Augmented Reality

Augmented Reality Sketch Cont…Part 6 (Future Developments)

Posted on by TierneyD123

Throughout the augmented reality sketch process, I have noticed certain areas that could be improved upon. These improvements range from exploring more of the city of Plymouth to using different software. Below, I will document what I would do differently if I were to do this sketch again.

Ideas/Sketch:

  • If I were to do this project again, I would approach it differently. With my project, instead of just staying around the campus of Plymouth Uni, I could have explored more of Plymouth, such as that of the Barbican. It would also mean that people could explore more of Plymouth. In addition to this, instead of choosing random artists, or artists that I think have changed the art world, I could research into Plymouth Artists and shown their work instead.
  • Also, I could have implemented some sort of GPS tracking, so I could see which ‘artworks’ are more popular then others. It would also allow me to see what routes people took and then potentially add other elements to my sketch such as a quiz about the prior artwork and then when they got to the final artwork, they could see how well the had done.

Software:

  • As mentioned in the previous post about Strengths and weaknesses, I mentioned how Layar was slightly basic and didn’t allow you to use certain features. This restricted what features I could access and use. If I were to use this software again, I would look into the premium account to see what other features are included, and to see how I could use them in my sketch.
  • Layar itself would sometimes reject my images that I was trying to use as the base image as it would say that it was either contained symmetry, patterns or was mirrored, even when it wasn’t, so for this reason, if I were to do this again, I would use Unity, which the next point gives details on.
  • In addition to this, if I were to do this project again, I would look at Unity and other programs to see how I could develop my idea further. With Unity, you can code your program to do different things. For example, I could code Unity so that when the images appear, an narrator could talk you through the different artists as well as tell you about their works. Also, I could create some sort of hologram or 3D replica of the artist to stand beside their work.

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This are the points that I thought could be improved upon if I were to do this project again.

 

 

Augmented Reality Sketch Cont…Part 5 (End Results, Strengths & Weaknesses)

Posted on by TierneyD123

My augmented reality sketch is now completed. Throughout this project, I have documented the process of how I created each page of the sketch. I decided in the end, instead of adding sounds of talking or muttering, I decided to add different music to each sketch, to try and reflect the different types of artwork. For example, on the Pablo Picasso sketch, I decided to go with classical music. When you scan the image, the music will play automatically (as long as you are connected to either 3G, 4G or wifi). I thought that this added to the experience of my augmented art museum, as it made it have more character and people would be more interested in it, then if it was silent.In general I feel that my sketch is good, but I know that it could have been better and that if I were to do this project again, there are areas where it could be improved (this will be in the following post). Below, are the completed sketches and what they look like:

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If you want try out and scan the base images then scan these images below: (you may want to enlarge them by clicking them!)

 

Throughout the documentation of the process, I have noted down the strengths and weaknesses of not only my augmented reality sketch, but also of the software that I have used. I have broken it down below and explained about each point.

Strengths:

  • Uniqueness – I believe that my augmented reality sketch has a little bit of uniqueness to it as its something that hasn’t really been done before. There are virtual tours of museum’s online, but with the one I have created, it gives people the opportunity to explore the city as well as learn about famous artists. It probably could be easily developed for other cities, as well as for any other outside spaces.
  • Simplicity – The sketch itself is pretty simple to use. All somebody would have to do in order to use it, is scan the necessary building that the images are on. For example, with the Pablo Picasso gallery, all that people would need to do, is scan the correct area of the building, and then the images would appear.
  • Layar – Layar itself was a strength as it was able to do what I wanted it to do. It allowed me to upload the images I wanted to, and allowed me to also link websites to each picture. It also allows you do put audio files in, videos/youtube links, as well as linking to Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. Also with Layar, it stays there for a certain amount of time depending on whether you have a free or premium account. Even though I have a free account, it still allows for the campaign or AR sketch to be public for 60 days. 🙂
  • Augmented Reality Sketches – The sketches themselves work pretty well, whether testing it on a digital image of the building I took, or scanning the actual building I used in the real world. The majority of the time the Layar app will load up the sketches when they buildings have been scanned.
  • Sound Element – The sound element, I personally think adds to the general appeal of my sketch. It adds a new layer to it as it adds a certain feel to it.

