My Idea
The piece that I have decided to produce for the first project for Digital Media Environments will be based on turning a standard 2D painting into a 3D landscape. I will re-produce a painting created by Rafal Olbinski known as ‘Maze’ (see below)..
Research I was first introduced to Rafal Olbinski via the Module Leader, Vladimir Geroimenko. I expressed my basic intentions to Vladimir (to re-create a painting into 3D) and he showed me a similar example that someone else has produced…
I took a significant inspiration from this specific piece of work and came to the conclusion that I would focus my search criteria of paintings created by Rafal Olbinski. Olbinski’s art is mainly surrealism which I feel coincides with my idea and the project in general. The specific work that Olbinski creates (I feel) is suited well in terms of a 3D environment. Similar work that he has produced can be seen below..
I decided to use ‘Maze’ because (I believe) it is bet suited for creating the environment in 3D. Paintings that used a significant amount of scenery (such as trees) would not be appropriate to re-design using 3D software, which is why I have decided to use the painting I stated. The maze itself will be a challenging yet possible task to complete, along with the rest of the environment.
Theory into Practice
I initially tried to use a 3D Rendering program known as Blender in order to create basic scenario’s (such as river’s, simply for practice) but it became apparent that I could not quite get to grips with the software. 3D Studio Max is available for the students to use in the University Campus therefore I have decided to base my project around this program. I have produced basic objects (such as below) and I believe I can produce what I intend to do.
Gantt Chart Please find below a link to view the Gantt chart for my project. I intend to base my time management around this plan in order to produce the strongest possible project.
I have been using 3Ds Max for the last hour tring to get to grips with the system and how it works. I have followed a few tutorials showing me how to make simple shapes and textures. I found a basic river tutorial and this is the result.
Basic, I know. At least now I have a vague idea how to ue the program, things can only get better.
After showing Vlad my 3D Painting Idea, the feedback was quite good. He liked the idea of re-creating a painting in 3D format but was not particularly keen on the painting itself. After researching paitning via The Tate and other known sites, I have the following examples of environment’s that I could use..
Hopefully I will be able to show Vlad these examples and get started on my 3D Project!!
Also one of my favourite idea’s, which is to replicate a famous painting into a 3D format. I have been an admirer of Lichtenstein’s work recently and the following painting stands out (for me at least)..
Because the majoriy of Lichtenstein’s work is Pop Art, i feel that if i were to replicate a painting such as the one above, it would be of a cartoon format. And due to the painting being 3D, I will have to create the other side of the painting (such as behind the explosion, or the other side of the aircraft) which I feel is interesting in itself. Showing my interpretation of the ‘Wham’ painting is a great interest in mine which I am keen on producing.
This is probably one of my favourite idea’s at the moment. I have always found it amusing and quite clever how the London Underground Map is deliberately deceiving. The map is designed so it’s ‘nice to view’ – which as a result is not a true map of where the tube stations are located within London. Below is the tube map compared with a geographical map..
As you can see, they are significantly different to one another, and i feel the 3D representation of the true London underground map is an insightful and interesting idea. I was also thinking of integrating some of the well known London Underground landmarks, such as Nelson’s Column, The London Eye, London Bridge and so on.
Another idea could be to replicate the solar system that we live in. In my first year I created a time/scale related 2D version of our solar system using VBScript, which could aid me in calculating the relative time it takes for planets to orbit. I have found a video on YouTube which is similar to what I would lie to create..
My second idea is the creation of the world as we know it, but greatly enlarging well known worldwide landmarks within 3D.
I could potentially create the globe and use landmarks such as Big Ben, The White House, Sydney Opera House, Red Square etc in an enlarged format, using something like the below as a guide, but creating the landmarks roughly 1/3 of the globe size..
My first idea is to re-create a typical bungee jump location (based on a real environment). I assume this includes a bridge and a river below with surrounding scenery, something like..
I could present this scenario by using the camera in 3DS Max from the bungee jumper’s POV to give it a nice effect.
I’ve been debating whether I should compile a 3D stadium for iDAT309, i feel the idea isn’t the strongest and it could also consume alot of time. After this i’m going to put some idea’s on my blog before i forget them, sorry for the spam!
As a result of exploring the hidden depth’s of the Twitter API, I have found the following links that could be useful to me in my QC. They contain various search queries which gives me a fantasic and varied data set which I can use and adapt to..
After researching into Quartz Composer and the functions it can perform, it did not appear too difficult to import RSS feeds or even XML data. After familiarizing myself with the program interface of QC (Quartz Composer), it wasn’t too long before I was creating basic compositions that perform simple functions such as rotating 3D cube, generate random shapes etc.
