The company VR Coaster introduces three VR powered products for amusement parks.
One is a VR goggle for roller coaster rides, one for underwater experiences and the last one for bumper cars.
Location-based VR creates a lot of difficulties for the developers. The mobile VR glasses have to adapt to the specific position within the roller coaster ride. And content shown reflects that. If the visitors are on an uphill ride, the images have to be exactly adjusted to this, if it is steep downhill and the speed is very high, it is the same. It is imperative that the VR glasses are adapted to the physical movements for an experience, otherwise the visitors feel sick.
The synchronisation must therefore not only be precisely adapted to the content and the physical position, above all it must be a stable image stream. Anyone who enters the VR world in combination with a real life experience the correlation of both is mandatory. Now image it is a fast track roller coaster ride. The Autor thinks this is quite a challenge. The VR experience must not be interrupted by data transmission errors. At the same time, the imagery has to be convincing, so it’s all about high-resolution life renderings.
Large quantities of high-resolution, 6 K, stereoscopic 3D panorama images, up to 100 GB for 3.5 minutes of animation, are required and are fed in at 60 frames per second. This is combined with real time objects in the foreground. The parallax becomes visible with the movement of the head. Such a set-up is only possible in the LBE, but not in an app store. Special streaming textures for light and shadow are developed for the life streamed objects. This makes the sensation unique and real.
How about hygiene issues? Specifically in amusement parks, people are quite sensitiv for these topics. No-one wants to register sweat or other remains on the VR glasses. Specifically not during covid times. Whenever a pair of glasses is put on, it means that the glasses are handed over cleaned. How is this ensured? The headsets have to withstand a lot. They are not only used frequently, they have to be adaptable to different heads and sizes, and they shouldn’t break when coincidently falling down. Whoever works with amusement parks is bound to one big maxim: Many people must be able to experience it. Because that’s the only way the effort is justified and it pays off.
The VR Coaster company has overcome these challenges. The location-based tracking was mastered by synchronising the headset with the respective ride. The vehicle tracks the position and passes the data on to the wireless headset. The VR content is then based on this. Sounds easy, but it’s hard. Such solutions are found through several iterations and trail and error. This takes time and costs money.
The environmental influences are manifold and each one has to be solved. An impressive amount of research is mastered. The entertainment industry needs new impetus and scores with technology. The fantastic VR worlds mix with movement, speed, with natural influences such as wind, sun or rain. This is special and the author assumes that these roller coaster rides with VR have a high attention potential.
This is also the case with the product „Diving Theater“. Here, the visitors go into a kind of aquarium with swimming gear and underwater VR goggles and snorkel. They are visible from the outside so that the spectators can read the fascination of the experience in the reactions and, if necessary, facial expressions of the divers. The divers hold on to special handles, a counter-current system ensures realistic sea movements and the VR glasses show detailed images of coral reefs. Swimmers or better divers are thus able to experience this unique pleasure without having to travel there. Corals are not only protected natural worlds, they are usually associated with highly expensive travel. Not everyone can or wants to afford that. „Diving Theater“ creates a valid substitute.
The VR goggles are waterproof. Images are rendered in 4 K and respond to head and body movement. It is excellent for storytelling. A giant turtle sails past the user at close range. These are moments that raises the heartbeat even in a VR environment. The environment is safe, no one has to be afraid of reality. The users know that all phenomena look realistic, but even if a shark, manta ray or moray eel comes shooting out from an invisible angle, they cannot be dangerous. They add to the thrill, but that’s all. What remains is a crazy experience, which is safe and extraordinary. Which can perhaps only be felt here.
Meanwhile: sometimes it is surprising that reality seems to be insufficient. The thrill must be greater and yet there must be no danger. Why do people seek this entertainment? Why is it not enough to swim in the sea or in a lake? That also stimulates the imagination. After all, we are all familiar with the idea of big catfish lurking at the bottom of the lake, or scary creepers that wrap around our feet and pull us unconditionally to the bottom?
Why isn’t the roller coaster ride enough? It’s insanely exciting to be pulled up and then all of a sudden rush down almost in free fall. And in these rather wacky vehicles?
Why are monsters or other phenomena demanded? Or does the industry simply want to create needs that were never formulated before? It is about a new thrill. And quite an exciting one.
Post by Prof. Ursula Drees
Infinity – Endless Video Artwork was created by Universal Everthing Studio. This is a loose association of developers, artists, programmers, sound designers, motion designers that has existed since 2004….
Matt Pyke, Founder & Creative Director, Sheffield is involved in this work. He is responsible for the realisation of the animations with UNITY. Matt Pyke is already known for his spectacular animations of creatures endlessly passing by the viewer, be it made of fire, water, as constantly changing forms. The author admired the first work at Ars Electronica years ago. Now a new variation can be admired in Karlsruhe.
Infinity – Endless Video Artwork
Simon Pyke is responsible for the sound. One of his works ‚Walking City‘ was awarded the Golden Nica 2014 at Ars Electronica and is clearly remembered. He designs soundscapes. They are not stereotypical at all. They are noticeable, catchy but by no means trivial.