Weaknesses:

  • Simplicity – It being simple can potentially be a weakness. All the sketch does is loads images up of certain artist’s artwork and has links to their work so people can find out about it.
  • Layar – Layar itself has several drawbacks. Firstly, by only having a free account, the sketch will only appear for 60 days. Also, when scanning an image with the Layar app using a smartphone or any device, it zooms in slightly, so when viewing the sketches on the buildings outside, it can appear not to fit to the image and I had to put my phone landscape to fit everything in. In addition to this, a free account on Layar does not give you access to all the features available, some of which could have come in handy, such as Geo-Layer, which allows you to set points of interest. This would have been a good feature to have used for the mapping element of my sketch. Furthermore, if you have taken a picture of a building, and you want to scan this building in real life, Layar can sometimes not show the augmented reality as the lighting etc, needs to be fairly, if not accurate to that of the original image.
  • Augmented Reality Sketches – One of my sketches, (Banksy) will not work properly if scanning the actual building. I tried numerous times to get it to work, but it would not view correctly no matter how close or far away I stood. Even when it did work, the images were at a weird angle and it did not view correctly.
  • My Ability – I believe that if I had to ability to, I would have tried to have created something more complicated in Unity, as Unity you can make so much more interesting things. However, I did not feel like I had the ability to use this program, as whilst using it in practical sessions, we had to code, which isn’t my strongest point.
  • My Idea – I feel like my idea could have been developed a little better. If I were to do this project again, I would probably aim to go more around the city of Plymouth instead of staying around campus. Also, instead of just using 3 random artists, I could have perhaps either decided to have shown some work that I have done, so made it an exhibition about my works or possibly have researched into some Plymouth artist’s and shown their work throughout the city of Plymouth.

As you can see, my augmented reality sketch did have both strengths and weaknesses, as most work usually does. I would like to try and improve on the points that I have indicated above and in the future, make this project again and see how it turns out.

Hope you enjoyed my augmented reality sketch, and be sure to scan those images above!

Tierney 🙂

Augmented Reality Sketch Cont…Part 4

Posted on by TierneyD123

My augmented reality sketch is nearing its final and completed stages. For the final page of my sketch, I decided to base it upon Damien Hirst. The reason why I picked Damien Hirst is that his work is quite controversial, but sometimes quite interesting. His most famous piece is that of The Physical Impossibility of Death in the Mind of Someone Living, in which a thirteen foot tiger shark is preserved in a tank of formaldehyde. This piece has become known as one of the most iconic displays in contemporary culture. I decided to put his work in as I quite like some of his pieces as some have very interesting back stories on how they came about.

For this particular ‘display’, I decided to use the side of Francis Drake Halls as this provided a good space. Also, both Hirst and Sir Francis Drake, made a significant impact upon the UK. As previously mentioned, Hirst has impacted greatly in the art world, as much of his work goes against the norm, especially with much of work regarding Death. Sir Francis Drake had a big impact upon the UK, although hundred of years ago. He managed to defend the UK from the Spanish Armada and this subsequently changed the future of the UK. Therefore, the reason why I put these two together, is due to the fact that they both changed the UK and had huge impacts upon culture of England.I took a picture of the side of Francis Drake Halls and then uploaded on Layar. I then found some images of Damien Hirst’s work and then added it onto a picture layer on Layar. I picked 4 images to use as they fitted quite well with the building, and I also added in the silhouette of people.  Below is what it turned out like:

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I still need to add a couple of web links to the images, so people can find out about Damien Hirst’s work. I also need to add sound to each of my Layar sketch’s to go with the silhouettes.

The last thing I did was I took a picture of the Plymouth University Campus map and added the artists images to it, in which this would recreate a map in a museum informing whereabouts each display was. I would have preferred to have put text in, so that when people scanned it, it would pop up with text, but this isn’t an option on Layar. Also the overall quality of the map isn’t too clear, as I had to crop the map image in order for Layar to accept it. This is what the map creation looks like:

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In the following blog posts I will show the end results as to what each one looks like. I will also then analyse the strengths and weaknesses of my project, what impacts it had, future developments and how it relates to the city with used.

Tierney 🙂

Augmented Reality Sketch Cont…Part 3

Posted on by TierneyD123

For my next page of my augmented reality sketch, instead of sticking with classic artwork like Picasso, I decided to go for something slightly more modern and rebellious. This is going to be graffiti and focus on Banksy. I kept with the same sort of style as the Picasso one, but chose a more fitting base image for the graffiti images to be place upon. I took an photo of a building that would more than likely be a main target for graffiti, and its that of the Charles Seale-Hayne library.

Banksy is one of the most well known graffiti artist’s in the UK and his identity remains unknown as in the UK graffiti is a crime. As well as being a graffiti artist, he is also a political activist, film director and painter. Much of his artwork is mocking or ridicule and dark humour to get his messages across. The style of his work consists mainly of stenciling. His artwork is primarily seen on the sides of buildings or public spaces which is basically what my augmented reality sketch is going to do.