There are a few basic XML example templates within QC that i researched and tried to understood how it works, and after some tinkering around I finally managed to import XML data from twitter using the following link.. http://twitter.com/statuses/public_timeline.xml.
It’s quite hard to understand how it selects which nodes to display and i’m not quite sure how to specify exactly what data to show. The link I just supplied is the public timeline of tweets around the world, and shows 20 status updates at any one moment. (because there are 1000’s of tweets a second, the page is constantly updated..). Using QC I can display the first status update (the TEXT node) and the source of the update (the SOURCE node) and that’s it at the moment.
To import RSS feed’s is fairly simple. simply specify the RSS feed and it imports the latest entry and scroll’s through the page at any given rate.
After discovering Twitter’s API wiki – http://apiwiki.twitter.com/ – it’s became apparent how much information and how many types of information is available for me to use. The main types of data seem to be XML or RSS, but json is also an option. It’s also possible to perform many search queries via the URL itself, i’ll post some examples when i have a few to show. XML and RSS both have there up’s and downs, I will perform some research into the format’s available and see what I can do with them.
After preparing to inform Mike about my current idea, I had a little brainwave about an idea I could potentially use.
The idea is basically the same, but using different sets of data. I was thinking of integrating a strong interest of mine at this current time in my life, Call of Duty. I could use the information I input from an Xbox 360 controller and create some form of data visualisation based on my inputs/controller outputs. I’ll talk to Mike and see what he thinks!
I intend to produce as a result of my project a visual representation of time in a digital format. It will produce a unique experience for the audience, and will briefly introduce them to a 4D environment.
The project will output a constantly mutating organism which will be based on information recieved via Twitter. The organism itself will form unknown shapes and untold patterns which will be a direct result of time. This could potentially be a combination of the frequency of tweets, the time between tweets or even information such as the length of tweets.
My plan of work simply depends on how well i learn the program i intend to use, and also how difficult it is to put my theory into practical use. However, this is how I intend to do this module..
October 2009
Project Theory Development
November/December 2009
Realisation of Project
December/January 2010
Development of principle Project
I’m not entirely clear as to when the project needs to be submitted/presented, however, based on the fact that it is due mid-march, the above is how I feel my experience within the 4D module will be carried out.
Using the programs previously mentioned and using Twitter as an input, I hope to fulfil the requirements of 4D. By creating a 3D engine and using Twitter feeds and other Twitter related information, i could use previously created 3D objects and mutate/change it’s parameters via Twitter through XML or RSS feeds. This could range from the length of a ‘tweet’, the frequency of someone tweeting, or the trending topic a Twitter user is publishing. The different data sets I can retrieve from Twitter go on and on. By integrating this concept and a 3D engine, I believe I can show a timeline of someone’s (or everyone’s) usage of twitter in an effective and attractive way, which will result as a continously adapting organism that leaves a continuous trail of time behind itself. This, i feel, is one of the many ways 4D can be shown.
For the last few hours I have been experimenting and understanding the basic concepts of the 2 programs I hope to be using for my 4D Project.. Quartz Composer and Processing.
These specific programs are so different yet have the potential to produce the same material. Quartz is a visual programming application; there is no code, but ‘Patches’ that you use to link one piece of information to another. It’s significantly easier on the eye to understand and to contemplate what you are making and how you are making it, yet it can get terribly messy at the same time. However, the most complex tasks in programs such as Processing could only take a few drag n’ drops into the main editor in Quartz which makes it very attractive to use. It has built-in RSS feed importers, XML parsing and many more small routines that could be adaptable in my project.
Processing, on the other hand is code and nothing else. There isn’t even a bug reporter or any assistance in regards to filtering out problems you may encounter. Yet at the same time I have seen many examples of what Processing is capable of (3d/XML integration) which gives me a problem, but A good one at that! More to come soon..
expanding on my idea of Data Visualisation, I have been exploring the many concepts that are available for me to adapt in my own way to visualise the data I recieve.
I intend to create an ‘organism’ type of visual, growing as data is fed into the system. I hope it will some kind of 3D environment that is very easy on the eye.. an example can be found below which was created by a previous student studying this module..
This is my understanding of the module. Showing time. It looks incredibly simple (even though it was probably a nightmare to create..) but does the job. I intend to make my project something along these lines.. and Twitter is a great vehicle to use..
This in my opinion is going to be the hardest task to overcome. In order to use the information from Twitter, I have to retrieve it. After conducting some research, Twitter is XML based and it is significantly easy to write/retrieve XML data on the Twitter site. However, my knowledge of XML and Processing/Quartz is lacking (alot), therefore I need to research if I (or the programs) can even use XML data and parse it..
