More inspirational mouse toys!

This is a mouse toy which uses a dancing monkey! http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=4808

This application responds to the position of the mouse and moves parts accordingly. Other body parts of the monkey then respond to these parts moving and thus creates a very interesting, disjointed type movement.

This application: http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=11752 is very simple just consisting of a moving dot which follows the position of the mouse. It looks like an eyeball. I like that it stays within the eyeball itself and doesn't move out and this is why I find this interesting.

http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=6482 is an application which kept me busy for a while. This is because it wants me to 'blow the fish up'. When the mouse moves over the image it dissolves into particles which whip around. I wanted to make the whole fish dissolve and tried to move my mouse around as fast as possible to make this happen. The graphics weren't very good but the idea behind the game was.

http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=11100 This application is called 'Cursor Thief' and it is very cute. A small creature chases your mouse around and tried to steal it. When it does your mouse disappears from the application screen and the creature emits a heart then takes your cursor off screen before it starts again. I like that this application is very simple but you want to do it over and over and over again.

Interactive Mouse Toys

In studio today i'm looking at interactive applications from open processing. So far I have found two that blow my mind.

http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=30891
That link links to an application called Nebula Generator. In this, there is no interaction of the user and the application by clicking or using the mouse, however the user can change the settings which generate the nebula. For example you can change the colours, the style of nebula. I think this is a good reference point in terms of the way colour is used in an application.

The second application that blows my mind is this:
http://www.openprocessing.org/visuals/?visualID=30805
In this link the user moves the mouse around and is chased after by a structure like thing. The way the structure like thing is made can be changed/influenced by the user. This would be a good reference point for me in terms of making something that i constantly being changed by the user and is alwys giving a different reaction.

Final Uploads

The final uploaded images are jpeg format. I will put the pdfs onto the drive at the school where I put 4 images of my development phase on Monday.

Final 8

The final pattern looks like a structure because it has a clear geometric shape. But the lines are curvaceous, it looks like the structures created from light i found in my research. The sructure also has rhythm and repetition can be seen throughout. The structure although made entirely of curves fold in on itself in such a way that it creates triangles and other geometric linear shapes that help to tie the pattern to the first pattern.

Final 7

This structure is one of the last in the set and is at the opposite end of the scale in terms of structure for me. My aim in the series was to create a series of patterns which explored the difference between physical type structures with lines and which would apply by the laws of physics. This structure floats on the page, there are almost no straight lines. The structure also folds in on itself. However its still a structure seeing as it uses rhythm and repetition. The pattern is also a further example of how a light structure looks which has been my inspiration for the creation of the final.

Final 6

This pattern uses clear repetition and rhythm to create a structure. This structure is curvaceous and is mostly fading out the linear type lines that defined the previous final patterns. This pattern is also starting to have more of a floating effect so that it doesn't apply by physical laws. It is showing that a structure can be created digitally. It is also starting to remind me of light structures which I looked at in my research.

Final 5

This structure is starting to showcase some noise, but it is still a clear example of structure. It is starting to abide less by the laws of physics and is less linear than previous structures. There is still a clear rhythm in the pattern and the hierarchy of the curves makes them appear more dominant than the lines which helps the structure of the curves within the pattern stand out more and helps to lead into the next pattern in the set.

Final 4

This pattern is an example of structure as it still demonstrates rhythm, repetition and hierarchy. The overlapping of some lines create a clear dominance within the pattern of a structure which is made out of bezier's and rects. But the pattern is mostly curvaceous which is further demonstrating my aim in this exploration of showing that structure is not just define as something physical, linear and abides by the laws of physics, like gravity.

Final 3

This design is an example of structure because its still using rhythm and also in a sense hierarchy. This is because the lines are created using a pattern which is repeated and layered over one another, but the hierarchy comes into play as you start to get more dominant forms occuring within the structure.

Final 2

This is an example of structure because it uses rhythm and has a clear pattern. It shows that yes structure is linear, but it is also introducing structure as a curvaceous and floating form. The lines that run from the top to the bottom of the page are also very similar to the matrix - which is a form of structure in itself having to create the ideal 'earth'.

Final 1

A structure I coded for DSDN142. This is an example of structure because it is linear, but curvy, it has a clear bottom and a clear top. It has intersecting points and looks like it would stand on its own. This is the start of my series because it is the most like the physical structures discussed in a group session. However it also shows which direction the rest of the series will head in.

