Nicholas McLaughlin Blog

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Design Domain Part One :

Chat with Paul:

What I’m Thinking :

I like the idea of having the 3 sculptures from part one and giving them 3 different outputs that lend themselves to each sculpture, whether VR, 3D printed, Axi Draw, screen-based, or even an audio output.

Each piece has its own strengths and weaknesses and considerations:

Form One :

Form Two :

Form Three :

Display Ideas :

As discussed with Paul, the three different forms can be a collection without a relationship to each other, and the only relationship I want them to have is to the original work but still seem to be part of the same family.

“Design is about the outcome; art is about the process.”

Ok, let’s work with what’s happening first in my head.

Form Three:

With form three, my first and strongest instinct was to have it in VR and allow the sculpture to be shown without a restraint to scale or gravity.

Form Two:

Chat with Gillian:

Again, I am going to Gillian for ideas when I hit a wall. So, after explaining that I had plans for two of the three sculptures; VR, 3D printed and nothing else so suggested that the logical next step would be to have high quality prints of the third from made, which seems obvious when pointed out, thats when you know its a good idea.

Problems Resolving itself :

So I planned to bring form three from blender and put it into a unity VR scene. But as soon as I put Form Three into Unity it started to struggle and even as I tried to brute force it into a VR scene the HMD would not run. But after replacing it with Form One , the sculpture that I had no idea what to do, the scene ran almost perfectly.

After Lucia had tested it, she had a great suggestion of two at different sizes, and after I implemented that, the lighting on each sculpture with some ambient music in the background the scene was were I wanted it to be.

https://videopress.com/v/1JNbd2JE?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=1&controls=1&loop=1&muted=1&persistVolume=0&playsinline=1&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

https://videopress.com/v/wLHV9rJ8?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=1&controls=1&loop=1&muted=1&persistVolume=0&playsinline=1&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

Trying to print a second Form :

So with the models I’ve made, they are not viable for 3D printing and frankly I’m surprised that my computer only crashed at one point and didn’t burst into flames.

Ok so my Slicer does work, its just my models that are the problem.

After downloading a tape cutter thing from Printables to make sure it was not a problem with my software and that sliced in seconds.

At this moment:

At this moment of reading week I have been using the time to explore and problem solve the technological problems that are facing me with my design domain outputs.

For Form One I have it ready to go on the VR headset.

For Form Three I am currently rendering out high quality images of it to then get them sent to the printers at either the Reid or the Stow.

And Form Two in its current state is not viable for 3D printing so I can either continue to try and get it to work, I can try and model it again with more of a focus on it to be 3D printed and less madness or I can try and think of a different output that Form Two would let its self too.

Rendering out Form Three :

With a focus on the composition of the render and allowing Form three to have breathing room I think three well rendered outputs that show the shape and detail of the sculpture would be good.

I have tried to keep the overall image as close as I can to the original output as not to just slap some colour onto it, I’ve changed the material to a cool grey/ off white , ive build a background scene for the sculpture and included a simple soft spotlight, similar to the way Form One is displayed in the VR scene.

The next step when these renders are finished is to have them printed by experts at GSA.

Display Idea:

When having the form three final renders printed, also have HQ images of each piece of work that each form has came from to show a clear connection.

Also include a plane with the form one image within the VR space so that even when in the VR scene they can still compare it to the previous work.

Where I’m At :

Well first thing first. I’m an idiot. So initially the plan was to render out the images of Form Three and send them away to the printer with plenty of time and be more than ready for friday open studio but between the rendering finishing and the time I booked the printing consultation all the times were taken and the only avaliable time was 3:15 pm. So the printing will be late.

Learning AR :

So with the VR sorted, the renders sent away to the printing I started working on the AR. With a bit of messing around and trial and error I go it working with a simple unity scene and a trigger but again there was a problem.

I got the AR scene working on the Samsung tablet and reading the trigger but as soon as I implimented my model into the scene the application crashed.

I’ll swap out the model of a less strenuous model and make sure everything is working correctly and again I might just need to make a model that does allow it. Ideally I could use the model that I had made through the process in DD part one but if it wont work at all I might need to use smoke and mirrors.

Writing for Design Domain :

Form One : 

Form One started in Creative Coding 01 using processing in the first year of my time at GSA. It was one of the first instances where I had seen the power and creative freedom of what we can do here at Interaction Design. 

Please use the VR headset to explore the first of these digital sculptures.

Form Two : 

Form Two is taken from my Realtime Events scene using Unity from my second year of IxD. It was a creative outlet when I needed it, but it also taught me that we are only limited by our imaginations in the sphere of creative technology.

Please use the tablet camera to explore the second digital sculpture.