After thinking about using Twitter for Data Visualization, I am starting to realise what I need to do to create it. I previously stated that I would use Processing to create the visual aspect of my idea, but after speaking with a few class mates, i can apparantly use Quartz Composer…
It’s VERY similar to Processing, but instead of using code to make the most of it’s features, it’s all visual, which in a sense will make it significantly easier to create the visualisation, and also to find error’s..
Unfortunately he wasn’t too keen on the Motherboard idea i previously suggested in my last post. However, Vlad took a liking to the football stadium, but raised an issue of the amount of data (mainly seats) that i will need to input into the stadium; which could potentially crash 3DS Max every time i use it. However, after conducting some research, there are many stadiums that have been created in 3DS Max so it is definately possible to create something with this much information, but it depends on how powerful the computer’s are in the University that are running 3DS Max. Hopefully I will get started next week and i will update you with my progress then.
After brainstorming some idea’s for the 3D Environment proposal for IDAT309, I have produced mainly 2 idea’s which I feel Vlad will like. The first idea is a Full-Size Football Stadium created in 3DS Max, and the second idea is one of the many components inside a PC (such as a motherboard). I will update you once I have recieved feedback. Ciao!!
The project I intend to create will be based on Twitter and using it’s API to represent the information it’s users publish. I will use Processing (A Java based program) to create a unique real-time visualisation of the information continuously being published via Twitter; which will constantly mutate and adapt throughout time as a result of individuals using Twitter. Specifically, I will use a combination of data feeds such as trending topics, amount of ‘tweets’, length of ‘tweets’ and so on..
Me and mat have finally finished the interstices, for foll documentation please visit the respective Interstices Project page. But if you dont want to read that then our bbc website is at:
Ok, i have finally purchased a 70cm by 50cm canvas (from Aldi!) and have also purchase the oil acrylic paints.
I calculated (using fireworks) the proportions of how big my canvas is compared to the actual size of the original painting (4.7m by 1.7m), and i have selected a 50cm x 70cm section of the painting to replicate.
The Artifact Project will be shortly documented on its individual page, along with it will be the report on the project (1000 words approx.)
Ok, me and mat have decided that we will present our interstices project in the form of a news website, and we have decided to base ours on the popular bbc website.
The construction has begun and the completed project will soon be posted.
Instead of using the actual layout of the world map to display or project purpose, we will instead move thed country into different sections, such as Cheap, Dear etc.
So allthough it wont be the same layout as the world, the countries will still be visible and will be just as effective as the previous idea.
Thischange is due to the fact that our previous idea was too basic to do, and that the group knew that we could expand on this idea, and we have!
I say again, we will probably update the project idea but it will be based around our current idea.
ok, the last iDAT101 project has been issued, which is the interstices project.
The full brief of the interstices project can be found on its respective page, and i have decided to pair up with a certain Mr. Mathew Hughes!
We, as a group, decided to base our ’society impacting technology’ on 50 years into the future – where unfortunately robots pretty much rule the world.
An update on how we will present this peice of coursework will be posted shortly, so watch this space.
right, just to clear things up, i CANNOT find a smaller version of wham therefore i will have to select a section of the original painting (looking at 50cm/1m squared canvas). will be canvas and oil acrylic paint buying in the next few days to get this thing rolling! wish me luck
As previously said we will be adapting to the idea of mapping food from around the world, and that we have done.
We have decided to research the prices of various types of food from the well known shopping centre, Sainsburys. We have a rough idea of what we want to do, and that is to draw a map of the world and display where dear and cheap food comes from (so that it can clearly be seen instead of showing the information in words)
We will more than likely update and change our idea, so i will let you know when i do!
ok, after asking Mike i am allowed to do specific sections of a peice of art, which means “Wham” is back on! but he also said that the artist (Lichtenstein) created a smaller version of this painting, so if i can find information on the whereabouts of this painting i will do that one, which means i can do all of the painting and not a specific part of it.
So, the mapping project has arrived! and what an interesting one it proves to be.
Me, Mat and James decided to team up for this project and, to be honest, we didnt have a clue what to do. But James and Mat came up with a very interesting idea, which was to map out where fruit and other foods come from all over the world. Once again, we will be adapting to this idea so watch this space!
So, during the xmas period i visited the tate modern and found an interesting piece called “Wham” by Roy Lichtenstein…
As you can see this is a very large canvas (1.7m x 4.6m) therefor i doubt i will be able to do this exact piece. But i plan to stick with this particular artist so i will let you know what im doing when i do!
okay so the telematic performance is over, and mike delivers another interesting project!