This work is constantly generated. All kinds of creatures parade past the viewer. They walk fast, pond-walking, sporting, strolling, hopping, sprinting, jogging, strolling, parading. An endless number of very individual paces. The creatures themselves are digitally life generated. They are fantastic-looking characters. Some rather fat, others slim, upright, small, tall, everything is there. The surface texture varies from character to character. But they all have one thing in common: they are made of a variety of slightly springy material that looks like shag, fabric, cords, puffs, tufts or something else. Here, every step resonates. The colours shimmer in full saturation and support this very happy, ever-changing parade. One can linger for hours and admire the ever-changing figures.
The bold and beautiful characters are generated and join in the parade in real-time. This alive and joyful artwork is made possible only with bespoke coding and latest Apple M1 chip or Nvidia graphics technology. The stream broadcast from the UE studio which runs on 100% renewable energy and solar panels.
The studio is exploring the interactive potential of infinite, code-generated artworks, and the opportunities for figures based on people and elements from the worlds of fashion, nature and more.
Post by Prof. Ursula Drees
There are certainly simpler CVs. Vani’s is more complex. The very fact that she was born a woman in India is a disadvantage. She is not allowed to study, but luckily her parents are liberal and don’t stop her. She wants to make films. She will learn and she will turn self-taught learning into art. Not much stops her from her dreams and desires. She is cheerful, ambitious and incredibly modern. Because she knows what it means to talk about lifelong learning. It is not only about specialised knowledge, it is above all about recognising one’s own strengths and weaknesses and working with precisely this capital. It is important to recognise both, the low points and the successes, it is important to read something out of everything, not just the successes. Because every low blow, we learn, is also an opportunity to look closely and learn. That, incidentally, is the basis of learning. Mistakes bring knowledge and experience. That’s what makes her independent and that’s what this interview is about.
Thank you so much for your time and your experiences. It was such an experience to be interviewing you at the fmx in Stuttgart. You are very inspiring.
Post von Miklos Bajus, Luiza Noemi Bogya and Karen Reilly.
Der Art Directors Club hat getagt. Es gab einen silbernen Nagel und zwei Auszeichnungen. Eine davon ist Psychotrop-shifted reality. Die interaktive Medieninstallation der Hochschule der Medien, Studiengang Audiovisuelle Medien, Studioproduktion EventMedia hat in der Kategorie: Künstlerische Arbeiten Bereich: Experiment eine Auszeichnung erhalten. Dieses Jahr wurde weder Gold, noch Bronze vergeben.
Worum geht es denn bei dieser Installation? Wie fühlt man sich wenn man halluzinogene Substanzen eingenommen hat? Wie verändern sich Farbe, Form, Bewegung, wie scharf ist das Gehör?
Dafür wurden Probanden interviewed und aus den Informationen wurde eine interaktive Installation entwickelt. Es ist ein geodätischer Dom, die Dreiecke werden unterschiedlich bespielt, gleichzeitig vermittelt der Ton die Wahrnehmungsverschiebung der auditiven Eindrücke.
Der Erlebnisraum ist intim. Die Besucher*innen legen sich auf Sitzsäcke, der Blick ist in die Kuppe gerichtet. Vor ihnen, in angenehm greifbarer Entfernung befinden sich die federnden Tentakel der Interaktionsschnittstelle. Es sind 18 an der Zahl mit einem Endknöpfchen als stilisierte Nervenbahnenden. LED-Streifen, die zunächst auf dicke Aludrähte montiert und anschließend in flexible Silikonschläuche geschoben wurden, bilden den Körper.
Und in diesem Umfeld erleben die Besucher*innen die Reise der Sinnenverschiebung.
Wir gratulieren.
Beitrag von Prof. Ursula Drees
Chang Chi and the Legend of the Ring a Marvel Movie: Trixter and the Mythical Beasts.
It is a US martial arts fantasy film. It is about a Chinese legend, 10 magic rings, identity and the defence of the good.
A variety of mythological characters are brought to life. It begins with the exceedingly cute „Morris“. He is a supporting actor, a side kick for the main character and has a surprising and irritating physiognomy: 6 legs , 4 wings , lots of skin, lots of feathers, fluffy fur and lots of muscles, but no face. The briefing says: cuddly and cute.
Morris is irritating. A little animal the size of a bulldog. It has no eyes, no nose, no mouth, no ears. It can’t taste, smell, hear or see. What can it do? The creatives of Trixter mentioned this fact as a challenge for their profession. Namely, to develop a cute little furry animal that must not be able to do anything. That is even adorable and so cute that the audience does not notice that they are fascinated by a creature that cannot live and should not live like that. The message Morris carries is easily broken down to: „I don’t need anything except human love. I don’t need to eat, I don’t need to breathe, I don’t need to taste, I don’t need to empty myself, I don’t need to be cared for. I am there, behaving like a young puppy dog, I am happy and dumb, I want to be protected, I give my life for that“. This is an animal, even if it is a mythical creature, being denied will and perception. Why are such creatures sold to the audience? Who came up with the idea? Why should there be an animal without a head and sensory perceptions?
