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. …
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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!
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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!
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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)
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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
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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
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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
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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?)
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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
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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
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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?
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