MDDN 242: Looking Into The Future

So, last night  I got my grade back for the previous project of this course, and I was really disappointed, so I've decided to get back on my epic mount and punch through the course and get something really stellar for the next project. The next project seems like it's going to be a lot of fun, and I have a lot to learn for and from it. I have a tendency to get riled up after a poor grade, so hopefully by working on my failures, I can use the energy in a positive way! That, and I also got a really good sleep last night and did yoga on Monday, so I'm full of good energy at the moment. And I love it.

So. One of the first things I need to establish is the kind of project that I think this is. It's all about interaction, and interacting through a mouse input or any other input really. I can have as little control or as much as I like. The project is all about a drawing machine, so I'll let your minds think about what that involves. For me, it involves a reasonably controllable interaction, resulting in something that the user can experience in a fun way and then have something pretty to look at when they're finished with it.

Image captured from: http://abandonedart.org/?p=402

So, I decided to have a bit of a look around at some inspiration that I think would benefit my project. This first one is called Ink Trails, and I really love the way it looks and moves. The ink trails start at points behind the red bar and then trail out in a really interesting way. The edges of the ink trails just feel really realistic and move in a quite natural way. Perhaps I can splice some of the motion from this piece. Definitely go check it out to look at the motion.

 Image captured from: http://abandonedart.org/?p=470

This piece is called Node Texture and has such a brilliant aesthetic. I love the way the dots connect and the lines build up this crazy texture that stacks and stacks. This nodal connection style has been used in a few films as a small feature element, and I really love the way it draws connections between the different disconnected elements. The Art Of Flight used this aesthetic in a really subtle way that really made the intro for me. I really want to create a sense of connection between what the user does and what the drawing machine actually makes, visually.

 Image captured from: http://abandonedart.org/?p=504

This one has a very slow and gradual motion to it. It builds out of a central square, and feels like a slowed down version of something moving at an extremely rapid pace. The particles/lines radiate away in a very pleasing, tangential sort of way. Perhaps the way that is moves is driven on a radial element running around the edge of the square. Either way, definitely go check out the sketch. The motion is really nice and ambient.

 Image captured from: http://abandonedart.org/?p=144

I'm just going to go out and say I love this piece. The rapid motion of the ribbons is absolutely stunning. I don't know quite how they did it, but I know it must have something to do with beziers and creating a whole bunch of control points. The particle system that it has looks a bit complicated, so hopefully I can actually get something on par with it. It's absolutely beautiful, definitely check it out.

Image captured from: http://www.openprocessing.org/sketch/18093

This cellular automata animation is really visually exciting. The colours used to illustrate the life and death cycles of the cells make for a really stunning moving visual display. One of the ideas that I took from this generative piece was the way that the forms grew out of the mouse-click-and-hold path. Perhaps I could make something that felt a little more natural and grew out of the shapes of your motion?