Experiment_02

Mask Iteration

– doodle of mask ideas

2015-02-17 14.02.33  2015-02-17 14.03.57

– 3D models built in Maya

Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 1.43.18 PM Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 1.44.18 PM Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 1.45.10 PM  Screen Shot 2015-02-17 at 1.46.24 PM

– Pattern unfold by Pepakura

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– Prototyping with paper

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– Prototyping with fabric

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– Mask iteration display –> Mask Gang

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From left to right, dirty design based on the different functions:

  • Spikes – being inhuman, scary and aggressive
  • ChickenCow – ???
  • Box – attached to body, so the mask is hard to take off
  • Ears – the sound is magnified by funnels sticking out near the ears,  thus user becomes more aware of the environment around

Virtual World Construction

– doodle of world: 1) Closed, 2) Open

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– Coding coding coding….

 

{ Brain } – beta version

6B2A0867

Brain <beta version>

Brain is an automata that shows how the brain works when you think. Composed of handmade steel wires and knotted rope as pulley system. Brain functions in two ways:

1) Conscious –> Hand cranking the steel wheel to fluctuate the shells, and also rotating the wheels on the other face of brain.

2) Subconscious –> Using ultrasonic sensor to measure the distance, part of the brain will function automatically once the user is in position / wearing the helmet.

 

Exposing yourself & Taking in the unknown

The most exciting/weird experience of this project is the moment you stick your head into it. The motor above you starts moving; the vibration and sounds of the pulley system; the view you see through the wood cubes, knotted ropes, and steel wheels. It’s the mixture feelling of exposing yourself to undergo the vulnerability, and taking in the unknown to activate all your senses in the narrow space.

 

2D/paper –> 3D/physical

Inspired by renowned kinetic sculptor Arthur Ganson, I decided to use steel wire as the means for my Automata final project. Based on the photos and videos collecting from internet, I sketched out the shape first, and then tried to figure out how to bend the steel wire into wheel.

brain_node

It’s a trial and error process, but thanks to magical Zoe Logan, I learned different pliers and jigs to make proper(at least better than free style) steel wheel. The whole journey is a little bit pain in the ass, but the result is satisfying. Beside boosting my stamina with heavy laboring, I’m glad the efforts somehow accumulating into something weird and terrifying looking.

 

I learned a lot from this transforming 2d ideas into 3d physical form process: the pros and cons of wire bending compare to the thick steel connected by welding; the limit of series connection the wheels with knotted ropes; the necessity of middleware of two big wheels to increase the tension.

 

gamma version

Multiple motors to fully construct the node system of brain on all the faces. Pill the paper off the acrylic sheets so it’d be totally transparent. Could have multiple hand crank nodes as well so it will become a cooperative “thinking” system.

brain_idea

 

Related posts

Concept Sketch, Process of Making.

 

{ Brain } – process of painfully crafting your idea

SO. Here’s the report of my { brain } automata making process.

First, prototype with cardboard. Laser cut 11 pieces of pentagons, and stick them together with my favorite tool – duck tapes.
helmet

 

And endless steel wire bending.2014-11-23 22.56.04

 

Laser Cut transparent 3/16″ acrylic and build into dodecahedron  with hinges and machine screws.
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And mount the motor my pulley system!
pully_Motor

 

Things all sound easy but there are actually lot of painful struggling –>

  1. Pre drilling hole on small wood tube is hard. Crack easily.
  2. Rope has to be trimmed neatly or it will stuck with wires.
  3. Bad binding with wire and motor shaft. Asked magical Ben Light, ordered a shaft coupler to connect wire and DC motor.
  4. Have to relocation the motor. Should leave more space for the shaft side.
  5. Friction debugging nightmare…

SO. I’m really concerned about the possibility of finishing it before Final…. but whatever, I’ll keep working on it :DDDDD

 

{Rabbit_Hole}

{currently works with Chrome and Firefox browser}

For the composition assignment the final of Coding for Emotional Impact class, I want to create something with multiple layers and is self-explained. Inspired by the description of computer vision is a rabbit hole from Andy(because I’m learning Three.js by myself recently), I wanted to make a game about “Rabbit Hole”, and my biggest assumption is that everyone is sort of down the rabbit hole.

ps. It’s not really a fun game to play. Still confusing should it be fun to play or just an emotion-building nowhere…

– Title
Rabbit Hole
– Environment
environment     environment2
– Audience
Whoever also down the rabbit hole or wonder how it feel down there.
 
