Isadora Version 2.1

http://troikatronix.com/troikatronixforum/discussion/2312/isadora-2-1-is-available

Big news from Izzy HQ…. Isadora 2.1 Some very nice additions here to expand on the already amazing version 2.0:

Isadora v2.1 adds several new features to Isadora v2.0, and addresses bugs in the previous release. Highlights of the new features include:

• More Flexible Video Routing: Isadora v2.1 allows GPU video to be routed directly to multiple stages at the end of the rendering chain.
• Improved native Black Magic Video capture integration provides low latency video capture and output.
• Many Isadora video processing actors have been enhanced to offer highly efficient GPU processing while retaining their classic CPU functionality.
• Newly added FreeFrameGL (FFGL) effects offer additional video processing options
• Global variables allow easy scene to scene communication.
• New patching shortcuts speed up common tasks when connecting actors.

More info can be found here:

http://troikatronix.com/isadora-2-1-release-notes/

Enjoy!

IzzyMap – Copy and Paste Slices

A short screen recording of IzzyMap and how you can copy and paste slices with a few tips and hints along the way.

Thanks.

Graham

What the bloody hell is OSC? (Open Sound Control)

OSC – Open Sound Control.

What the hell is this I hear you cry? OSC is becoming used more and more. VJ’s DJ’s and AV interactive peoples (and everything in between!) are starting to use it. It’s not very clear what it is and how it all works. I found it complicated when I first discovered it. So, this is NOT a how to get OSC working with software A or B just a general overview of what it is and how it works – hopefully in a friendly delivery.

OSC BASICS.

In it’s simplest form, is a protocol which sends numbers from one location to another.

OSC uses an IP address (Internet Protocol address) which means it has to know the address of the computer it is sending to. So, You can think of an IP address as a street name.

So let’s take a theoretical IP address:

90.44.129.91

We can think of 90.44.129.91 as a street name such as “Victoria Lane”. But Victoria Lane could have thousands of houses on it or a big block of flats, etc. So we need a house number.

After an IP address you generally have a port. A common one is:

9001

Therefore now the address is 90.44.129.91:9001 (note the : its not a . after the 91)

So now we have Victoria Lane, house number 9001.

But perhaps you want to know what room in the house you need? In OSC this is called a channel. Channels range from 1-999

So lets say we want OSC channel 4. Now our address is: Victoria Lane, house number 9001, room 4. Or in OSC talk 90.44.129.91:9001 channel 4.

However…

Computer’s change the IP address every time they start a new network, shut down and re-open, etc. This is a way of safe guarding your machine from attacks and hacks.

How do you find your IP address?

Google: “how to find your mac IP address” it will show you at the top. This is the same for Mac and Windows.

Static IP
You can however create a static IP address. This is fixed and will never change.

Static IP is generally better for performances as the numbers never change and you are in control. Downside is when you create a static IP you can not connect to the Internet like normal. You are basically creating a Local Area Network. (there are ways but I don’t want to complicate things).

How do you create a static IP?

http://www.macinstruct.com/node/550

Localhost

This can be confusing. Local host is always 99% of the time 127.0.0.1 think of this as a home/default IP.

It’s almost like a feedback loop. It’s hard to explain but you can find out more here:

http://www.tech-faq.com/127-0-0-1.html

In’s and Out’s.

The ‘house number’ that we chose earlier is an IN; we chose 9001. But if we want data to be sent back we need and OUT and we can’t go IN an OUT door. They have to be different.

So the OUT port would need to be a number close to 9001. Maybe 9002 or 9005 (anything really).

WHY DO WE NEED AND IN AND OUT?

Say we press a button a TouchOSC app on your iPad. The signal is as follows:

Press button: sends value OUT to 90.44.129.91:9001 on channel 4. Software receives this Value and ch 4 is mapped to a button : the button turns on an effect.

Most apps like OSC will automatically light up and change depending on if the toggle is momentary or toggle.

But if you changed the button on the software using your mouse or QWERTY keyboard you want the iPad app to update so it says in sync. So you can tell 90.44.129.91:9001 on channel 4 to send a message ‘light on’ (or change state – basically replicate a button press)…. but it has to be on a different port.

This is often the case with VJ/DJ’s who have multiple controllers and wanting all the hardware and software to change and keep updated. Such as Touch OSC.

Packets and Strings.

OSC can send either a long string of numbers constantly. Like water pouring down a stream. It has no start and stop and everything travels in one long line.

