Nano Pod Projection Mapping Project

Creative Director and Principal Investigator
ICAT Cube, Blacksburg, VA, Fall 2016
Funded by the Institute for Creativity, Arts, and Technology (ICAT), Virginia Tech
~Awarded tenure in spring, 2016

The Nano Pod installation, a piece conceived through my meditations, consisted of projection mapping complex animations onto three-dimensional forms in the ICAT Cube. Using several software packages, Tohm Judson and I used rendered animations and projected video onto three-dimensional surfaces creating a sense of realism. With Max/Jitter/MSP, we created automated sound with various levels of interaction.

I took 3D forms created in Maya (3D software) and flattened the 3D data using AutoDesk 123D Make. This software creates complex templates from 3D data so one can cut out and glue together pieces like a cardboard box. After producing the vector-based data, I used a laser cutter to cut the hard stock paper with the schematics developed by the software. I then glued the multiple forms together to form the top portion of the unit. The main pod form was fabricated by a CNC machine out of thin plywood and assembled into rough forms, much like a model airplane fuselage. The forms were covered with a tight skin of ripstop nylon which absorbs the light from the projectors.

The ICAT Cube space was filled with over 20 CNC cut units in varying sizes and shapes. The units were hung from the Cube ceiling and an array of four HD Christie video projectors projected onto the surfaces of the forms. The software packages Max/Jitter/MSP, MadMapper and complex animations were projected onto each individual form. The animations were scaled to fit the form exactly and were rendered in Maya. The music was composed with interactive sound and videos in Max. The room was filled with a plethora of animated light and sound emanating from the forms. Viewing participants were able to walk and interact using markers and the Qualisys Motion Capture system underneath the forms.

Collaborator: Tohm Judson (Winston-Salem State University)