Intro to Virtual Theatre / Course Logistics
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9/1/08 First Things First This is 4003-590-09 / 4005-769-09 Welcome to Applications in VR (Applications in Virtual Reality) I am Joe Geigel…your host! Plan for this afternoon Logistics Logistics mycourses Answer the questions Announcements What is this course about? Dropboxes How will the course will run Grades What exactly is Virtual Theatre…and why should I care? GRADS to be ADDED To UGRAD SECTION How do I fit in E-mail More logistics Be sure that your e-mail is being forwarded But first… correct. attendance Logistics Logistics Course Web Site: Official Prerequisite – one of the following: http://www.cs.rit.edu/~jmg/vtheatre Computer Graphics 1(CS 570/761) Contact: Foundations of 3D Graphics Programming (IT 502) office hours: MW 2-4 or by appt. 3D Graphics Programming (IT 735) Office: 70 (GCCIS) Rm 3527 However… Need expertise in e-mail: [email protected] Graphics Progamming phone: 475-2051 Basic programming Audio Networking Slides: Logistics Will be available (in PDF) on Web site. … 1 9/1/08 More Logistics Textbooks Computing Environment ICL6 3D Game Programming All in One, 2nd Edition Windows Machines By Kenneth Finney TORQUE gaming engine LUSTER Graphics Lab (70-3405) MoCap development The Game Programmer's Guide to Torque By Edward F. Maurina III Need access Digital Studio Lab Building 7A Organic Motion moCap system Textbooks Other references TORQUE developer pages Multiplayer Gaming and Engine Coding for the http://www.garagegames.com/developer/ Torque Game Engine By Edward F. Maurina III torque/tge MotionBuilder docs http://usa.autodesk.com/adsk/servlet/ index?siteID=123112&id=6837710 LUSTER docs? Goals of the course Virtual Theatre Introduce students to virtual reality hardware, software, and toolkits Apply to a given domain Apply to a large scale problem. Teamwork, teamwork, teamwork! 2 9/1/08 VR and Theatre Logistics This is a project based course Virtual Theatre Teams will be assembled A distributed computer system whereby Each team will work on a specific component / problem performers, stage crew, and audience can Components will integral part of larger system be in physically separate places yet share Teams: 1 grad + 1 undergrad in the same live theatrical performance. Collective goal: To build on an existing framework for a virtual theatre system Test the framework out on short virtual performance. Opening night: Midterm and Final Logistics Logistics Old vs. New Collaboration Current system: built on TORQUE Within teams Garagegames Between teams New system: built on LUSTER With artists in School of Design DarkwindMedia Questions so far? How will the course be run? How will the course be run Schedule will be aggressive Checkpoints Weeks 1 Intro material Periodic Status checks Team formation Weeks 4,6,9 Week 2 At least 1 intermediate deliverable Define team goals Demo Weeks 3 – 8 Group work Brick City Demo Midterm: Demo at Brick City Saturday, Oct 11th Lectures: status meetings / updates / working sessions 3 checkpoints Checkpoint deliverables vary by team Week 10 Will be discussed at start of CP cycle. Rehearsal / Tech run Finals Week Showtime! 3 9/1/08 How will the course be run Important dates Status meetings Checkpoint 1 -- Sept 24 Announcements / new developments Checkpoint 2 / Midterm (Brick City) – News from the artistic side Oct 11th Updates Checkpoint 3 -- Oct 29 Mini-deliverables Week 10 -- Rehearsal TBD Showtime! Guaranteed team working time. Finals week Assessment – Team Grade Grad Students Team grade In addition, Grad Students will be Meeting checkpoint assessed: Deliverable + demos Leadership Role -- Leader evals Working with final demo Individual Grades Documentation -- Team documentation is Peer review responsibility of leader. Evaluation of teams from those not in teams Other deliverables -- as agreed upon with Teammate Evaluation instructor. Evaluation of students from teammates Leader Evaluation Evaluation of grad leaders from teammates Assessment Plan for today Graduate Undergrad Answer the questions Checkpoints 25% 35% What is this course about? (Team) How will the course will run What exactly is Virtual Theatre…why should I Final Demo 35% 40% care? (Team) How do I fit in Peer Evals 20% 25% (Individual) Any questions? Leadership / 20% Docs (GRAD) 4 9/1/08 Virtual Theatre Virtual Theatre Art and Technology Collaboration Visuals Technology Lighting / Staging Virtual Theatre Motivation Integration of distributed virtual Machinima reality / gaming technologies into the a new form of filmmaking that uses theatrical storytelling process. computer games technology to shoot Our experiments in theatrical storytelling films in the virtual reality of a game Live…action takes place in a distributed virtual space engine. Performers / crew control from a physical space Active Audience Participation