External Project

I intend to make my projection into a short story where the main character goes through different scenes that portrays the different courses at NUCA. I want my character to be a very colourful, lively, imaginative, animated creature.

Here are some of my initial sketches below:

Here is the final main character

External Project

After having browsed on the Internet and I came across a website. I intend to project directly straight onto the Duke Street walls but if something was to prevent me from doing this, such as a obstacle/object then this is how I could overcome the problem.

Projection on a flat surface
'If your projection target is a flat surface, like a wall and your projector is at an arbitraty position, not exactly facing the part of the wall you want to project to, the projected image looks distorted. Using Homography (Transform 2d) you can easily pre-distort the image you project so that it appears undistorted on the surface. Note: Like this you can always get a correctly looking projected image on a flat surface independent of the projectors position, orientation to the surface and its lens characteristics.'

All information taken from the link http://vvvv.org/documentation/how-to-project-on-3d-geometry

External Project

I have taken many different photographs taken from various perspectives of Nuca buildings. Below are some examples:

I have decided to pick the Duke Street building after great consideration as it is a very interesting building to look at. It has very unique shapes and textures. It is a long building with several places to project images. Below are some of the places I could project my image onto:

 

External Project

I came across this website www.awidernet.com which explains and shows different techniques for project mapping. On the website it displays information about projection callibration, light installation, experimental film and advertising.

Projector callibration

It states on this website that 'Johnny Chung Lee’s Automatic Projector Calibration thesis work focused on fitting a projected image perfectly onto a moveable target without distorting the image. He accomplished this by embedding light sensors into portable displays to allow the projector’s calibration cycle to recognize the boundaries of the display.'

Light Installation

On the website it also mentions that 'Projection mapping in installations has the unique advantage that the geometry of the space can be precisely controlled and mapped to. Using projectors to project colored light onto white surfaces in a dark room can have a tremendous impact. When every angle and every corner has been mapped, light installations have the ability to transform every surface of complex objects into video displays. A great example of this is Envision – Step into the sensory box.'

Experimental Film

It states on this website that 'Projection mapping has started to make its way into the realm of experimental film as well. The ability to map stunning video to complex objects and capture all of the rich reflections is something that would be nearly impossible in post-processing. Also, projecting light on objects frees the camera to capture any angle, which is awesome. Take a look at Xavier Cassaing’s, experimental film using still photographs, stop motion and live projection mapping techniques. The orchid petals, stockings, and mantle are all mapped. The effect is mesmerizing.'

Advertising

It also mentions on the website that 'No projection technique would be complete without a solid example of its marketing/advertising implementation. Mini led the way with its Augmented Reality car on the back of a magazine a few years back. They demonstrate their consistency in staying ahead of the curve with their projection mapping advertisement.'

All information was taken from the link http://www.awidernet.com/2010/06/02/projection-mapping-techniques/

External Project

Sorry I forgot to mention at the beginning of my blog what projection mapping actually is. 'Projection mapping describes the technique for video projection that can make use of any surface and turn it into a dynamic visual display. It can be used to bring buildings and objects to life, create immersive environments and to provide exciting interactive experiences.'

Most projections involve:

• computer animation
• special effects
• live action video

All of this information was obtained from http://www.qed-productions.com/

External Project

I decided to find out about the different types of equipment that could be used in order to project my image onto the NUCA building to create a brilliant imaginitive show. I found a really good website   http://www.qed-productions.com/ and decided to browse through it in great detail. QED productions is one of the most long established and experienced companies specialising in the audio visual industry. You can hire various projectors for daily or weekly use. Therefore this site is highly reliable and recommendable. There is a lot of information to browse through but I have decided to select the DLP projector known as 'Christie - Roadster HD18K.' This is because this projector is one of the world's brightest projectors in it's class. You are able to alter the image colour accuracy and adjustability so you can manipulate it to the mood you wish to create. It can create 1920 x1080 high resolution sharp, detailed images. It also features a Christie TWIST module which can be used to edge blend and warp images. It does however come at a pretty hefty price of £2500 per day, or £7500 a week. (Oh well I'm worth it!)