Open Processing

The final structures including code can be located on my open processing account on this link: http://www.openprocessing.org/portal/?userID=12688

PDF Fail

I spent the entire time processing on my macbook pro. I tend to have a bright screen, this meant that the final structures I created were in a vivid green which stood out. However when I accessed the PDFs on a Windows computer the colours seemed drained and lack luster. By this point it was too late to change the colour to something that looked ok on a windows computer.

PDF files also refuse to upload to the blog. I am unsure as to why this is.

Notes of Interest:

I realized that I was coding patterns, saving as I went but not creating many copies of each development, this meant that it was difficult to see progression from start to finish of a pattern because I kept working on it until I liked the outcome. I will remember this for the next project and save the designs separately to show development as it occurs.

Almost there

I created this pattern similar to how I did the previous one. Except this time I didnt make the stroke weight as thick and the spacings were larger. I liked this pattern and may submit it as a final. It shows structure in the fact that it looks almost skeletal in design, its the bones of a structure. It also has curves on it, which is heading again towards the end idea. The only issues I have with this pattern is that it could be more polished so I will continue to work on it to bring it to a higher standard.

More development

This was an example of rect and beziers interacting with each other and overlapping. This was getting more to what I wanted to achieve at the end of my set. This was because although it was clearly linear it was staring to become more curved. I also managed to achieve the colour concentrations which made the pattern look really great. Except this pattern was not something I wanted to submit as a final product as it looked meager and not all too flash.

Development

This was the first pattern for my final set I designed. I liked the green colour, I thought it stood out really well. I made it using squares that had no fill and a really thick stroke weight. I made them transparent and I liked the almost tartan like effect. I thought that I would continue developing this pattern into my finals. This would be my start point as it was clearly linear and highly structured. The aim was to turn this structure into something curvaceous and floating at the end.

The start

I started coding my final set of 8, these are my draft/first attempts.

I liked the blue colour, it was vivid and I think made the pattern pop.

Although this pattern isn't very attractive it helped me learn about variables and how they can be layered using transparency.

This pattern was the first time I used green, I liked the green, except I felt that the pattern was done before and that it didn't convey what I was trying to convey in my exploration of structure.

This was another attempt at using blue. I still liked it alot. For this pattern I played with transparency and overlapping of various lines. This was a good way for me to learn more about the style I would use in my finals.

I really liked this pattern. I was the first time I really felt that I was heading in the right direction with my coding. I liked the way that the pattern repeats itself slowly getting closer together creating a beam of what looks like light. I also like the way the triangle overlaps itself and its structure as a triangle changes to meet the demands of the pattern.

Structure examples

There are so many types of structure as can be seen below, and these are just a few examples of why structure is not just purely a physical, or linear form.

The human body. How is it that we can be so tall and walk?

Earth, this is a multi-layered structure, where all parts contribute to its whole.

Light structures in the form of a cable.

DNA, this is the structure that holds all living things together.

A cake structure.

Music is a form of structure too, without it, it would sound like a jumbled mass.
Above and below are examples of how light is used to create a structure which is camputred on film. I think its funny that light is used to create the physical structure of buildings.

Structure vs noise

In studio we had a discussion in groups over 'what is structure'. For me structure us a very broad term, almost anything can be a structure. However what I found was that the majority of the group were primarily focused on structure being a physical form like a bridge or a building. These are structure, but it is not all structure is limited too. For me structure, especially in terms of the digital does not have to apply by the laws of physics. It does not have to be linear. It can float and bend back in on itself or be top heavy and if it was physical it would topple over. Structure could also be termed by looking at shapes created by glow sticks in the night, these are light structures, a structure created that is optic. This for me is what I want to achieve in my 8 pattern set of exploring structure. I want to show that structure is linear and would apply by laws of physics but progress to the point where structure is extremely curvaceous, where it floats on the page and can be seen as the opposite side of the structure spectrum, but is still arguably a structure.

This is because it will have rhythm and it will have a pattern.

Variables

In studio we learnt about variables and functions. This enabled me to create heaps and heaps of repeating patterns with only a couple of lines of code. For example the ones below were all my first attempts at using variables.