Living Globe
Creating the illusion of dynamic textures on a spherical object
Origins of Design Concept
• Interest in 3D modelling & texturing, and how to bring it into the real world
• Use of projectors as more than just a rectangular display medium
• xBlocks
• Shaderlamps
• Dynamic Shaderlamps
• BeHere
• Omniglobe
• Office of the Future
Background Reading
• Shader Lamps: Animating Real Objects with Image-Based Illumination - R.Raskar, Kok-Lim Low, Greg Welch
• Dynamic Shader Lamps : Painting on Movable Objects – R.Raskar, D.Bandyopadhyay, H.Fuchs
• Projector-based Three Dimensional Graphics - R.Raskar 2002
• The Office of the Future: A Unified Approach to Image-Based Modeling and Spatially Immersive Displays – R.Raskar, G.Welch, M.Cutts, A.Lake, L.Stesin,H.Fuchs
• Cartoon Dioramas in Motion – R.Raskar, R.Ziegler T.Willwacher
• Direct Rotational Interaction With a Spherical Projection – S.Kettner, C.Madden, R.Ziegler
Empirical Work - interviews, observations, etc.
• Researching similar projects
• Interviews of class mates
• Threads and conversations on maxforums.org
• Early Prototypes
• Studying the Shaderlamps project
• Ronan Tighe Thesis
Projector
• Shaderlamps, Ramesh Raskar
• A light projector is a 3D perspective projection device.
• Using an analytical projection model, e.g. a pin-hole model, various projector-based problems can be recast.
• Traditionally, a light projector is treated like any other two-dimensional display device e.g. a CRT or a LCD screen to create flat and usually rectangular images.
• The work exploits the notion of projector as dual of a camera. This leads to new research directions in Computer Vision and Image-based Rendering
Textures & Materials
• Replace an object’s normal texture with a new projected skin
• Ability of the skin to move, transform, morph, etc.
• Create an illusion of a living material
• Dynamically adjust to the environment and interact with and respond to a user
Objects and Surfaces
• Real Physical objects
• Replace an object’s real texture
• Preserve its form
• Illusion that the object is something more than what meets the eye…
• Give life to the object – Wall Prototype
illusions
• Normal grey vase could look like a Ming vase
• Extra Window or door – interior design
• Stereoscopic display – Texture itself looks 3D when viewed through Colour Anaglyph glasses
• Transparency – Chameleon the background
• Illusion that the object is spinning/changing/moving created only by the animated texture. see prototype
Sphere
• Challenging – to texture & project on
• Viewable from all angles
• Approachable from all angles
• Allows for the most interaction
• Novel and interesting
Reflection, Reaction Interaction
• Dual state textures react to sensor feedback
• Reflection mode – response to its environment
• Reaction mode – response to user interaction
Reflection Mode
• Reflects the environment the object lives in
• Relatively smooth texture transitions – ebbs & flows, gradual
• Sensors:– Temperature– Light– Sound– Time– Oxygen
• Relatively Passive
• Could also reflect another environment
Reaction Mode
• Reacts to the users actions
• Sensors: – Touch– Movement– Gesture– Proximity– Vibration– Sound
• Much more dynamic and rapidly changing
Two Main ideas
• Earth’s evolution projected onto a sphere– continents drift, ocean currents, mountains rise, etc.
• Weather ball– Outside weather conditions projected onto a sphere or
hemisphere– Portrayed in an abstract way, not video feeds
• Both ideas could incorporate Reflection, Reaction interaction– Changes in colour, movement, speed, resolution, opacity(illusion)– Touch interaction could be amazing– Play around with illusions
• Other– Interior Design - changing a whole room– An xBlocks type game– Virtual pet living on an object
Hardware Requirements
• 5+ Projectors
• Large sphere 1m in diameter
• Grey Diffuse material to absorb light
• A base to place sphere on and hide the technology
• PC with enough video cards to output to the projectors
• Various sensors depending on what interactions will be possible
Software Requirements
• Depends on whether the textures will be pre-rendered or produced in real-time
• Pre-rendered– 3D Studio Max– Adobe Premiere
• Real-time– OpenGL– Various Game engines– Director– MaxMSP & Jitter, PD & GEM
• Other– Resolume– Photoshop
Schedule
Major Concerns
• Finalizing a definite application
• Real-time vs. pre-rendered
• Complexity of the surface – flattening a sphere to a plane - distortion
• Technology Required
• Number of projectors needed
• Overlapping and aligning projector images
• Time
Issues for Discussion with Group
• Earth Evolving vs. Weather Ball
• Suggest other suitable objects?
• Which interactions would be most suitable? Touch, Gesture, Movement...
• Favourite textures? Textures you find interesting?