Term Final
Creative Coding Techniques
Question: Why can't the Weather Person ever get the forecast right?
Answer: Because of strange attractors
Answer: Because of strange attractors
The Lorenz Attractor is considered the fundamental example of chaos theory. It's a strange attractor that is famous for its butterfly wing pattern appearance. Lorenz, and others like it react, boldly, to tiny changes in the starting conditions. While the Lorenz Attractor works within defined bounds, it continuously seeks to return to its basic pattern within world space.
Enter the Player, who throws a wrench (or ball as it is in this case) into the Lorenz Attractor from different sides and toward different points. While making the smallest changes to my original sketch using Processing, a change that ultimately affected the force of the player's game ball. In an early rendition of the final project, I toss the ball into the Lorenz Attractor pattern using (mouse-drag and mouse-clcick).
I threw the ball in at just the right time and place, and after 72 hours of running, the Lorenz Attractor continued to gather its dots and attempt to start anew. It's almost addictive, watching and hoping, and getting so close, only to be let down based on the tinniest-sized change to a condition. (images below)
Enter the Player, who throws a wrench (or ball as it is in this case) into the Lorenz Attractor from different sides and toward different points. While making the smallest changes to my original sketch using Processing, a change that ultimately affected the force of the player's game ball. In an early rendition of the final project, I toss the ball into the Lorenz Attractor pattern using (mouse-drag and mouse-clcick).
I threw the ball in at just the right time and place, and after 72 hours of running, the Lorenz Attractor continued to gather its dots and attempt to start anew. It's almost addictive, watching and hoping, and getting so close, only to be let down based on the tinniest-sized change to a condition. (images below)
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Final Project Submission
Lorenz Attractor Wall Ball: Use mouse to click on a specific spot to aim, drag and release to better determine direction, and nudge. There's also a camera view change and reset.
Examples of textbook and course-related knowledge and skills demonstrated in this example:
shapes, variables, conditionals, functions, lists, arrays, loops, use of text, P3D, 3D camera, etc.
shapes, variables, conditionals, functions, lists, arrays, loops, use of text, P3D, 3D camera, etc.
Finger drag and smear
So back to local meteorologists, and why don't they forecast with certainty? Tiny changes...
Think weather:
Do any of these images resemble something you've seen on a map during the evening news?
(Hint: rotation, swirling bands, center)
A seemingly meaningless shift in a weather system could be the difference between a Tropical Storm or a Cat-5 hitting your shoreline.
Think weather:
Do any of these images resemble something you've seen on a map during the evening news?
(Hint: rotation, swirling bands, center)
A seemingly meaningless shift in a weather system could be the difference between a Tropical Storm or a Cat-5 hitting your shoreline.
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This finger smear sketch inspired me to think bigger; a technology-based art installation that invites large, diverse, groups or pondering individuals to interact. I like the white/grey appearance of these pearl-like points as a more tranquil spot on the exhibition map. Other colors and color combinations intensify the experience elsewhere in the emotional arc of the exhibit.
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Two player simulation
Moving forward, I will continue working with strange attractors and how they interact with each other, how to best visualize a user's experience, and innovative ways to enhance interaction.
In this video, two players could work together or compete against each other.
In this video, two players could work together or compete against each other.
It may not be a surprise to anyone that the foundation of my final project ties to nature. In my previous main projects, the theme has veered toward environmental phenomena; schooling, hunting, prey, flight , flocking.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was how to maintain order and ease of recognition in complex equations like Lorenz. So in this case, as I learned to work within the equation to change outcomes, I am becoming better able to define, organize , and write code that makes semse from one sketch to the next.
Please consider that my final project is the vision for a large space exhibition. In addition to making the experience more colorful and vibrant , a variety of strange attractor equations and ways to interact with the space build player excitement and personal investment.
One of the biggest challenges I faced was how to maintain order and ease of recognition in complex equations like Lorenz. So in this case, as I learned to work within the equation to change outcomes, I am becoming better able to define, organize , and write code that makes semse from one sketch to the next.
Please consider that my final project is the vision for a large space exhibition. In addition to making the experience more colorful and vibrant , a variety of strange attractor equations and ways to interact with the space build player excitement and personal investment.
Other Images recorded as stills while the code runs:
