Quartz Conductor
etude IVPosted by Lukas Birk Thursday, April 05 2007 09:41:03Your name
Lukas Birk
Your Pathway Combination
Digital Arts and Photography
The title of your etude
Quartz Conductor
A short statement of intentions
this is going to be the base for my final project
I want to create a tool with which I can conduct a live animation
( conduct visuals to a song)
main external tools are the wii,mouse and keyboard in the final project I will extend this with middi tools and maybe camera or sound)
I start with particle systems. I really like the look of them - but I don't know how they work so that is target number one.
I also want to have different backgrounds..... maybe fire or sky.
again I have no idea how to do this but I am sure the internet will be a helping hand.
Conceptualisation of the work
The wii offers a great way of direct expression. I can express movement through visual information. This conducting tool is a real time tool and is only possible through new real time programs such as Quartz composer. Key and centre of the etude/idea is the movement of the hand. Technology, in this case quartz composer and wii, allow me to transform this movement into a live animation. I see this animation as an abstract painting of movement. A virtual abstract painting of my movement which takes place in this three dimensional reality. But this abstract painting is concerned with movement of the past as a traditional painting would be, this painting is only concerned with the now and will not remember any happening. This device has no memory or conscious of the past. Neither does it calculate future events. This tool processes only the present.
Documentation of Technical and Artistic Process
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
 |
I used wii to quartz program as base.
1) x rotation and z rotation control x and y position of particle system
in between is a math tool to divide the rotation information by 90 (original information is -180 to 180 now -2 to 2)
2) I created an identical particle system which (except colour) which can be switched on with the keyboard (key 1)
(the image is a simple circle - blending ADD - I played around with the functions till they were visually pleasing)
3/4) - thats the way it looks
5) I created two similar particle system (smaller different colour) and connected them with x and z rotation - but used a math tool to change the initial position
- also these particle system are not active - I connected the X position with max size/size delta so when I use the x position on the controller - the
extra particle system turn on and I can control the size .....
..but I can also switch them of with the xposition (as soon as I am in the minus area)
- they move the same way as the main particle system
6) image of it
7) I created a third one small p.s. and change the position to the top ( it reacts the same way as the others but can be switched on and of with a key (2)
8- (I changed the delta size information - that's why it is smaller)
9) the switch I used was given to me by Ian and I already used it successfully for my other video to wii etude
10) I copied the three small particle systems , changed the colour and enabled them through another key (3) and a switch
11) all together.... moving wii fast .
12) rotating the prospective through the mouse. ( as everything is inside a trackball)
- it works already in a very satisfying way
but I think I have to change the scale /// maybe with the z position on the wii
- change it
13) I created a new background animation
a particle system with a halo as image
(14) - key (q) enables the background
- key (w) activates a counter - this goes to a math patch which multiples by 3 and ( 15)hits the maximum size ..........which creates a huge halo flash
- key (e) resets the signal in the counter.
16/17 I created a new background with smoke effect ( the idea is from another project I saw in thte internet)
17/18) more background smoke...
Command list:
s - start basic particle in the middle
- rotation move basic particle
cross right/left - switch side particle on and off/extand
cross up/down - z position of middle particle
q- start - halo (rotate halo through x/z rotation)
w- extreme halo
r- stop extreme halo
1- change colour of middle particle
2- switch top particle on (reacts like side particles)
3- change colour of top and side particle
wii button A - psychodelic rings
wii button B - yellow fire
mouse click and move changes middle/top/side particles
a - background with smoke
extantion:
During the process of working on this batch I also had the idea of attaching the wii to the body. Dance would be directly transformed to visual information. Real time animation through body. I love this idea. But I think this would only work if I can use 3 or 4 wii's with quartz composer. Unless I use 3 different computers. I could than project these 3 different animations onto 3 canvases which surround the dancer!! But that is a whole other idea.
How successful is the etude?
after experimenting with different batches I am really happy with the outcome of this study. I am also really excited to continue working on it for the final project.
I believe that this life conducting tool cold be a great gadget for DJ's or performers in the electronic music scene but also interesting in a gallery.
The great thing is that I can extend this tool unlimited ! midi tools, camera, mouse, joystick, keyboards etc....
etude is successful!!
video!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
QUARTZ FILE
- Comments(0)http://3dhybrids.fraglich.com/#post14