This is what this augmented reality sketch looks like currently:

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The sounds still needs to be added to each of the sketches as I have yet to find a good sound clip to work with. In addition to this, my third augmented sketch will be based around a digital artist and be placed upon an image of a screen and use a image carousel so that it looks like the images that will be included will move. I need to research into a digital artist, and I’ve also thought about integrating some sort of GPS augmented reality, that tells you which buildings you can find these virtual displays.

I will keep you updated with my next augmented reality sketch!

Tierney 🙂

Augmented Reality Sketch Cont..Part 2

Posted on by TierneyD123

As I continued to make my augmented reality sketch, I began to notice that it was a little plain and simple. I decided to add some website links so that people can find out about the artworks that I’ve used. I’ve also decided to make it more dynamic to add silhouette of people and later on add a sound clip of people talking or muttering so that it adds an extra element to it. I changed how I was going to project the artists work. At first I was going to put several different artist’s work on one base image, but instead I have decided to take separate artist’s and put their work on different buildings.

I’ve also decided that my augmented reality sketch will be like virtual art gallery, so instead of having to go a mainstream art museum, you can just scan these buildings throughout Plymouth University and view these images. Mine is taking the form of a public artworks as its integrating canvas based artworks into the virtual world and thus making it a public artwork as people who are just walking by, can scan the building and view it, thus making it public artwork as it is out in the open.

This is what it looks like so far:

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This first page on Layar consists of Pablo Picasso’s work, as he was one of the most famous artists as well as being an influential artist and transforming 20th Century Art and being the creator of Cubism.The reason why I have put Picasso’s work on the Portland Square Building is due to the fact that it was transformed from an air raid shelter. The idea of transformation linking these two things together I think works particularly well as they both changed history in different ways. Firstly Picasso changed the art world as he completely changed the way people make art. Instead of keeping to the same standard view of painting an environment the way you see it, he experimented with cubism, which transformed and inspired many of todays art. In much the same way, Portland Square has been transformed. During WW2, Portland Square was an air raid shelter and then in 2006 was transformed into a learning area consisting of three buildings. The uniqueness in how these two have either changed history or changed form, formed the basis for why I put these two together.

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The next step for my augmented reality sketch is to add some sound such as muttering or talking, and to continue making several other Layar applications with other artist’s artworks.

Tierney 🙂

Augmented Reality Sketch…Part 1

Posted on by TierneyD123

My idea for the augmented reality sketch is to incorporate public and urban artworks. I’m basically wanting to create a virtual walkthrough art gallery. I’m going to use the buildings that are in the University campus as it’s fairly easy and its quite an easy area to walk around. I decided to do this as its something different that hasn’t really been done before. There have been instances of augmented reality applications that integrate some form of urban artwork.

For example, The Heavy Projects blends both technology and creativity to either make or find new modes of communicating ideas. They try to create innovative interfaces between digital design and physical worlds, to try and provoke the imagination and challenge existing modes of communication and styles art, design and interaction.

An example of their work is that of the Moto Museum at St. Louis in September 2013. The Heavy Projects collaborated with the Grand Center, the Art and Life Alliance and MOMO, they created a digital, immersive, and interactive mural on the Moto Museum. It consisted of 14 individual basic shapes embedded in the painted mural. The Re+Public App unlocks 42, digital variations of those basic shapes and allows user to view and randomly re-compose the mural into hundreds of variations. The video clip below shows what this project looks like:

http://www.apollo-magazine.com/augmented-reality/

http://www.theheavyprojects.com/about

I will be using Layar to create my augmented reality sketch as this software/program has the necessary features I need in order to get my sketch to work correctly.

The public and urban artworks will consist of famous artworks from artists such as Van Gogh, Claude Monet and Pablo Picasso as well as other artists. I will then take some images of buildings or the pedestrian subways around Plymouth, so that when these particular areas are scanned, the images will appear. Here are some of the images that I might use:

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These images will be the base layer for my augmented reality sketch. Whilst on Layar I will then add an image layer on top so that I can add the artwork images. This is what an prototype image looks like:

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If you were to scan the first image using the Layar App (available on both the Play Store and App Store), the images will appear, and move depending on what angle you had positioned your camera at. As I stated before, this is an early prototype of my augmented reality sketch. The next steps are to use the images above and create a sort of art museum type feel to them so that the image layer will sit better on them.

I will keep you updated with things and whether I think of anything else to add to it.

Tierney 🙂

Initial Ideas

Posted on by TierneyD123

For this augmented reality sketch, I’ve had several ideas for it. This post will detail the initial ideas that I had for this project.

