projector project

Redxdown

Hello folks,

just being new to this list I am not very savvy with MaxMsp or Jitter and not quiet sure if this question should be in the former or the later forum.

An artist has approached me with a simple idea but possibly not so simple to implement. The initial idea is this; Picture one of the older clunky projectors that our teachers used with the roller at the tend to role through the acetate, (Hopefully you're with me so far).

let's say an artist is using one of these to draw on the fly to a DJ during their set, and somehow the roller is constantly rolling through the roll of acetate. Therefore if the artist wishes he/she can place the pen on one stationary spot and because the acetate is rolling, the pen creates a straight line which is projected on a wall. Now straight away we know that the shadow of the hand is an issue as it will also be projected so I am wondering if this could possibly be done digitally?

Let's say a graphics tablet with a laptop and some unique software created possibly through maxmsp/jitter which would project the resulting image on screen with a similar effect that, if the user places the pen on a stationary position a straight line is drawn on the output screen.

Hopefully I have made myself clear enough to illicit some response. My fear is that I haven't but if any one on here feels they can at least direct me in the right direction I would much appreciate it.

Sincerely,
Donal.

seejayjames

Redxdown wrote on Mon, 23 February 2009 21:56Hello folks,

This would be very straightforward using the [wacom] object specially designed for these tablets. So the artist holds the pen at a certain point, that point is registered as an XY coordinate, and through the patch this would generate a line at whatever speed you'd want, sort of a "running total" looking thing that trails off either direction. The LCD or jit.lcd objects could do this in a couple of ways, but if you're just looking for a plain line to start with, check the multislider object in "point scroll" or "reverse point scroll" mode. An example is in the help file, is this what you're looking for? You can change the colors but not the thickness in this mode, so maybe looking into lcd would be better as there are tons more options for drawing. It would take a bit more patching to get the scroll effect, but would be worth the time as you'd undoubtedly see more things you could do with it.

I like the idea of the old analog-style projector and the acetate roll, maybe there's a way to incorporate that somehow. Using a transparent plastic tray and some different kinds of gels or paints can give a very organic and interesting blend of shapes and colors, especially with oil- and water-based inks which don't mix. So maybe some way of messing with that and capturing it either with its projector or a video camera could be cool to mix in with the other method. Having two projections on top of each other (both shining on the same wall) also looks interesting, but if you capture and go all digital, it takes a bit more work and equipment, but then you have lots more options for control of each (crossfades, effects, etc.)

Redxdown

Thanks seejayjames,

this helps a great deal and thank you for your extra ideas also.

Digital seems to be the way to go, but one question on the analog projector would be the issue of the shadow of the hand also being projected. Maybe the image would be done prior to illuminating it on a wall?

Thanks again,
Donal.

simon adcock

If you pointed a camera at the acetate, then drew with a red pen, you could use jitter to only output the red channel / do whatever you want with the red channel. This should get rid of the hand, especially if the drawer was wearing white gloves...

Simon

Redxdown

Thanks Simon,

appreciated. I wasn't aware of the capabilities of jitter. A good buddy of mine told me to check out the good folks on this site. And sure enough, the help is here for those of us who are jitter ignorant. It seems like a whole world of possibilities exist for a project like this.

Cheers,
Donal.