Form Three : 

Form Three began in Imagined Environments using Adobe After Effects in my third year. It also reminded me that the problems and troubleshooting we tackle here at GSA and IxD are not problems or roadblocks but opportunities to find new and creative workflows, processes, and outputs. 

Please enjoy these renders of the third sculpture. 

Set Up Trial :

With the vetrine reserved for my output I thought it would be a good chance to plan out the layout and get everything ready so that all i have to do is drop everything into it whenever its ready.

Planning it chronological order so that when the viewer comes up to the display they can get the order of the work instantly, well complying to western conventions.

Back to AR :

Banana Man Test :

https://videopress.com/v/16E8daS7?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=1&controls=1&loop=1&muted=1&persistVolume=0&playsinline=1&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

The trigger for AR is working and is contined within the application, even through we didnt go through it in the workshops I wanted to figure out this way so that the AR isn’t relying on a shakey internet connection whether it works or not.

It worked well, if a little shakey with the banana man model as a place holder.

Form Two Test:

https://videopress.com/v/FS6XMmNy?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=1&controls=1&loop=1&muted=1&persistVolume=0&playsinline=1&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

With everything else ready I had time to continue working on the the Form Two AR and getting it to work as much as possible.

With the trigger image of my unity image working with the placeholder banana man model I put the model of Form Two into the scene and it ran and seemed to work at a certain distance but getting close enough it tank the frame rate and would crash the scene.

I need to try it with a smaller model or just allow it to crash if I cant get a decimated model of Form Two.

At this point :

At this point Form One is in the VR headset ready, Form Two is working on the tablet with AR even if it is running very slowly. And Form Three is scheduled to be printed Friday afternoon.

Thursdays ToDo List :

• Put VR headset on charge.
• Put AR tablet on charge.
• Try and make AR model less taxing on the tablet.
• Set up lights for box

Friday ToDo List :

• Set up VR
• Set up AR
• Turn on lights
• Submit Name Card
• Collect Prints
• Cut out Prints
• Present.

Getting Ready :

With everything ready, well almost ready, I had time to consider the presentation of my work more and plan out the interactions as much as I could.

Gillian Saving me:

Gillian yet again saving me by getting the models into a state that can work within the tech we have like the AR scene.

There is some detail lost in models, which to be honest I expected because there was no way they would run on a tablet unless I get a brand new Ipad pro or a Galaxy S9. And as it still fits within my theme and practice for this project I think it means more that the AR actully works, even if detail is lost.

Morning of :

With the VR headset charged and ready, the AR tablet charged and ready and the prints due later on today I had more time to work away on the AR and impliment the new decimated models that Gillian has gave me and get the AR running even smoother.

Last minute change up :

During the final day I had the set up finished, or what I thought was finished, until I got the prints of Form Three back and had the thought that after going through all this effort for the prints they should be displayed. So after a lot of waiting around there was a lot of running around and trying to cut out the prints as perfect as I could and as quickly as I could.

Final Output:

What work was shown in the display:

• The discription of the work with a QR code that takes people to this very page and next to each output is a brief discription of the work and what project it was based on, along with a prompt of how to interact with each piece.

• The Meta Quest headset with the unity scene of Form One in it and the left controller to more around the scene freely.

• The Samsung Tablet with the unity AR apk for Form Two pre-loaded and self contained and the printed trigger image.

• The Blender renders of Form Three printed by the photography printers in the Stow building cut and displayed in the vetrine.

Return to Form :

https://videopress.com/v/lxQ1n7PV?resizeToParent=1&cover=1&autoPlay=0&controls=1&loop=0&muted=0&persistVolume=1&playsinline=0&preloadContent=metadata&sbc&sbpc&sblc&useAverageColor=1

For Design Domain I focused on two things, my own work and my pratice of always wanting to perfect everything and design a product. Within this project, my goal was to challenge myself to lean into the imperfections of digital mediums, the interesting forms and materials within them that would be difficult to replicate anywhere else. I would have never made them consciously, but by taking my previous work from each year and creating these sculptures by exploring a software I’m unfamiliar with and not trying to ‘fix’ them, I wanted to shake myself out of my usual way of working and then show off these ‘odd’ pieces with pride and confidence, allowing them the space they deserve to stand alone and be considered as works of digital sculpture.

Evaluation :

If I could do it over with more money and more time I would like to have each sculpture shown perfectly in their respective outputs, give more time and consideration to the space within VR and maybe give the user more control to explore the sculpture in a space with no restrictions.

I’d have improved the AR experince by maybe have the tabelt waiting in a better position and of course have the undecimated model of the form in AR allowing people to explore the detail and odd interior of it.

And for the third I’d like to plan better in the future to allow myself more time to display the prints better or even have time to think of how the renders them selves could be improved while still allowing for their form and material.