Between the Sheets Completed

Here is the video documentation of the project.  Unfortunately, only George and I probably got to see the installation functioning due to several problems.

No Longer Stuck on Stickers. Turned On to LEDs

The stickers don't seem to be working too well for motion tracking.  Their color values are so fickle and highly dependent on lighting.  I did anticipate the lighting to give me trouble, but I'm really questioning the worth of dealing with this trouble.  I think having a light in the curved space will ruin the ambiance of the projection.  I am thinking of buying small LED flashlights and clipping them on a headband (much like Luke's headband, except I plan to buy pre-made LED lights, rather than wiring my own- see the picture.  And, Luke, if you are interested, they make infrared LED flashlights exactly like these.)  I think this will alleviate several concerns with the tracking.  I still plan to use color tracking, and this way I can keep the area dark, I don't have to worry about what colors the viewers are wearing, and the color values I am tracking should stay fairly constant since they are their own source of luminance. 

 

Walmart Nightmare

After missing the first bus, I waited an hour and took the next Downtown, and then got on a bus to Walmart to get the sheets.  It was an hour ride, and it would take another hour to get back.  I knew I needed to make sure I got EVERYTHING I needed.  I wouldn't have another two hours to ride back (plus waiting time).  I bought everything on my list and just as the bus pulled up, I thought, "gee, that's strange, that one sheet looks a bit different shade than the others."  I got on the bus and immediately opened all the sheets up to compare, and yes! they were in fact different.  The thread counts didn't match the color was slightly different and, what's this? The tags actually say a different brand name!  Someone put the wrong sheet in the package!  So now I have two matching sheets and an oddball!  Someone probably bought the sheet, then returned a different one in its packaging.  It seems so wrong.  

I can't use them together because the projection will NOT look the same on them.  But I CAN'T spend another three hours just to go to the Walmart that is only ten minutes away by car.  I don't know what to do but to go around begging anyone with a car to drive me over there so I can exchange the sheet.  I hate having to bother everyone else.  And I wasted my whole day doing this.

Hardware "Goodies"

I just got back from the hardware store with a bunch of "goodies" for my project.  I've got 10ft steel conduit, shelves, a brand new power drill, and much more.  The plan for building the frame is as follows:

The frame/rod will have a diameter just under 15ft.  I will bend 3 segments of the steel conduit using a pressure bender (or rollers) in the sculpture studio.  Then, I will cut small segments of wooden dowel to fit into the end of each of these segments.  I will screw this dowel in place from either side of the conduit.  Once I bring the segments to gallery 120, I will screw the dowel in place inside the end of the connecting segment of conduit.  So, two joints; three segments.  I plan to bend two or three segments for the bottom of the sheets as well.  This will allow me to make sure the "screen" hangs perfectly.  I probably won't joint the bottom segments together since they won't be holding any weight.  Instead, a little duct tape could hold them together.

For the screen:

I am buying three king sized sheets and ripping the stitches out on the sides.  This way, I can use the hem at the top like a pocket and slide it over the rod.  The sheets will have to be sewn/adhered together.  I am waiting for permission to use a sewing machine from the fashion department. 

BIG Problems, simple solution

    While it seemed my equation was working properly, when I increased the size of the matrix so that I could manipulate a longer image appropriate for wrapping around a cylinder, suddenly things were wrong.  The image looked awful and blocky and the image was off center.  I will admit my equation was not quite right, but I had fixed it, realizing that and yet it still was not working.  What could be wrong?!

    After wasting MANNNNNY hours trying all sorts of things and many new equations, I finally figured it out.  I never specified the dimensions for jit.qt.movie and it was defaulting to 320x240.  Using an 840x240 image (a small version for testing purposes), and a matrix with the same dimensions, all the math was coming out wrong, since the equation calls the x dimension as a constant.  BIG problem, simple solution.  I typed in the dimensions for jit.qt.movie and it was all sorted out.  My result is here for viewing. 

Computing Success, Physical Dilemmas

 A conversation with a physics major has brought about a new equation, similar to the others I had tried, but different enough, as the results to the left show.  This seems to be working generally.  I have this patch functioning as a subpatch inside a patch rendering a 3D cylinder with this as a texture.  I am still trying to determine how to delete half of the cylinder so that this matrix only stretches over a semicircular surface, rather than all the way around the cylinder. Once that is completed I will set up the motion tracking to determine how this texture will change with the viewer's position and angle.

    I  want to start constructing the frame for the projection material as soon as possible.  I will need to take some  measurements at the installation site.  In my discussion with a professor from the sculpture department, I was encouraged to consider using rear projection.  The amount of  space and shape of the room will determine if that will be possible.  If frontal projection is the only option, the projection surface will be made with wooden panels instead of cloth, as I was advised is the easiest method.  I was also encouraged to think about how to produce a total immersion, and to consider more projections and the configuration of the installation.  I must somehow balance efficiency and ease with the experiential success of the installation.  I believe my measurements will give me some answers as to the bounds of efficiency and I could then better weigh these concerns.

Spatial Mapping is Not My Friend

I had held out from posting, hoping that at any moment (over the last week), I would have the solution to the problem of the expression needed for the spatial map I am trying to create.  But that moment has not come, though I feel as if I've tried almost everything.  Above is my patch as is.  As you can see, it doesn't work.  The image should look increasingly stretched as you move from the center in either direction, while the center should correspond exactly to the center of the original picture.  I'm quite exhausted at this point and it is getting old spending every free moment I have trying to solve the problem.