Project IMPURITY
An Interactive Projection Mapped Quartz Model
by Amanda Grace
POINT OF NO RETURN
Focus in this final stage of the project was to make Project Impurity user ready. In this stage, the impurity color changes would show on the Quartz model with TouchDesigner, Kantan Mapper would project each face of the model with the texture and then sync with TouchOSC to work flawlessly in real time.
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PROBLEMS
The first method being used to enable impurity color changes through TouchDesigner began to prove difficult to control and understand. The color would originally have been caused by a color gradient laid over top the Quartz texture. However, achieving the correct colors through this method was difficult (for example, a realistic purple for Amethyst had to be an intense magenta color in TouchDesigner to translate to the right purple hue through the projector).
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Also, TouchOSC only worked on a small Iphone. A larger, better resolution screen was needed if the project was to be interacted with in the end. The process of getting TouchOSC to communicate to TouchDesigner was challenging in the beginning so there was an assumption that getting it to work on a tablet would be the same difficulty.
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Finally, TouchDesigner as a whole was challenging to work with. A lot of help was needed to make this project work in the end.
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SOLUTIONS
Instead of having TouchDesigner handle the color gradient changes, the original Quartz texture was put into Adobe Photoshop and color gradients were baked into the texture and exported out into separate pngs. Thus, creating each Quartz variant with the correct hues.
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Silicon
+
Oxygen
Iron
Radiation
UV Light
Temperature
Radiation
UV Light
Quartz
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Amethyst
Dark
Amethyst
Light
Amethyst
Citrine
Dark
Citrine
Light
Citrine
Luckily, TouchOSC was able to communicate well through an Ipad. The format of the interface had to be adjusted to fit the screen. The Impurity bars were now ready to be interacted with.
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TouchDesigner could now communicate to TouchOSC on the tablet. The color changes in the Quartz model projection would now be caused by each color texture fading in or out based on which impurity was being increased or decreased. Below are screenshots of the pathways and connections necessary for ​this to be possible.
FINAL SET UP
Project Impurity was a success. Pictures of the projected Quartz do not do it justice. Overall, the students and faculty who tried Project Impurity were very impressed and captivated by the beauty and mystery of Quartz and its color variations. That beauty is what started the project and it is a great thing to know that the same beauty was shared with others.
However, there was an issue with the set up. If the projector was bumped or moved even slightly, the projection would move off the model. Another issue was that the computer kept going into sleep mode and causing the projector to sleep as well, losing the projection of Quartz.
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IT WORKS!
Recording a video of the project proved difficult because the camera could not capture the projection as seen with the human eye. Video was instead taken of the Kantan Mapper screen reacting to the TouchOSC impurity bars.
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REFLECTION
There are some things that could have been better and there are some things that could have been added. More time and research would be necessary for such things such as:
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- Adding more impurities (more elements and environmental factors like Time, Pressure, etc.)
- Adding more Quartz color variations (such as Smoky, Rutilated and Tourmalinated Quartz)
- Adding text to accompany the user's learning experience (projected text beside the model)
- Fixed position for projector to solve the issue of being bumped (fixed to a wall, ceiling etc.)
- More variety in TouchOSC bars that could control different factors (dials, buttons, etc.)
- More model/ mineral variety (Corundum or Beryl for example).
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Project Impurity was experimental. Half way through the project it was decided that it would remain so. There are possibilities to take a project like this further, but the decision was to let it live as it became. Overall, I am proud of my efforts and exploration with this project.
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VIEW ON TOOLS AND TECHNOLOGY
Projection mapping was a great technological experience for me. I knew in the beginning of the project, I wanted to do something 50/50. This meant for me that 50% of the project process would be within my comfort zone, and then the other 50% would not. The 50% that was in my comfort zone was scientific research, working with Quartz texture and color in Photoshop and best of all, 3D modeling and printing. The 50% I was uncomfortable with and often confused with, had everything to do with using TouchDesigner, TouchOSC and the process of getting all the tech that was needed as well as for it all to work together.
As an artist and designer, I am very hands on and visually motivated. Most of what TouchDesigner and TouchOSC had to offer were code based and sometimes "magically" working or not working. I was at the mercy of help from my instructor with most of this part of the project. I am glad I experimented and came out with a beautiful project, but in the future I most likely will not involve myself in a project that deals with interactivity since it is heavy on technology and knowledge of coding/programming.
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SPECIAL THANKS
To the instructor of this studio, Emil Polyak for helping a ton with the TouchDesigner and TouchOSC process. Also, to Lee Cherry in the Design IT Lab for helping through the process of setting up the Quartz model and the 3D printing process. Thank you all for visiting my page!
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