OSC packets are small chunks of data bundled up in packets/parcels. This is like collecting water from a pond up stream in a big glass, carrying it downstream and then pouring it back out. [excuse the really random story telling – I don’t know where I get these ideas from! lol].

This is only a very simple explanation and the advanced users reading this will be laughing but in a VERY basic format this is all you need to know for now.

Summary.

Without confusing you, or incase you don’t know it OSC is similar to MIDI/DMX. The values range from 0.0-1.0 and send the data very quickly over WIFI or down cables.

You can read more here:

https://www.wikiwand.com/en/Open_Sound_Control 

http://opensoundcontrol.org/introduction-osc 

http://troikatronix.com/support/kb/using-touchosc-with-isadora/

I hope this helps some of you.

Thanks,

skulpture 

House Move, Makey Makey GO, Bazik and Ni-Mate 2!

Hi All,

I’ve been pretty awful at blogging lately. Sorry about that. I’ve been moving house and working hard at my day job. I do however have a lovely new desk to do my audio-visual work and lots more room to play. By play I mean make music, edit video, program Isadora and plug my kinect sensor into Ni-Mate and other software.

I now have a gaming PC which doubles up as a Audio-Visual work horse. It’s pretty decent spec but nothing too fancy. I have Isadora on here to help with testing and stuff. I now can also install other windows based software and muck about. It’s quite handy having a mac and a windows PC. I try and not be a mac or windows hater, I just use both!

I have a snazzy new Novation keyboard for use with Ableton and lots of space for my cables and “junk” as my wife calls it! 🙂 haha.

I got a message a few weeks ago from my good pal Julius from Delicode asking if i’d help him test Ni-Mate version 2.0 and of course I said yes. I helped quite a lot with the first version and I was very pleased to be a part of it. So, it’s public knowledge now as they did a blog post a few days ago:

http://www.ni-mate.com/ni-mate-v2-0-announcement-beta-applications/

“It’s been nearly a year since we last put out an official update to NI mate. This doesn’t mean that we’ve stopped working on the software – on the contrary. We’re happy to now announce on the blog that for the past 1,5 years we’ve been hard at work preparing NI mate v2.0 for an eventual release in July 2015.

While we’re launching a complete redesign on NI-mate.com as well as a thorough blog post about the updated features and business model in June, some of the things to look forward to include: extended sensor support (adding support for the new Kinect for Windows/XBOX One and Leap Motion), simultaneous sensor support (run multiple sensors in a single instance of NI mate, even mixing different sensor types), BVH/FBX export and an official Autodesk Motion Builder plugin.

Existing purchases of NI mate v1.0 will continue to work forever. Similarly v1 license owners will be offered a generous upgrade path in case they would like to enjoy the new features offered in v2.0. While we’re preparing the new software for official release, we’re also looking for a few good participants in a closed beta. In case you think you would be a good fit, please feel free to send us an application by filling in this form (requires a Google account).”

I also ordered a new toy called the Makey Makey GO. I already have the classic Makey Makey, but thisones is smaller, magnetic and does not require an earth wire. It’s hard to explain exactly what it does and how it does it but you can read more here:

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/joylabz/makey-makey-go-invent-everywhere-invent-now

They are really cool devices. I have used them for all sorts and I am hoping to use a few for an instillation at the museum. I may do a full blog post about that at some point.

I am also now beta testing and using a new amazing software called Bazik which is an audio responsive software with Syphon out, MIDI, OSC and much more!

Here is a screenshot of it running into Isadora via Syphon:

So, that’s a little update from me. I have been working hard with the rest of the Isadora crew on testing, problem solving and much more. If you have not checked out Isadora 2 then I suggest you check it out now!

http://troikatronix.com/new-in-isadora-2-0/

Off to bed now! Talk soon folks!

Graham (aka skulpture)

Interview with Jigsaw 24

 

 

I was asked to do an interview a while ago with http://www.jigsaw24.com I recently found it and decided to put it on here… I am no longer a lecturer but my work still helps in my current job as a Digital Creator at York Museums Trust.

Leap Motion

I like my gadgets. I am admittedly a bit of a gadget freak… but I don’t often actually buy them. Normally because they are expensive and I know deep down I won’t use them as much as my mind believes I will. But the Leap Motion is different.

The Leap Motion is a USB powered hand/finger tracking device. Think of it as an xbox kinect for the hands perhaps? It’s made for Mac and Windows too which is great.