1st Initial Idea:

My first initial idea is to some how involve the element of sound into my augmented reality sketch. I have thought about taking photos of different areas of Plymouth such as that of Drakes Circus, Royal Parade bus stops etc and then add specific sounds over the top. So for example, with the Royal Parade bus stops, I would put the sounds of passing traffic over the top and then for Drakes Circus, I would put some sort of sound such as coins being dropped. However, this idea seems a bit simple and doesn’t really fit into one of the research topics. Although there is music concrete, music concrete uses sounds of the environment and then uses though sounds to create a compilation, which I don’t know how to do using either Layar or Unity.

2nd Initial Idea:

Another idea I have is that of Psychogeography and exploring the different surroundings of Plymouth. I would incorporate the city into the augmented reality sketch, by taking pictures of certain areas such as the Barbican, The Hoe, and the town centre as well as other areas. I could then possibly overlay some sort of question or rhetorical question such as “Are there any scents that bring back memories?”, or something along those lines. This could possibly be done using Layar, as I know that it has a couple of features which I could use.

3rd Initial Idea:

In addition to the previous two, I also thought about creating an virtual augmented reality art gallery/museum, where by I could take pictures of certain buildings around campus and then layer famous artworks on top and have a link so that people could find out more about that particular piece of art. This would be fitting into the research topic of public and urban artworks. I could also incorporate more modern artworks such as that of graffiti. I would probably use Layar, as it’s very simple to use and has the features I want in order to create this idea.

Out of each of my initial ideas, I quite like the 3rd idea I had, in creating an art gallery that people would have to scan buildings in order to see art. It would also give people the chance to see art in a unique viewing experience, where by they could walk around in the open world and view artwork.

In the next up and coming blog posts, I will let you know whether I have decided to stick to this idea, and what I plan on doing with it. In addition to this, I will also blog the development stages of my augmented reality sketch and at the end, analyse the strengths and weaknesses as well as what future developments I would do to improve it.

Tierney 🙂

DAT 203 – Augmented Reality & Layar

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In this 203 lecture we found out about augmented reality in several forms as well as look at Layar. Let’s start with looking at augmented reality.

Augmented reality is defined as “a technology that superimposes a computer generated image on a users view of the real world, thus providing a composite view.” So what does this mean. Well, you know in video games when sometimes your character as a HUD that gives them details about the surroundings and other stuff, its basically that but in the real world!

The most common augmented reality technologies in today’s world are that of Google Glass and the Oculus Rift (pictured below), although many others are now in development including Sony’s own take on an Oculus Rift type technology.

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Google Glass is probably one of the most well-known technologies in today’s world. Google Glass is a wearable technology , which in this case takes the form of glasses. As you can tell its being developed by Googlc¡¡ and basically it displays information like a smartphone hands free format. To use the technology the wearer uses certain voice commands to control different features that have been integrated onto the device. The features included on Google Glass are below:
Touchpad – Allows users to control the device by swiping through the interface displayed.
Camera – Allows the user to take photos or record videos.

A good video to watch on YouTube is Elders React to Google Glass! It provides an insight into the device as well as show basic ways to use it! Here’s the link to the video: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xw95AZzPpsU

Let’s move onto the Oculus Rift! The Oculus Rift is currently still in development but is expected to become available in 2015. It’s a virtual reality head mounted display which is being developed by Oculus VR who are also working on a Samsung products. The Oculus Rift was a crowd funded product which started on Kick Starter. The most common use for the Oculus Rift is for gaming as many games now are adding supportive features. The vision of the Oculus Rift actually makes the viewer feel like they are in that particular place, thus creating a virtual, augmented reality!

Layar

During this lecture we also looked at Layar. Layar is a mobile browser, which allows audiences to find various items based upon augmented reality technology. What we did was we found an image on the internet and then went to Layar. Once on Layar, we uploaded our image to a new “campaign”, and then from there, there were several different options we could add to our image to make it “digitally enhanced”. For mine I found a picture of a tiger, then I found a YouTube clip of tigers, copied the link and then pasted into the video clip section of Layar. In addition to this I added a Facebook like page and a website link to a BBC page about tigers. (Thought I’d just say that when you look at the image, you only see the tiger image and nothing else until you download the app.)  Once we were happy with our pictures, we then click test. Now to test the picture we had to download the Layar app onto our phones (the app is free!!). Once it downloaded, we scanned our images using the Layar app and we could see the video clips etc we included and could interact with the buttons etc we included. I will include the image I created so you can see what you can do in Layar 🙂

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So if you download the app and then scan this image you should hopefully see some interactive buttons and videos 🙂

Try out Layar online and create your own digitally interactive or enhanced images!

Tierney 🙂