Interactive Projection Animation
An art piece combining the comprehensive field of traditional art with modern technology. Created in Adobe Illustrator, After Effects, and Arduino IDE, and MadMapper.
Objective: Combine the comprehensive field of traditional art with modern technology, enhancing the impact of traditional artwork in compelling and never-seen-before ways.
Response: Upon careful deliberation and collaboration with my classmates, I decided that, in my effort to combine the fields of art and technology, I would animate a projection-mapped animation onto a surface that could be directly interacted with by the sense of touch. My final project was set in a nature scene, with various interactive elements stationed among my projection surface that triggered the playback of different animations.
Research and Development
Inspiration
Original Sketch
From my sketch, I worked on deliberating how I would execute the design, animation, and interactivity. Prior to my work on this project, I had no knowledge of animation, much less interactivity and the technical knowledge required to complete this project. However, I just tackled the project step-by-step, challenging myself to continue learning along the way.
From there, I brought my sketch into Adobe Illustrator and created an illustration based on my vision. I opted to keep the illustration simplistic. Not only did the simplistic illustration create a charming aesthetic but also provided me with a basis to learn the fundamentals of animation as I created a professional graphic within the time frame I had been given.
In addition to creating my illustration, I also determined where the touch-sensitive parts of my animation would be. These are outlined below.
From there, I brought my illustration into Adobe After Effects and began to teach myself the fundamentals of the program. I was able to animate three separate compositions for each touch point on my animation. Upon finishing my animation, I determined the surface that my projection would be mapped onto. I would be mapping my project on an 8’x10’ PVC board. Unfortunately, my animation did not fit that dimension nor match the resolution. Through various problem-solving techniques, I adjusted my illustration and animation to match the 8×10 proportion and resolution.
I then was finally able to extract the 3 separate animations. These animations also included sound effects to enhance the impact of the art piece. I made sure that each video maintained a degree of transparency by exporting each with alpha channels. In doing this, I was able to stack the animations during projection, allowing for each animation to layer on top of the other, creating a dynamic interactive scenery.
For the actual interactive projection sequence, I used a touch board from the company Bare Conductive. I programed the given touch board with pre-written code provided by the company. Using Arduino IDE, I programmed the touch board to be used in projection mapping as a MIDI controller.
On my PVC board, I installed sensors with screws to the backside of the board. The sensors were then all wired directly to the touch board, and the touch board was wired to my laptop from which I was presenting. I then painted my touch points over the screws with electrical paint. The conductivity of the screws allows for a direct connection to the sensors and subsequently the touch board, and the electrical paint just extended the conductivity in a way that was appealing to the eye.
I brought my animations into MadMapper, a projection mapping software. I strategically stacked my layers on top of one another, ensuring the composition appeared as one despite having four separate pieces.
Finally, I was able to program my touch points and touch board as a MIDI controller. Each individual touch point corresponded to its own individual layer and triggered the specific animation, while the background image and sound effects were in a constant looping state. I programmed the reset button to start each clip over to the beginning and then and pause, allowing for the ability to start from scratch in the animation sequence.
The final result was successful. Everything worked as envisioned, and the art piece enhanced with state-of-the-art technology was one that extended beyond the barriers of normal.
Throughout the creation of this project, I was able to grow as an artist, a designer, a communicator, and a problem-solver. I learned to think critically. I learned the basics of and became proficient in various design and coding softwares, and I was able to build upon my prior knowledge of design and technology knowledge to an even greater degree than ever before. I gained a great deal of technical knowledge. Many challenges presented themselves within this project. However, I learned to approach every challenge with the utmost determination. Most importantly, I learned to reach for the stars and achieve the impossible regardless of what my circumstances may be.
