I had fun creating it and so far the feedback has been awesome. I enjoyed the challenge and it’s nice to know I have given something back to the Trance Community!

You can check it out here on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/Trance.Progressive

Thank you to all my followers. I hope to do a lot more blogging next year. I have a lot in the pipeline for 2012!

Thanks for the support, the donations and comments.

Graham (skulpture)

Interactive mask projection made in Isadora (of course!)

A little teaser of something I have been working on.

My mapping patch details so far:

- 9 layers
- Each layer can be stacked/layered accordingly.
- Each layer has composite settings (add/subtract/opaque, etc)
- Each layer can either be: video, live feed, picture, or block colour OR a syphon input (for each layer)
- Each layer can be panned and cropped for stretched video over all layers or just a few.
- Each layer has a mask overlay.
- Each layer can be flipped and/or rotated.
- Using Matthews Quartz actors you can click and drag each corner of each layer.
- Each layer has a grid overlay for easier mapping.
- A global cross hair overlay which can change colour depending on lighting conditions. Can also change the width of the cross hair.
- Each layer is numbered when in edit mode to see what layer you are working on.
- Trigger a video to a layer OR all layers.
- Show/Hide stages feature.
- Stage Preview monitor.
- Scene jump buttons (+1 and -1)

Soon to be finished:

- 3 independent LFO’s which can be assigned to various effects or parameters.
- A panic button to return to a safe state.
- Video effects for each layer (need to decide on useful/common effects, or use modular effect chains)
- A layer lock function so that once a layer is completely set up it can not be edit in error (apart from media content)
- Maybe…. A snapshot morph function to glide between values.
- And a few other features bits and bobs.

Big thanks to Michel and Matthew.

More details to follow.

I see LCD/plasma screens, projectors and LED walls everywhere these days. I have event started to see more and more touch screens in shopping centres using them for digital signage, touch screen menu’s and so forth. Yet I can’t seem to get it out of my head that you could do so much more.

When I ask people what interactive means to them I usually get a reply along the lines of Sky (TV) Interactive. I.E: Pressing a button on a remote control via infra red. Now; without sounding anal – I guess this is interactive, but interactive to me means motion tracking, blob detection, colour tracking, etc.

These playful softwares such as Isadora, I believe will one day make it into the corporate and commercial areas. I have lots of ideas; shared between close friends and today I may have made the first steps to explore this avenue.

From website: I will walk you through the building this software module in Isadora. At the end you will have a fully functional video sequencer / stepper that you can add to your own projects.

Check out this tutorial from DusXproductions. It is a really detailed tutorial showing you how to create a video step sequencer in Isadora. Great work!

Enjoy!

It is all very well knowing how to technically create a patch, to ‘make things’ happen. To get A to talk to B or however you want to describe a process; but the fact of the matter is what media or what content (images, video, live feed, etc) are you going to use?

For example: with a bit of know how you can create a complex mapping patch in Isadora but then its whats you project media wise that has an impact. Now this may be obvious to some but to others – please consider creating your own content, filming your own media and experiment with it. Start with basic video software such as iMovie or Windows Movie Maker.

Likewise – getting skeleton data from a Kinect is easy enough if you know the basics and spend the time downloading various free bits and bobs from around the web – but then what? Its what you do with this data and how you apply it.

I believe sometimes we can get hung up on the technical creation, or technical problem solving and don’t spend enough time on the overall picture, the bigger idea. Or… maybe this is just me. Either way its something to think about.

- My own mapping patch in Isadora (with the help of Michel and Matthew from the forum!)
- Kinect xbox sensor/camera hybrid and Synapse Integration. Basically Skeleton data into Isadora via Quartz Composer. I have never spent as much time in Quartz as I have done recently and will be posting about this very soon! Its amazing stuff but quite time consuming. I will be releasing a custom patch for use with Isadora Core very soon.
- Also been working on a simple and easy to use VJ patch. Will probably make this free to download.
- Also been working on the Isadora Introduction module for the BackStage Academy. (see my older posts)

So – come back soon and check out my new posts. Don’t forget to subscribe if you want to be kept updated without the hassle.

Lots of new updates on Isadora by the way… are you running 1.3 yet?

Hope you are all doing well.

Skulpture.

It was about eight years ago that I first walked into a room for of G4 Mac machines at university, I had no idea how to use it, they sat on the desk looking like something out of Star Trek to me. How do you open the CD drive? Where is the volume? Where is My Documents? … Within 6 months I bought a Powerbook because I could see the potential. Like everything; once you know the basics – you are away.

Apple is my main machine now, it’s my careeer to be honest. My MacBook Pro, my iPad2 and my iPhone go with me practically everywhere. As cheesey as it sounds, I don’t care because Apple has changed my life.

So, all I can say is thank you Steve and for every chime that chimes on start up its in memory of you from now on, Rest In Peace. You will be missed by millions and millions of people.

More information here: [LINK]