Who is responsible for the content? Are the artists partly responsible? Or are they workers who understand the technique, the craft and give a face to such performances? It is a despicable idea and yet it must be given a delightful form and façade and given life.
For what Trixster has done is phenomenal. The movement, musculature, skeleton, functionality, fat, skin, fur are deceptively real. Viewers can fall in love with this creature.
The creatives of Trixster flex their muscles. It is for no reason that this studio is an Oscar winner. Back to our dubious character. He has the already mentioned six legs. The paws resemble those of bear cubs. Everything about this character is puppy-like. His behaviour is derived from Bulldogs, Sheepdogs Golden Retrievers. The voluptuous rolling in the sand on his back, the clumsy stumbling, the exuberant movements when running, jumping, sitting, everything is a bit awkward, just like puppies.
The character is built classically from the inside out. First the skeleton. This is where bones, ligatures, joints, type of movement, abilities and limitations are defined. Then the muscular system is added, a layer of fat is placed on top, followed by the skin. Everything is finished off with a voluminous, very soft-looking layer of fur. The legs are short, the torso rather chubby and shows no further definition.
On the back are the four wings. They shimmer in blue and green tones in some places. The function of these wings is not to fly, but to convey moods through gestures. Morris does not bark, does not snort, does not breathe, but he sometimes creates a beeping sound.
Exact research of motion sequences and studies are required for the creation of such a character…. Motion tracking is sometimes used, but in many cases it is the close observation skills of the creators. We know four-legged dogs, so the creatives had to think about the two extra legs. Is the movement accentuated by double hind legs or is the forward movement emphasised? The decision goes to the hind legs and so this lovable character hops and jumps through the film. Of course, he is also loved. For he is one who likes to jump on the lap, wants to be cuddled. He has no other function. How does the fat shift, how does the fur behave under a hand? It’s about many detailed special conditions. How does the fur shine when it is implemented from the virtual situation into real film – these questions are answered.
A very high degree of reality is evoked. The accuracy and the perception of detail are overwhelming. Movements are fluid, consistently smooth and elegant. Surfaces adjust precisely to changing positions. It is convincing. Only behavioural scientists would detect too much softness in the movements at some points. Nature is often more complex, viewers might know, because if you watch dogs or horses closely, you will notice many quick micro-movements that marginally break the flow of the softness. The virtual elegance of movement makes the fantasy figures look more harmless. The unpredictable is not captured. But then, it’s not supposed to.
It is an overwhelming amount of movements of the whole body, special gestures and expressions that are conceived and made possible. Stretch, jump, stand up, straighten, walk, stand, run, rest, graze, fall, roll, limp, play, enjoy, yawn, eat, drink, spin…. an endless list. There is detailed work being done.
It would be interesting to compare the amount of joints, tendons, cartilage, muscle etc. from an animal to that of fantasy creature.
The presentation does not stop with Morris. The other characters, such as the multi-tailed snow fox, a kind of iridescent horse, huge village dogs cross-bred to lions and sabre tigers, or the Goliath-like Hulk are introduced in the same way. First they talk about the basic structure, then about movement sequences, and about how they fit into the rest of the film. Numbers are mentioned, the sheer amount of work is brought into focus. There are so many challenges to overcome. The audience listens breathlessly. Just the question of how the lighting situation of a virtual character is exactly adapted to a real situation. What about Pure black matching? It’s a bottomless pit.
The professionals from Trixter give a detailed insight into their work. At the end there is clapping, some shouts of joy, but probably from Trixter employees. They rightly celebrate the result and their colleagues.
A final word, however, on the content of the film. Quite detached from the performance from the special effects department: The author would like to reflect on the quality of the content of today’s films. In this context, we may refer to a speech by John Landgraf, the boss of FX, during an address he gave at the Television Critics Association press tour in the summer of 2015. At that time, the quality and sheer quantity of TV series was already being reflected upon.
Landgraf reflects on the quality of the scripts and notes that they lead to results that are watchable but unremarkable. And asks for those that are wonderful and innovative, weird and special and provocative. The market releases film after film, almost one too many, and the quality is not bad, it is often good, but not outstanding. He explains it with the immense time pressure to produce on a daily basis. But the new is not discovered in this way. More often the well-known scriptwriters are called upon. But this puts similar stories and plays on the market. Viewers are willing to watch well-produced, technically excellent media, but at some point it gets boring.
„To be clear, there are plenty of stories and plenty of people, many of whom are underserved and underappreciated and rarely heard. But he’s right that the finding of them (and the hiring and the choosing and the training and especially the nurturing and supporting and protecting of talent for a good outlet that wants to do those things) does take time and commitment. And while everybody making more stuff should lead to more chances for underrepresented voices to be heard, it can easily lead to the opposite: going back to the same people over and over again because it’s easier and faster and it feels safer, and you don’t have all day to go beyond your existing Rolodex. And when money is hard to come by, it’s often the new voices that are sacrificed first.“
The film industry is repeating itself, albeit with better technology and great special effects, but that no longer sufficiently distracts from the sometimes far-fetched filmic content. Even the super-professionals from Trixter can’t fight this.
Post by Prof. Ursula Drees