According to wikipedia, “emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions.” Thus “EMERGENT” was created using a particle system that was given basic rules of behavior, this is very similar to swarm algorithms using in architecture to create 3D forms. The application/particle system was created/simulated using Processing and OpenGL. The particle trails (locations over time) were imported to Maya using a MEL script and then animated to show their growth over time. I developed a (pretty complex) Processing application that helped me simulate the particle system (300 particles, with per particle interaction) in real-time. This particle system’s simulation algorithm was made in such a way so that I could turn off and on different behaviors, and modify properties/parameters of the system/particle. Parameters like damping, attraction, separation, a spherical goal, particle weight, audio based weights, FFT based weights, brother (or like particle) attraction, spherical flocking, etc. The algorithm is quite complex, so I developed an interface (more on this later) for manipulating the system. So far I have found about 30 distinct swarming setting that produce different forms and exhibit different “behaviors”. The renders above and below represent the trails of the particles, the video represents the growth/movement of the particles over time. Animated/Rendered in Maya/Mental Ray.
I have been playing around with the superformula for a week or two now and I am totally addicted to created different shapes, forms, lines, and designs using this formula. Initially I developed a 2D application to explore the formula, but now I have extended it to 3D with a couple more rendering/texturing options to help highlight the aesthetic that can be rendered from this formula. The 3D application is minimal and fun to play with, download it here, or see more images after the link.
Recently, I have been exploring SuperShapes, which are organic shapes that are rendered by evaluating the superformula with different parameters. This formula creates some beautiful and very organic shapes that can be used in other graphics to make a dynamic graphic composition (either interactive or static). Doing this in Matlab or Mathematica is interesting, but I wanted to make something a little more interactive, minimal and fun to play with so I designed a application that can be used to create these shapes and render an image of them at a super high resolution, like the image below (5333×2100). I’m developing a 3D version of this that should be stellar to play with, coming very soon. Download the Application or See more Renders.
Here is a small clip of my VJ performance in Isla Vista, CA. I used OSC to communicate to a Processing sketch that was running a sound reactive (FFT & amplitude based) abstract visual sketch I wrote. With fog, it created a colorful canopy over the crowd while reacting to the sounds of dub step & drum and bass. I DJed earlier that night. 
Mmmmm is a Multi-Modal Mobile Music Mixing Application for mixing music on a mobile device (Nokia N900) utilizing a tangible interface. (more…)
So what exactly are we looking at here? Well, I’ve been experimenting with swarming for a while now and wanted to make a video that combines my photography and particles effects that will draw my images for me in a pointillistic fashion. (more…)
