlink the sound with the coloured piece, simply move your finger across the ‘virtual wire’ joining the sample to the block, and the connection is ‘cut’.

I think this could be done with a Flash interface, rear projected onto a surface, and using an IR marker as the ‘touch sensor’ to read the movement, similar to how GraffitiLuv 2 was done.

I would like to do up something like this a bit better in Flash to communicate what I mean, but I haven’t used Flash in a long while and its best not to get caught up in this. What do you think of that as an addition though? And my other ideas?

So after thinking about what else the colour of the bricks could represent I came up with the idea as audio tracks in a song mix. And upon further discussion with mike we did some scetches and found that the music could be read along the length of a lego board, with red representing bass, blue drums etc.. And that height could represent volume of that track, we could also use a block at the top to control the length/speed of the piece.

Then after discussing the idea with Tim, who has some musical background, he brought the concern of having the lego bricks being very discrete and sound samples often aren’t, depending how they were recorded and their playback. This could be managed by controling the length of samples and the division of time covered by a leg block. An alternative way around this would also be by making it perform more like guitar hero, in that each block colour may represent a single chord on the guitar or drum type. C, D, E… or Symbol, Snare, High Hat, Tom… each of these represented by red, blue, yellow…

As well as the sketches that mike drew, I also quickly did up this mockup in maya. This is more likely showing the colours representing audio tracks such as a looping bass, drum, guitar tracks instead of individual chords. The top grey strip and block show how the length/speed of the board is controled. If it is placed at the end it may cause the piece to be played over 4mins while half way may speed it up and play it in 2mins.

Ok basically the deal with this concept was an extension of my soundscape construction idea from last year which everyone loved so much. Rather than articulate sounds using the almighty creative power of LEGO (all rights reserved) the idea is redesigned for video applications. Essentially the deal is this: you build a little lego city on the plane provided. The plane has cameras placed at appropriate angles, after your finished they all take pictures.

 The pictures are then thrown together using top, side and front views to make a 3d version. This 3d version would be exported into some application like unreal so the user could then explore their LEGO city in real time! but we aint finished yet. their would also be colour recognition so you can texture it using the LEGO too! red blocks might texture to brick, blue to steel etc etc. little stamps that software is able to detect could be used for misc items like doors and shit. i got a diagram in my graphics book ill upload when i get some time. but yeh, thats basically idea 1 in a nutshell. Thoughts, comments, Reilly go fuck yourself.

this to go in the influences section of assignment page. needs some trimming.

We had a couple of ideas previous to this involving ambient media, and also another idea which was more like a videogame, but we obviously wanted to expand the idea into something that could reach out to more people, and perhaps have a community involvement as an alternate reality game. We had a look for similar themed projects and investigated these. The most obvious and well developed idea out there at the moment is that of Geocaching.

Geocaching is basically a hobby whereupon players hide and seek for treasure in the real world, led by either a handheld GPS and data and clues provided by the main community website. It is like a childrens scavenger hunt, and locations can be downloaded from the website to a GPS or the user can print out an image from the location on Google Maps and spend time looking around the area. The treasure is usually being a waterproof container that may have a log book of players who have found the object, and sometimes an item which is swapped out and then reported back on the central community site.

We really liked this idea, but would want to extend on it by including the use of an audio input and output, so that players can create a story for themselves. Our short video serves as a basic way to visualise it [because of time and equipment restraints it is fairly basic]. The concept of the game is empowered by the participants enjoyment by the ludic form of exploration and creation. Communication is another aspect, in the way that players are interacting with people in a delayed fashion, within a society obsessed with instant communication.

Something that is amusing in this type of anonymous communication is the ‘Message in a bottle’ idea. It exists as this romantic and almost magical idea that we can write to someone our story and throw it away, perhaps for someone to find at another time and place. People have obviously taken advantage of this idea, as there are companies that exist solely selling prepackaged love notes in bottles, direct to your door! There is even a web site that has a list of countries around the world where you can write a message, select a type of bottle, and someone will go and throw it in the ocean for you.

Our concept is to create an game using sound as input which can form or create a story through multiple participants’ interaction with a device.
Which device? Message in a bottle…

Basic concept:

Disseminate contextual location based information in a delayed fashion within a society obsessed with instant communication.

We then set about by doing a bit of research into similar things out there, the most obvious and influential idea was that of geocaching. We then created a short video to show how interaction might work.

Team roles to work on for the presentation. These are not strict.

Concept/Contextual analysis – Kyle
How it would work (Mechanics), Feasability – Reilly
Video production, research of related works and influences – Mike

Criteria..
2. Design Solution:
a. The solution – prototype demonstrates evidence of background research eg inspirations are cited
b. The solution demonstrates potential workability
c. The solution is visualised as a holistic entity
d. The solution demonstrated flair and innovation
3. Technical design – research:
a. The solution – prototype connects to the design
b. The solution functions are clear
c. The solution functions are robust
d. The solution functions are elegant