Information and image obtained from the website  http://www.qed-productions.com/

External Project

I have been asked to research, design and develop a site specific projection-mapped light show to accompany the undergraduate exhibitions situated at Nuca.

As a starting point I browsed on the Internet and searched different types of projection-mapped light shows on YouTube in order to gain research which would be vital in helping me achieve my goal. Below are some of the links I looked at:

I particularly liked certain parts of all these clips. In the first clip titled 'Adidas France-3D Mapping projection' this link for this clip was obtained from the youtube webpage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tp2Z_RBcLPs. I really liked how the building collapsed at the beginning of the show and where the basketball player cracked the building and made it descend in the middle. These really created a powerful impact on me.

In the second clip titled 'Samsung 3D projection mapping' this link for this clip was obtained from the youtube webpage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GN3kuVuyxEw. At the beginning of the clip a member of the public interacts with a lit up hand which started the show. This is a clever idea to get the audience to interact with the show in some way. 

In the third clip titled 'INTEL Visibly Smart Experience: Dresden (19./20. August 2011)' this link for this clip was obtained from the youtube webpage http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FSYvgJ6myt4&feature=related. There were several sections within this clip where the building looked like it was beginning divided into little cube segments and they all moved. Yet again this was a very captivating affect to grab the audeinces attention.

Project 2: Colour and visuals

I was originally going to style my game as a very bold, colourful, cartoony way. I'm still going to keep the bold, cartoony appearance but I do not want everything to be in your face. I want certain things to stand out and capture the players attention. So what i'm going to do is have the main interactive parts in colour and the rest in black and white.

Here are some well know games what I researched and gained inspiration from:

Angry Birds



Image found at theappera.com

Limbo



Image found at trulydisturbing.com

Project 2: Inspiration

Photographs taken by myself

These Harry Potter maze games gave me inspiration for parts of the race tracks in my game where you interact with and move. With the Harry Potter games you have to move a little water droplet around the maze to the end goal. In my game I was origionally going to make it so that the player moved all the track but that couldn't work with multiplayer. Therefore I changed this.

Project 2: Character concepts and other concepts

Some of my sketches are shown below. I was trying to create the same impact as the 'Micro Maniacs' characters has. I tried to give them a bit of attitude to represent their indiviudual personalities.

 Character concepts

In the end I decided not to give all of the characters this attitude feeling because it did not suit some of them. I gave them certain human qualities and clothing but still tried to keep them looking like animals. Also I gave them bold and bright colours, and drew them in a cartoony styles as this is what seems to work well on IOS platforms.

Concepts for power-ups

I kept the appearance of the power-ups as simple as possible so that it wouldn't be too confusing when looking at them on screen. I wanted the player to be able to just pick the power-up without looking at it for ages trying to work out which one it is.

Concept of backdrop for the design document

I wanted the backdrop to be as simplistic as possible so it didn't become confusing when looking at text and other pictures.



Project 2: Character concepts

I looked at alot of different images, but the characters out of 'Micro Maniacs' gave me much inspiration. They all look like they have mischevious facial expressions and full of attitude. 

Pictures of 'Micro Maniacs' taken by myself.



These are the books that I obtained from my local library and referenced for my characters.

Pictures taken by myself.

'Mouse Care' by T.F.H publications, inc 2005
'Your First Gerbil' by Nickie Baker.
'Gerbils-A Complete Pet Owner's Manual' by Engelbert Kotter
'Hamster' by Sue Fox
'My Hamster' by Peter Fritzsche

Project 2: What my game is going to be

Most of the games I have been researching and looked at use vibrant, bold colours to make the games look more appealing and eye-catching to play. They are also very simple and quick to pick up and learn. I am starting to get some ideas now after looking at all of these games and here is what I’m thinking about doing at this stage.

