aesthetic programming
I’ve started in on the creation of a coast for the infinite city, with the above results. The textures are just stand-ins, and will be improved. Also, the water doesn’t yet animate, and the coast could use some more variation than it presently has.
Nevertheless, it’s a start
So I’ve been thinking that the next thing I want to add to the infinite city is a coastline, and that I want the coastline to have piers extending out into the ocean. While thinking about how best to approach that, I started thinking about generating an infinite variety of worn planks with which to construct the piers. I’ve coded up an algorithm that does just that, with results to the left. Haven’t had time to add texture support just yet, but the final version will also select from a few different textures based on random choice and the aspect ratio of the plank.
If you’d like to see for yourself, click here to download the demo app. The arrow keys will rotate around the plank, and F3 will cause it to alter itself. Note that there’s currently no bottom to the plank. I’m undecided as to whether or not to add one, as it adds polygons that aren’t likely to be seen, and a savings of 8 triangles per plank times lots of planks could end up being worthwhile.
So I’ve been thinking that the next thing I want to add to the infinite city is a coastline, and that I want the coastline to have piers extending out into the ocean. While thinking about how best to approach that, I started thinking about generating an infinite variety of worn planks with which to construct the piers. I’ve coded up an algorithm that does just that, with results to the left. Haven’t had time to add texture support just yet, but the final version will also select from a few different textures based on random choice and the aspect ratio of the plank.
If you’d like to see for yourself, click here to download the demo app. The arrow keys will rotate around the plank, and F3 will cause it to alter itself. Note that there’s currently no bottom to the plank. I’m undecided as to whether or not to add one, as it adds polygons that aren’t likely to be seen, and a savings of 8 triangles per plank times lots of planks could end up being worthwhile.
I’ve added a few things to the suburb demo:
If you’re interested, a zip file of the current incarnation can be downloaded here
I’m currently working on an infinite city – an infinite urban dreamscape, implemented in OpenGL. So far I’ve got more of an infinite suburb (the developers haven’t moved in yet). Current feature list (not much, but a start):
Watch this space for updates and eventually, downloads
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I just finished a new Virtual Puppet for the OmniCircus show, a Jack in the Box based on one of Frank Garvey’s paintings. He undulates back and forth, and can be made to bend forwards/backwards, left/right, and to twist to either side. His jaw is also controllable, allowing him to be made to laugh. Additionally, he can be multiplied, yeilding a forest of Jacks with each one slowing waving.
He was modeled in Maya, textured with Photoshop, and implemented/animated via an OpenGL program. The Jack program incorporates the opening doors that we’ve been using in the OmniCircus shows, and can switch back and forth between rendering the doors and rendering the Jacks. |
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An experimental approach to non-linear narrative, using an apartment building as a container for a number of interlocking narratives. The user is presented with a 3d building that can be rotated in either direction. A binocular-shaped icon can be used to zoom in on any one of the windows to observe the goings-on therein. The narratives are presented in hand-drawn panels done in a stark black and white style to call to mind silhouettes seen through a window shade.
Created using 3d Studio, Photoshop, and OpenGL.
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Drawings of the room interiors.
This was a small software toy for playing with two-dimensional cellular automata. As the program runs, new lines are calculated based on simple rules, wherein the state of each cell is determined by the state of that cell and its two neighbors in the previous line.
Since three cells are taken into account, there are eight (two cubed) possible states, any one of which can lead to either an on state or an off state. While the program is running, the function keys F1-F8 can be used to toggle the result for each combination, resulting in different visual patterns being created.
If you’d like to try it for yourself, the program can be downloaded here. Sorry, windows only.
EDIT, 2013-07-14: Note that if you do run the program, it will run almost too fast to see the patterns. Sorry- I wrote this a decade ago, and it just renders frames as fast as it can. I tuned it to look good on my 2003 laptop, but things are… a bit faster now
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