Monday, October 31, 2016
Projection Mapping in Motion Amazes
Hackaday: Projection mapping is pretty magical; done well, it’s absolutely miraculous when the facade of a building starts popping out abstract geometric objects, or crumbles in front of our very eyes. “Dynamic projection mapping onto deforming non-rigid surface” takes it to the next level.
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While the methodology of tracking a grid of infrared-reflective dots on a flexible surface seems straightforward enough, the effect and execution in this video is nothing short of mind-blowing. I can only begin to wonder at the possibilities for theater and live entertainment, including mapping to a moving piece of scenery, of a moving flat or drop, and even mapping to a costume, or set piece. The possibilities for this kind of projection mapping technology are vast, and I can honestly say that mapping using infrared reflective surfaces seems to be the future for interactive experiences as well. We have already seen in the past few years this technology applied at the Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley theme parks at Univeersal Orlando. Their interactive wands work via an infra-red reflective bulb at the tip, which allows an infrared camera to follow and analyze the movement of the wands, allowing its audience to perform various magic spells.
This technology also reminds me of a recent tech proof of a video 3D mapping software, also created by a college group. The software analyzed footage in order to effectively 3D map it, allowing for the streamlined insertion of 3D models into video.
I saw this video popped up on facebook, and was amazed by it there, and found myself amazed again. The hardest thing about projection mapping onto any surface that isn't flat is the fact that folds and creases are always dead spots, and the closer you get to the surface, the harder it is to ignore those flaws. Dynamic projection mapping will simultaneously eliminate this issue and allow for images to move with the surface itself. The image of the t-shirt is a great proof of concept, as the flag movement is so seamless that it looks like the shirt itself is moving and glowing. I agree with Julian that the possibilities of this technology are endless, and will be most interesting to see how theme parks use them to immerse you in the worlds they are trying to create. Imagine embarking on an adventure with the Avengers and having superhuman powers being dynamically mapped onto each guest so that they feel like they are actually in the story. 3D mapping is a good stepping stone into this, but overall, the projection mapping is the main draw here, and I look forward to seeing the ways that the entertainment community uses the tech.
Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that this is the future of projection mapping. I can see so many applications for this I can't even begin. Will sets even need to have painted details on them as projection image clarity develops and an object can even be flown in and have an image start to project onto it even as it flies into the stage? Even a single scenic object could potentially act as a variety of scenic objects with dynamic mapping that changes based on whatever the intended design is, and it could also be moving at the same time. It's crazy to see the development of projection mapping as it really has taken hold within the past 5 years. I'm sure the applications for mapping will only expand exponentially as this kind of dynamic mapping also begins to take hold, particularly because it seems that it doesn't even take that complicated of technology to perform mapping like this.
Now that I've started my media local and w're starting to get into things, I'm starting to really become fascinated in media design. As a set designer especially I never considered to what crazy extent you can design with this medium.
In class, we watched a number of videos displaying media design throughout contemporary history. We watched a video from 2003 that showed media design combined with dance where an infrared camera mapped the dancers in order to decide whether it should or shouldn't project onto them. In the video you can really see the age of the technology because while the projections looked great, occasionally an arm or leg managed to escape and show up a little more. Although this might have been the desired effect, the rapid expanses in media technology nowadays is insane. As seen in the video, projection mapping is at such a level today that it's completely seamless (even in slow-mo). We can project onto rigid surfaces as if that projection is inked or painted on.
As I have said in many comments that I have written on the green page, projection mapping is both the coolest and worst thing to have. It is awesome because it create some pretty epic images and really screw with the audience’s perception of space. However, on the flip side, that is extremely complicated and very hard to achieve. This is because there is high potential for it to become overwhelming, tacky, or distracting for the audience. This is simply because adding media to a show is so new to the live theater world, and just can be a lot if you are not ready for it. This single element also requires a lot of attention, and will likely take a up a good amount of time during technical rehearsals. I am not say that we should not use projection mapping, but these are things that want to be considered in the early planning phases of the production process.
This. Is. Amazing. This is the kind of development that will push projection technology into the future. Mapping is one of the most difficult parts of programming a media setup. Dynamic mapping, though, is near impossible to get to look good without very tight control over everything. With this technology, there isn't a need for such tight choreographing anymore. If you want to project on an actor's scarf, you can just print infrared ink on it. Sure, the technology is in its infancy at this point, so I'm sure it isn't cost-efficient. However, this development is very promising, and it doesn't look like it will take too much more work to get to the point where this technology is actually viable for use in the real world. New advances in projection technology are very exciting, because they allow designers to more easily communicate their ideas. Now, we just need an IR inkjet printer...
This. Is. Amazing. This is the kind of development that will push projection technology into the future. Mapping is one of the most difficult parts of programming a media setup. Dynamic mapping, though, is near impossible to get to look good without very tight control over everything. With this technology, there isn't a need for such tight choreographing anymore. If you want to project on an actor's scarf, you can just print infrared ink on it. Sure, the technology is in its infancy at this point, so I'm sure it isn't cost-efficient. However, this development is very promising, and it doesn't look like it will take too much more work to get to the point where this technology is actually viable for use in the real world. New advances in projection technology are very exciting, because they allow designers to more easily communicate their ideas. Now, we just need an IR inkjet printer...
This video popped up on the internet a few weeks ago and I was as amazed by it then as I am now. It's damn awesome technology. It seems that it requires two large towers to track the IR dots however which for the moment will limit its practical implementation in theatre. The good news that we’ve gotten good at solving problems like how to bring that out of a lab environment over the last few years. Once we do that, the ability to projection map to a dancer, as in to actually map to their body onstage with an image becomes a real possibility, and that is something that I am very excited to see. I am hesitant however that it may take a few more years before this technology is quite ready to leave the lab and enter the complex and unpredictable world of live performance.
This is so fascinating. Media design is still so new that it is rapidly growing and evolving every day. There are so many things that this discovery can do and it opens up so much more possibilities of what's to come. I can't even start to imagine what media technology can do in 10 or 20 years time. This video also makes me think about how integrated media can be with scenic and costume design, instead of it being considered as something so overpowering and protruding that directors are often scared of using it in their shows. Furthermore, I can easily see this mapping being used outside of theater and in all sorts of live events/concerts/award shows/etc. With declaring coming up so soon this article just made me more excited about going into the world of media.
Projection mapping on clothing can lead to some great advertising. However, it seems like it is a flawed system. You’d only be able to projection map on a limited scale. You aren’t going to be able to have someone just walking around with this on it, and the ideal distance for something to stay that clean and focused has to be limited to a small range. Too much light will dilute the visibility of the projection, and then you are left with people trying to figure out what is on the shirt to begin with. What would be the ideal usage of this type of technology. While most things we have done with projection mapping at CMU has been with a solid structure that doesn’t move around, it is still creating a basis for new ways to try things. You could essentially give a presentation on your shirt as you walked around, but that could be awkward to do. So until the kinks are figured out on how to do this on a larger scale, might as well stick to what we know.
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