• A racing/strategy game
• Camera angles are definitely not going to be behind one character. It will be like ‘Micro Machines’ where the camera is above, looking down at the track/racers
• My characters are going to be small, cute, angelic animals
• My characters will be racing in small hamster balls
• The player will not be controlling the characters directly, but will interact with them and the track itself
It will have single player and multiplayer features

Project 2: Research for Ipad, Ipod and Iphone

I find all information about IOS devices on the link below. These website are great as they give you alot of factual information/technology that is built into the IOS devices. I would have posted it on my blog personally but there is a wide variety of information on there that it would have taken absolutely ages to format and get it right.

http://www.apple.com/ipad/specs/

http://www.apple.com/ipad/features/

http://www.apple.com/iphone/specs.html

http://www.apple.com/iphone/features/

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/specs.html

http://www.apple.com/ipodtouch/features/

Project 1: The conclusion

After I had been given the brief to design a board game I was extremely excited to be given the opportunity to create something unique. I found the assignment really enjoyable and fun to do, but at times a little stressful. We have created something which as a group we are really proud of. I was a bit apprehensive about the theme at first but the end result looks great. We have been given the chance to work in groups and meet new people. I liked working within a group as different view, opinions and ideas could be shared, which were then incorporated into the developmental stage of creating and designing the board game. Sometimes I can come across negative but I was only trying to sort out the bad things in order to make the board as best as it could be.

I was in charge of creating and designing the board. I hand drew all of the scenery on the board, created the pathways and made the turn tables. I pretty much hand drew the pictures and made everything by hand as I'm not really that good using 'Photoshop,' but I hope to improve upon this.

I have learnt that in order to create a game board successfully, team work is extremely important, especially when a deadline is involved as you can’t take on everything by yourself. Different tasks can be distributed fairly amongst the group. I have also learnt not to give myself so much responsibility as designing and making the board was very time consuming doing it by myself but in the end I found this task an extremely rewarding experience to undertake as I love expressing my own ideas within my artwork.

Project 1: The finished board

Once I set out the paths I then cut out and stuck the chance,enemy and traps spaces that were made by other team members. I then made the rest of the squares around the chance,enemy and traps spaces. I made the arrows on Microsoft Word 2010 I would have liked to have made the arrows fit the board a bit better by giving them the same theme as the board if I planned my time better.

I painted the start,pieces and the middle squares with the colours of the pieces that the players move. Again I would have looked to do this better if I had the time.

I made the turn tables out of clear plastic,black card and then laminated it all together in order to make my final product look professional (well presented).

I made the rotators out of wood,cardboard and pins then painted them black.

To finish the board off  I then laminated all eight pieces of the board stuck them to the backing. Once the glue had dried Imade the holes where the turntables were going.

All pictures taken by myself.

Project 2: Micro Machines and Micro Maniacs

I have got a lot of my inspiration for my game off Micro Machines and Micro Maniacs. These games offer great entertainment in one player or multiplayer. They are different to the standard racing game as they use different camera angles.

Micro Machines 2 Turbo Tournament 

I had to dig out my old saga mega drive to play 'Micro Machine 2 Turbo Tournament,' and then bring the sega back to life (not fun and very time consuming). Once I had eventually got it working I played it for a while and this is what information I gathered. 'Micro Machines 2 Turbo Tournnaments' features are that it:

• only uses a birdeye view camera
• the game play is fast, especially in the later levels
• has different vehicles like bikes, helicopters, monster trucks and cars
• has colourful, bold tracks
• has hazards on tracks that move to block or push you off course
• has great multiplayer play with a point scoring system where you have to be the last player left on the screen
• you can pick up power ups
• jumps/ramps 

Micro Machines V3

'Micro Machines V3' is on the original Playstation so I had to dig it out to see whether it worked as I also did with the sega mega drive (again not fun). 'Micro Machines V3' has pretty much all of the same core game play features as 'Micro Machines 2 Turbo Tournament,' but it's camera angle is not fixed on a straight down birdseye view and it has 3D tracks.

Micro Maniacs

'Micro Maniacs' uses the same game play elements as the 'Micro Machines' series but instead you play as little shrunken people that also race around various places. The characters in 'Micro Maniacs' can do a lot more than the cars in 'Micro Machines' like climb and grapple down ropes. They also collect power ups as they do in 'Micro Machines.'    

  All screen shots were taken by myself using my own camera whilst play testing.