Managed to get Theo Watson’s Vector Field example up and running…
This is important as it will allow the digital creatures in my thesis game to stay within level boundaries that I define. The dart throws will modify the vector field, coaxing them to move out of bounds, which kills their asses.
In 2005, Gary Stasiuk gave a lecture at FITC about his Digital Creatures project. It was a fantastic learning experience, and one of my first introduction to thinking formally about Boids. Google helped me find the original presentation, which is full of lots of helpful algorithms that I’d like to integrate into my thesis game… like proper flocking, not just neighbor avoidance…
Vector fields are how I can get the little digital creatures in my game to avoid walls and darts more intelligently. While the gravitational algorithms I’m using are great, they are somewhat limited in terms of how I can get creatures to avoid complex objects.
Enter vector fields:
Here we have an expired patent for a video game that uses vector fields to simulate intelligence in digital opponents. Found it on this awesome blog by Christer Ericson, Director of Tools and Technology at Sony Santa Monica (the God of War team).
–via [realtimecollisiondetection.net – the blog]
Ongoing assignments and experiments in image processing using openframeworks can be found here for the Winter. [http://a.parsons.edu/~magicplusplus/students/cameron/]
production
vanishing
transformation
restoration
teleportation
levitation
penetration
prediction
The Punk Rock Keypad explores the meaning of individuality in the context of eroding privacy and increased digital publicity. The device uses exposed safety pins to transmit serial data to a wired network worn on the body. A wireless transmitter embedded in the jacket communicates with a mobile phone using special software that allows the wearer to communicate more expressively. Oi!
link: Punk Rock Keypad @ Ars Electronica 2007
photos: Punk Rock Keypad on Flickr
*update* Punk Rock Keypad featured in PC Magazine as part of the “Future of Technology” Feature in the Jan 2008 issue. You can view it as part of an interactive slide show here.
I got the Sony SSC-M183 camera ($80) and a manual focus/iris lens ($30) from Canal Alarm (link, map). I had to get the lens because the camera doesn’t come with one. Evan Roth has mentioned in the past that its good to have an auto-iris manual iris (Thanks Theo) on a camera when doing tracking.
I also picked up the Canopus ADVC110 from J&R (link, map).
I haven’t had a chance to test this setup in openframeworks/processing yet, but I will post the results as soon as its working (or not).
Still need to pick up:
I’m no longer putting off upgrading my Computer Vision setup. Here’s what I’ll be running all over town this afternoon looking for…