– Narrative arc
Rabbit HoleMetaphor for the conceptual path which is thought to lead to the true nature of reality. Infinitesimally deep and complex, venturing too far down is probably not that great of an idea.

Literary Nonsense- has no system of logic, although it may imply the existence of an inscrutable one, just beyond our grasp.

And below are three snapshots of what I’ve built so far. I made my own models in Maya and drew textures in Photoshop. Can’t view online because of some web-related issue I can’t solve to load the music(SOLVED_by hard coding the url of music file path). But have no ideas how to do the transition from scene to scene…

SCENE_ZERO: http://www.rabbithole.link/

open

SCENE_ONE: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_D.html

Screen Shot 2014-04-13 at 10.26.14 PM

SCENCE_TWO: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_G.html

Screen Shot 2014-04-13 at 10.27.30 PM

SCENE_THREE: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_S.html

Screen Shot 2014-04-20 at 6.44.00 PM

SCENE_FOUR: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_M.html

maze

SCENE_FIVE: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_T.html

TV

SCENE_SIX: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_F.html

jump

SCENE_SEVEN: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_V.html

voice

SCENE_EIGHT: http://www.rabbithole.link/index_E.html

Elevator

( Three.js + web stuff ) == super deep rabbit hole.

Roofwing

IMG_1826

A flying + walking, surreal experience design for rooftop. Work done with amazing John.

It’s all start from an assignment in the class Spatial Media, with specific requirement as below:

+ be site specific (i.e. be designed for an actual location)
+ be designed for use by more than one person
+ involve a horizontal surface

START FROM SPACE

Because we wanted the experience to be strongly connected with space, we developed the idea starting from space. We chose rooftop because its exciting yet rusted characters, and we thought it has the potential to be a relaxing playground for citizens, especially for cities with limited space.

CONCEPT

+ Utilize the height and windy characters directly from space
+ Cooperate with your teammates to maximize and exaggerate the excitement

SP_Rooftop_old

SWINGS PRODUCTION(making miniature!)

+ woods
+ necklace chains & rings
+ thin hemp rope
+ webcam
+ monitor
+ white board

TECHNIQUES

+ Openframeworks
+ videoGrabber
+ videoPlayer
+ color detection
+ image sequences
+ soundPlayer

Swing range test

Infinite Loop
This is one of the amazing beautiful mistake with the infinite loop between monitor showing what camera capturing and camera capturing monitor.

HOW IT WORKS

+ Team A & Team B
+ swing people*5 need to cooperate to swing as high as they can to shoot out the strong thunder, or either weak thunder or NO thunder will be shoot out(different thunder sound effects).
+ people in the center can block the thunders by stepping on them(scoring sound effect + spark sequence), so two team have to try to rope in the people in the center
+ once thunders reach the other side, strong thunder gets 2 scores, weak thunder gets 1 score.
+ SWING OR DIE.

Ani_Butter Test Shot

which is totally useable!

Working on Sunday to pull it off. Setting up took the most of the time, and the filming was definitely less than 1 hour… But it’s totally worth it! What a lovely home of a little cube of Butter. And Kate showed magic to knit the rug. UNBELIEVABLE. It’s a magical world of cardboard and bread :D

 

More to come :)

Ani_StopMotion Storyboard_Butter.

Butter Ani gif made by Kate!

Tried the butter today with Kate, interesting!! The tricky things is that butter melts quite easily, might need to put in back in refrigerator several time.

It’s a story about butter who’s very unsatisfied with his greasy traces, and wants to fly because of the inspiration from the butterfly!

Butter_sb_1

Butter_sb_2_v2

Butter_sb_3_v2

 

 

Here’s the sets and props.

set_and_prop

 

And here’s the discussion about our dilemma about choosing whether butter or origami as our character.

brainStorm_v2