Module 2 Activity Research

Weekly Activity Template

Mikhael Ledger

Project 2

Module 2

With group members Bre, Zaynab, and Belinda, we went down the art path, creating a projection mapping project, using TouchDesigner, the Kinect, MIDI inputs from musical instruments, and cardboard model prototyping. My role included overseeing Kinect testing and the design and construction of the physical prototype, as well as testing the MIDI input in TouchDesigner with my own instrument.

Workshop 1: Phone Stand

Following the phone stand tutorial that is glue-free.

Marking where to cut using the exacto-knife.

Making scores in the cardboard where it will be folded.

The first iteration of the phone stand.

The changes I made to the design of the phone stand included creating a hole where a charger can fit through, and adding a ridge with extra cardboard that prevents the phone from slipping out of the stand.

Activity 1: Testing the Kinect

Using the overhead Kinect in AA1A, I tested connecting the Kinect to my laptop using Kinect Studio, and to TouchDesigner. Here I am testing different outputs of the camera.
I followed a tutorial by The Interactive & Immersive HQ to help with setting up the Kinect on my laptop.

Adapting this tutorial by Exsstas, I accessed skeleton data from a Kinect CHOP and visualized my right hand moving with a dot. Through this exercise, I learned how it could be possible to get data from an individual body part, which can lead into changing a visual based on the mapping of that point.

A challenge I ran into was that our plan for out visuals involved projecting onto the floor by taking in movement from an overhead Kinect, but I found the Kinect can’t register skeleton data from a bird’s eye perspective, as it cannot recognize a body.
To mitigate this challenge, I followed this tutorial by The Interactive & Immersive HQ to learn about opticalFlow, which uses camera input from the Kinect to push the flow of particles based on the force of movement detected from the camera.

Following this tutorial by Nicholas Marriott, I experimented with another TouchDesigner visual. The wispy point cloud takes in the Player Index from the Kinect to detect the silhouette of a person. The silhouette is adjusted with a Threshold TOP, which affects the point cloud visual.

Our group then tested the wispy point cloud visual with the overhead projector in AA1A.
One challenge I ran into was that since the original visual used the Player Index, the Kinect had a difficult time calculating the silhouette of a person from overhead. I changed the camera input to Colour Point Cloud and adjusted the Threshold to get the visual to appear from the overhead.

Activity 2: Material Fabrication

In order to communicate with group members about how we wanted the projection to look like, I sketched a diagram of the Marquee from memory. We brainstormed which surfaces in the Marquee to project onto, deciding A and C, as a singular floor projection allowed integration of the audience and performer on a single level.

In order to gather dimensions for the cardboard model, I took photographs of the Marquee to visualize where in the Marquee to setup.

Using a ruler, I measure the main structural elements of the Marquee from the photograph, then converted those measurements to upscale their size for the actual cardboard model. The model is 45cm wide, 16.2cm tall and 26.3cm deep.

Using fabrication techniques learned from the workshop, I created a cardboard model of the Marquee. I used cardboard tape to clean up the edges of the connecting sides pieces.

We projected onto the cardboard model using a miniature projector. Although the standing figures are not to scale, they were still useful in visualizing our conceptual experience to our peers.
From this model, we learned that in order to avoid shadow-cast, we would need two projectors; one projecting overhead and one projecting on the wall, mounted on the truss in the Marquee.

Additional Research and Collaboration

Sketching a diagram of the layout of the Marquee.

Brainstormed moodboard of visuals for our project.

Testing the connection of the guitar using the Scarlett Solo.

Testing the MIDI input from the keyboard in TouchDesigner. The colours and location of the waves change depending on each key input.

Testing projecting onto the cardboard model using a miniature projector.

Project 2

Project 2 Prototype

Our final prototype for Project 2 is a miniature model of the Marquee which uses a small projector that displays MIDI input-affected visuals. Pressed keys of a keyboard change the colour of the design.

Our final prototype for Project 2 is a miniature model of the Marquee which uses a small projector that displays MIDI input-affected visuals. Pressed keys of a keyboard change the colour of the design.

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