We basically have to find a peice of art in any form, and copy the procedure that the artist took. (by copy i mean go through it, EXACTLY). See the link on the right for more info.
So, alot of research is required for this. i will be visiting the tate modern in the christmas period to get some insperation. But i plan to keep it small and basic!
Please view the telematic project page for full documentation
Pre performance….
i thought i would be quiet nervous, but i wasnt, and neither was the group! we was all just chillin in the hive talking random stuff. Someone in the group mentioned earlier in the process that we should have sailor uniforms on (but that fell through) BUT some fool mentioned about making sailor hats out of newspaper! and so..
me and my hat the group chillin!
nick being a miserable loser! And we randomly decided about 7 hours ago that we would put in random sailor noises, and a theme tune!Post performance…Jesus christ it could not of gone any worse! first of all the computer decided to crash for literally 15-20 minutes and phil ended up telling poor jokes to keep the audience amused.After that ordeal was over we finally started to make ourselves look stupid. Everyone started bouncing when the theme tune kicked in so i had no choice but to do it aswell.The beggining of the performance went ok, the audience were giving co-ordinates, we were plotting them etc etc.. BUT! someone made an error and team 1 thought we had finished but team 2 was not so we kept playing and improvising.
But it was funny in the end and was a good day! Thanks for reading, ciao.
Ok so we have adapted ALOT on our idea so here is the final draft ladies and gentlemen!
As a summary, the audience will play battleships and us, the group, will communicate between all of the parties.
So, if all goes to plan, There will be:
team 1 (Me and james)
Team 2 (Mat and Phil)
and Nick
using 2 OHP’s we will display 2 grids with co-ordinates so the audience can give them (team 2) a co-ordinate. once we have recieved the co-ordinate by semaphore, james will tell me if it is a miss or a hit (and also display this on the assetate displayed by the OHP) and i will signal BACK to team 1 if it is a miss or a hit. This will continue to happen until the picture that we chose unfolds to the audience, and there you go!
So basically we decided to totally scrap the pot noodle idea and base our performance on the ancient communcation technique of semaphore! (how pilots speak to ATC’s, with flags etc.) and we want to dress up.
We still want to adapt to this idea so watch this space!
first project has arrived! which isnt too bad if im honest..
We, as a group, have to come up with a performance which is telematic (view link on the right for more info). basically it means transferring data over a certain amount of space but we had huge amounts of limits to the technology we could use.
So i decided to group up with Mat, Nick, james and Phill. phill being the legend that he is came up with using string telephones (pot noodles) and communicating over them and transferring information. obviously we will plan to adapt to this idea but thats the plan at the moment.
basically, mike brought in to the tutorial a bottle design that lucozade produced a good 10 years ago (i believe), and we as a class learnt how companies like lucozade come up with the ideas and creativity that they do.
Apparantly they do things like brainstorming, which is coming up with 3 words related to the product that they want to produce, and just jeep expanding the brainstorm with words that are related to other words. So you end up with a massive thing on a massive board, and pick out words and ideas that can be used.
With the lucozade bottle, the class came up with things like explosion, grenade, grip etc.
ok so we recieved our first mini project today (not affecting our grades) and we had to create a narrative map in groups.
So, me, Mat, Claudia and Vicky decided to go into burger king (purely for educational ressons!) and map out our journeys in, around and out of burger king! it mainly involves me being fat and kids laughing at us.
and after all of the effort we didnt even end up to present it because…
Claudia and Vicky left our course! yes they turned to the dark side which is Digital Arts but funnily enough they do the same module so we will get to see them every now and then, which is good.
as the title suggests, me, claudia (my special someone) and ollie drew together with great team effort a PENIS! was done with us all holding the same pen therefore random crap unfolds! was not mine or ollies fault if im honest though.
okay so we are into what, a week of iDAt 101? and im getting more and more into it and its becoming more and more interesting. The projects we will endeveur arent what i thought i would be doing in my course (MPT) such as coding crap and having 8 lectures a week on sine waves.
We have do do stuff like performances and getting involved in art and creating stuff, so at this moment in time this is my current favourite module! woopty dooooooooo
well hello to the world! ive been told to keep a blog for this particular module so here it is!
iDAT101 is.. wierd. its a good and fun module with a crazy module leader. hes name is MIKE! the first workshop was just getting into the flow of the module and was just basically outlined for all 13 of us (most probably will be down to 10 before too long).
We played fun and oh so random games and that was about it!
But i am looking forward to the work we have to undergo and should be (compared to the other modules on my course) quiet fun!
therefore i will have to select a section of the original painting (looking at 50cm/1m squared canvas). will be canvas and oil acrylic paint buying in the next few days to get this thing rolling! wish me luck 
