JUst a few images from maya to talk about tomorrow.

Just playing around with the environment and creating a world with it that is both fantastic and recognizable. I think it is important to have recognizable elements for children to feel connected to the environment, but I guess abstract enough to let their imagination take them places.

lighting prototypes

Wall Concept

Here are some preliminary sketches for the walls. These sketches are based primarily on 2D images and shapes. If this direction works I imagine we can find some really nice integration between these designs and the more elaborate 3D structures and images that have already been proposed.

vine concepts 2

vine concepts

Vine System and Prototype Flowers

I am working on expanding the system, and giving it more layers and depths.

This system is has a 1D backdrop of the vine system giving it more depth.

Animated Flora

An environment or structure composed of mechanically animated flowers on a background of vine-like growth. The flowers respond to the presence of people; as people near individual or groups of flowers, the flowers open or animate in another way.

At this point we have created drawings and conceptual models for both the vines and the flowers themselves, and are beginning to test methods of mechanically animating them.

I agree with Dima's Dark Crystal idea, there was a lot of cool animated plant life in there. I had been thinking along the lines of Fraggle Rock, so we're both thinking Jim Henson. Labyrinth is a good one, too.

For the Creature Creator, if you can get some kind of collision detection going it ought to be pretty easy from there to apply different backgrounds and place interactive areas. There are a few threads on the Processing boards about collision detection, if any of those would be helpful. Other than that you could maybe try an existing game engine, like Dima suggested. What you have now is looking good, though. Are you thinking a water or air environment? Something else, more abstract?

eye_food:

http://www.ferryhalim.com/orisinal/

Cartoons would be a good place to look for inspirational images as well. These are backgrounds from Samurai Jack: http://www.saltygraphics.com/Background_sketch_01.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiVBgEKzAmo4PJ3LlFcO1S68fe0rEgNWe1yh77n2YnSEa-e8osjrUzmuQ4gMS4mFsMVwIWdb9O94O62Dq0P1r9aiDaLTxBo0KB8J-uTGceMTpBCIv23kMy_gtLSQNRPM97KW1X3arZwRvg/s400/sj7_19.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpvX6RoBbLnRG1Jrxgyqd0kC5L3R2lWfqfqJSl8Z30jSbKkh2g5e8YEObLdRiw-hAAKjLJ29oBLLKrzQAJ1dNGO26ooGf5AzO2vNjaiisrBulgVQNx5E36PPZdRBeKXXUgq_ZbTJSdjPE/s400/007_002_B.jpg

http://www.alivenotdead.com/attachments/2009/06/13/06/35976_200906130618015412.jpg

And here is a clip from the show the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy, which I especially like the character design and animation in (although we should probably strip out at least a little of the morbidity):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uojl_WJCXpM

And images:

http://www.bogleech.com/scrapbook/brains-eccwtf.jpg

http://zonakidz.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/grim-adventures-of-billy-and-mandy.jpg

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqsjPgoLZGA5RYMMxqyJDpP20mJ3Q3hvxfGbaPlSAyxSdF2HaJelU7R4tqgK9jOdWrtmB_HCmAvCUAzUgHNruwQuMYc-HFtmImfzd17q7vjXPv_K4BsomybhVCHTVsBANvjOi3EkKB69s/s400/1.jpg

http://www.cartoon-secrets.com/Photos/Grim-Adventures.jpg

Feedback?

Creature Creator Engine

Well I messed around with some layering effects. Of course I did not read the comments beforehand so maybe this new video is going in the wrong direction. Alas I am new to bloggersville.

Some things to brainstorm if you would...
-layers can be placed above the creatures, what kind of shapes, colors movements would be good?
-layers can be placed behind the creatures as well, what will work well?
-there are bugs...i know, will work on those this week
-what about backgrounds that the creatures manipulate when they pass over them?
-what would be interesting to communicate creatures passing through or next to one another?
-everything else you guys and gal got

...oh, I almost forgot. Only music I had somewhat akin to peaceful, tranquil, etc. Better than Andrew WK I believe, so give the music a break. I believe we talked about the creatures interaction with themselves and the environment creating the music in a later version.

Quick time movie of the creature program running. Each creature (i.e. nodes and lines) is an object in an array, so any number of creatures can be created easily. The movement is at this point generated randomly. Once the program begins the creatures "swim" around the screen and a small image pops up when they get very close to one another. The blue circles on each creature represent a point in the xy picture window, so these nodes are essentially placeholders for the locations of the images that will be the creatures.

List of implementations in progress or thinking about
-When creatures "see" one another, they occasionally chase each other around for awhile
-environment objects, creature response to environment objects
-particle effects generated by the creatures

Things that are being worked on
-Creature movement (appears a bit too random)
-creature body "collapsing"

Any feedback will be great!

dima's "eye food" list No.1

Some of links to look at (please add some more! soooooon TAG: eye_food):


http://www.mtv.com/photos/the-power-of-the-dark-crystal-concept-art/1542268/2214054/photo.jhtml

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YseTQOsbNgo&feature=fvst
<-- disregard STYX :)

http://mondoprop.blogspot.com/2009/02/dark-crystal-1982-production-concept.html

Yes, I am on a DarkCrystal kick :)


http://www.xefirotarch.com/

http://www.digital-architecture.org/hinterlands/

some tendril-type-designs from the worl of artictecture


Any one has good Ben10 links? Character designs for that and Batman Beyond are pretty decent and work very successfully around basic geometric shapes.


Bug's Life from Pixar is a treasure trove of great "eye food", especially when it comes to lighting and floral design.