Anna (2003) -- Fountainhead Entertainment Spring 2004 - present Motivation Cinema vs. Theatre Machinimation (Fountainhead Entertainment) Cinema Theatre Recorded Live Editted Real time Passive Audience Active Audience POV of filmmaker POV of audience http://www.fountainheadent.com 5 9/1/08 Why Start From Scratch? Gaming Engines Gaming Engines API Set of programming libraries used to create 3D games Provide object oriented graphical abstraction Implies use of low level language (C, C++, Java) Performs real time rendering Scripting Systems Provides networking infrastructure Extending of existing games (Mods) Requirements for theatrical use Game specific language Adapt to use theatrical metaphor / language Constrained by capabilities of game / script Examples Physical control of virtual characters and staging Quake II Theatrical components designed by artisans. Unreal Tournament Second Life System Architecture Network Layout participant VIRTUAL THEATRE LAYER Virtual stage Gaming Engine Graphics API Sound API Networking API Graphics Sound Network To display Hardware Hardware Hardware To network To speaker The Virtual Theatre Layer Local device control Local device control component Objects to be defined Components of a Local control object theatrical production on virtual stage Actors Action Shared control object Stage Manager Staging Audience Member Audience Orchestra Shared Sound / Music Virtual stage 6 9/1/08 Actor Objects Actor objects Controls characters on stage Example 1 Puppets Actors have associated avatar(s) on virtual stage. Specific control of avatar behavior defined by subclasses of Actor Device Control Puppet object Actor Objects Actor Objects Example 2 Example 3 Gesture (What’s the Buzz? Spring 2004) Full Body Motion Capture setLeadBee() Dataglove gesture moCap FOB Device Control signals Device Control Flock object Emiline object signals setEmotion() setJoints() Staging Staging Set and Lighting Design What’s the Buzz? Created by artistic team Imported into Virtual Stage Controllable Components Triggering of Cues Continuous Events 7 9/1/08 Staging Stage Manager Object Getting By Controls dynamic staging, lighting, and sound effects Triggering of predefined cues. Stage manager object manages cues and allows for manual (or automatic) triggering of these cues. Object in virtual space Stage Manager Audience Each audience member is also an object in the virtual space Lights May (or may not) have a physical avatar Human audience member connected via Props audience device control control Interactivity signals Device Control Stage Mgr object Sound Control of what the audience sees control() Playing Games with the audience Playing Games with the audience Interactivity (What’s the Buzz?) Perspective (What’s the Buzz?) 8 9/1/08 Playing Games with the audience Playing Games with the audience Special Effects Critters (Spring 2006) Rose colored glasses Audience decides to see visions or not. Questions? Critters Let’s take a break… Our latest Virtual Theatre show: Critters After break: critters! + tasks for this quarter. Critters Critters Critter is the story of ESTER… …and her imaginary friends 9 9/1/08 Virtual Theatre Tasks for this quarter st Let’s go to the video tape. 1 Half of Quarter Fix issues with Critters (TORQUE Version) nd 2 Half of Quarter Port of system to LUSTER Tasks for this quarter Motion Capture Major areas Two motion capture systems Motion Capture ShapeWrap III (measurand) Staging Stage (OrganicMotion – markerless) Access Grid Audio Audience Experience Several tasks for each area. Stage ShapeWrap III MotionCapture Motion Capture Autodesk MotionBuilder Sub-teams: Interface between moCap system and 1. Team ShapeWrap game engine. Logistics of SWIII system Determines character motion from moCap Interface ShapeWrap II to MotionBuilder data. 2. Team OrganicMotion Logistics of Stage System Interface Stage to MotionBuilder 3. Team MotionBuilder Interface MotionBuilder to game engine 10 9/1/08 Staging 8. Team AccessGrid Sub-team: Use of Access Grid for 4. Team Event During production communication Chaining of events…more general event model Production recording 5. Team Grab Design strategy for “grabbing” things. Work with ICE LAB 6. Team Lighting Creation of stage lighting tool (LUSTER) 7. Team GUI GUIs for stage mgr/puppet (LUSTER) 9. Team Audio 10. Team Audience Play audio clips Define audience experience Streaming audio Interface / GUI for audience (LUSTER) Multiple sounds (clapping / booing) Teams For Next time… Choosing teams First Quiz! Fill out student questionaire / team Student survey on mycourses request on mycourses. Please fill out ASAP (by EOD Sept 3rd) To prepare for next class: Will try my best to accommodate Chapters 4,5,6 of Torque book on e- Grad Leaders reserve. Get from mycourses and read for 10 teams / 10 tasks / 10 grad students / 10 undergrad students next time. We’ll see. Questions? 11 .