The into video explains the basics very well…

I have bought one (second hand off eBay for £40 I might add) to use at work and at home. I have a few ideas for it and if nothing else will be a handy (pun-intended) gadget on my office desk – it’s already plugged in actually. It’s small sleak and sits flush to my MacBook Pro. It’s a shame it’s not wireless as it takes up a USB plug but I have a powered hub on my desk.

How am I going to use it? To be honest I have no concrete ideas. There are a few Isadora users who have made a few OSC/MIDI related actors to control Isadora scenes which I am going to look at and I am sure I can find a few uses in that area. I also like the idea of using it for generate/live painting in a VJ context. Will I look an idiot waving my hand around at a gig to make stuff appear on the screen? – probably! Do I care?…. probably! But we shall see.

I also want to see if it can be used in a commercial sense. At the museum and art gallery where I work we have interactives for visitors but people, for some reason, LOVE to hack, break, pull, snap, spill drinks, etc, etc on keyboards, mouses, touch screens, etc. Now this can’t be helped all the time of course, but there is a tiny percentage who do it on purpose, I’ve seen them! Maybe a Leap Motion placed under some perspex (military grade?) could replace the keyboard and mouse idea? Problem is the learning curve! How will people know how to move their hands or even to put their hands above the device? Similar to the Kinect sensor it’s not a recognised Human Input Device (HID)

So – I will keep you posted. Minority report… Yeah! Let’s do it!

Do you own one? Let me know how you are using it. I wanna know… Let’s talk!

Simon Wheatcroft – &Adapt

I don’t really blog stuff like this; my blog is mostly about Isdaora and technology but I simply had to post this.

It slots in nicely as it shows just how powerful and useful technology can be; not just in the ‘arts’ but for everyday people.

Simon is a good friend of mine (who I don’t see enough of). He is a ultra runner. He is a self-obsessed apple mac fan like myself and a very clever guy. But he is also 90% blind due to a condition called Retinitis Pigmentosa.

Technology is helping in many many ways and if nothing else I just wanted to share this video and show you how cool he is!

You can find out more about him at his website:

http://andadapt.com/about/

Enjoy.

Isadora & Ableton with Virtual MIDI [part 1]

As the title says. How to send note values from Ableton to Isadora (works both ways actually)

Video quality isn’t amazing but hopefully its clear enough to see the work flow.

You can also send controller values not just notes.

Any questions ask away….

LUX Helsinki Gallery

Lots of images and screenshots from the LUX, Helsinki Event.

‘Reveal’ Report Part.2 [LUX – Helsinki]

If you haven’t already, please read Part 1 [HERE]

So, after about a year of planning I flew out to join Dan and two of his third year students from Guild Hall School of Drama (London) in Helsinki. The first thing that hit me was the weather; it took your breath away it was that cold. I arrived about 11:30,  after a beer I went straight to bed… but the next day we got up and went straight to the cabin.

THE CABIN

We had a porta-cabin upon which all the computer hardware was kept. (We where lucky as some people had tents!) And this was pretty much my view for the next 6 days…

Lots of coffee cups lying about!

AND IT BEGINS…

The first two days we had to set up, test and check the system. Then LUX was officially open and the public could all the pieces in full glory. Public viewing times where 4:00 PM until 10:00PM

We spent two days fine tuning and making the Isadora patch perfect. The sun went down about 3 so we had a short while to preview the images properly… this was from day one…

Day One

We attracted a lot of attention! So much so that people where blocking the pathway and filling up on the stairs in the image above!

People going about their daily business walking or cycling home had to stop and ask people to move out of the way. It was great to see so early on.

It became clear after only a few hours that children understood it straight away and some of the elder people took a little longer to figure out the concept and interaction. We found that a lot of people didn’t want to interact with the piece and just wanted to watch. But the flow of people made it work anyway. As people walked directly up to the cameras they soon realised that they where blocking the cameras and revealing more of the wall. We had a few dogs sniff the cameras and push buggies also looked good interacting with the wall images as they rolled by.

Some interesting observations for me including a guy swinging a white plastic bag around his head for about half an hour, a man and woman dancing like robots and a small child physically touching the wall and projected light thinking that it was somehow physically interactive.

The first night went really quick and some of the patches didn’t look as good as expected. But overall we where happy…. we then went for a beer and didn’t get home until 4 in the morning! The guys at sun effects looked after us and it was all networking (of course!).

TECHNICAL DIAGRAM

This is just a simple technical diagram to show the workflow.

It’s not the best diagram but it gives you an idea of the layout