Interactive Comic

So I have finally made the first draft of a documentation video for the Interactive Comic I created for my senior exhibition in 2008. This is not a final version. I am still learning how to use the video and audio equipment and how to edit them. For a first timer however, I'm not dissatisfied. 

A note on the video content itself. This video was taken with the application using a very buggy version of the WiiFlash server for Mac. I am currently working on a new version which uses OSCulator and Oscar to allow an Actionscript file to use data from connected Wii-motes.

Come on by to see the Show.

The WiiFlash Interactive Comic based on the work of Johnny Lee, Gerbster, and the great community on WiiFlash is up and working on the 3rd Floor of the MCAD Gallery. My Senior Graduation Exhibition will be up between now and Saturday, December 13th.

Please stop on by and check it out.

I will be updating my blog with all file and instruction in the next week but because sleep deprivation is not conducive to cohesive descriptions I will keep my posts short until some rest can be found. Tell me, have you seen any?

Technical aspects

I spent part of this week rewiring a wii sensor bar so that it could be powered from a common household outlet.

I started off trying to build my own with the help of this website but I was not able to get ahold of powerful enough infrared led's and my sensor range was only about two feet.

So I found this website instead and that worked very well. I now have a wii sensor bar that I'm going to attach to a pair of googles but I don't have to lug around the entire wii to get it to work with my interactive comic program.

here are a couple of pictures of the final product.

You can see, all of the products except of course the sensor bar itself are parts from radio shack and the total project cost me about $28 dollars. But that's because I bought the variable voltage adapter when all I needed was a 7.5v adapter.

It won't win any beauty contests but it gets the job done and its one step closer to my super interactive comic.

Continuing work on my senior project

I've almost got all the programing worked out and I'm looking forward to the completion of a successful project.

To see a bit of sample code in action click here.

This file is controlled by mouse movement and doesn't have the scaling aspect as I assume most of you have not taken the time to set up a wii remote on your desktop.

When the project is finished I'll upload some videos of the whole thing in action as well as all my code and instructions on how to set it all up for yourself. Trust me. Its easier than it sounds and its a ton of fun. Who wouldn't want to control their computer by waving a little rectangular block around?

Progress has been made!
I've been working non stop for the last week, leaving behind sleep and perhaps sanity.
I'll update now with links to all the major drawings for each panel I've put on Flickr.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/ailea_/sets/72157604534409626/

I'm in process of programing the Wii Remote to work with Flash using the tools from http://wiiflash.bytearray.org/ and http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/projects/wii/.

Side projects have also begun for after graduation productivity. I've been reviewing an old screen play that Christina Beard and I will be attempting to cooperate on to turn into a short animation film. I've also started making plans to restart Twin Cities Babylon.

Sketches 2

The first step is to get all the drawings done for all the panels. The planning has been the most difficult part. I started off with thumbnails of the four panels as if they were in a normal comic, to get an idea of the story as a whole.

To plan out the entire "panel" takes me a whole page. Some of its really sketchy but the point is to plan out how all the elements work together and start thinking about how things are going to move and overlap, or not.

The plan is to have it readable in as many different ways as possible. Its so hard! I've had to wrack my brain to think about storytelling in such a different way. As you'll see in the thumbnails there are still some blank spots that's I'm still not quite sure what to do with. I'm hoping time and continual work will fix the kinks.

A lot of these drawings are still in the sketchy blue line stage, next week you can expect an update with all the finished drawings.

The Man Who Sits On The Tide is definitely my favorite character to draw. Just check out the cool tattoos!

Sketches 1

Wow.
It has been a crazy couple of weeks, let me tell you.
I've got a schedule now. Between now and December 1st I have all my time scheduled out and all my due dates penciled in. If everything goes according to plan I should have my project ready for exhibition by November 18th and I can start putting up the show December 1st.

The Graduation Exhibition Opening will be December 12th and I would like to invite everyone who can to come join me for some fun! I'm really excited.

Senior Show Images

I'm nervous about my Senior Show Project, its a lot of work and I'm doing something no one has done before, so no one can really show me how to do it. Most people don't even understand the idea.

Despite that I've begun my first Flash demo of the first panel. The programing is a bit strange but I should be done by Thursday. For testing purposes I'm only manipulating three images, a foreground raven, a middle ground tree and a far off background.

Raven


Tree

Flash

I've begun Database and Computational Design, one of the two last classes I will take at MCAD. The class is about advanced Flash Actionscript 3.0 and I'm struggling, the first steps to learn a new programming language are always hard.

In my quest to understand the complexities of Flash I've found a number of useful websites that I thought might be helpful to others as well.

One of the best Flash resources is actually the Adobe LiveDocs but they're remarkably hard to find on a google search.
Language and Components Refrence
Flash CS3 Documentation

Kirupa is a great tutorial resource for all sorts of stuff, not just flash.
www.kirupa.com

The work for my senior project is also going to be done in Flash so I've begun work on learning to create 3D-esc flash files. These are a lot more challenging. But I should also be able to get help from the awesome people at WiiFlash.

basic 3D scripting for Flash
A collection of links to Flash tutorials
Kirupa: scripting 3D in Flash

the first step has begun

I've started work on my senior show project again.

Its been frustrating and technology is a very frustrating.
so I'm not going to go into all the details at this time but I'm trying to connect a wii remote to a bluetooth adapter.
I've now discovered that every time I disconnect my bluetooth adapter, to make the wii remote work I have to reinstall the program and then disconnect the wii remote then reconnect it again.
Its annoying to say the least.

now I have to find new batteries

at least when everything is installed it works well.

Senior Project 4

Here's my first fully finished page.

I really don't know how I feel about this lettering.








Here is page 3. This one still needs some grays I think.

Edit: I didn't realize till after I posted it that the word balloon in the 5th panel was pointing the wrong direction. Its supposed to be pointing down toward the third tier.
It's fixed in the final version which should be up on my website soon.

Senior Project 3 - kissing

I had some difficulty drawing the kissing, but it came out really well, even if it took me a while.
I'm uploading my favorites as I finish inking because it keeps me motivated.
I have only four left then I can relax.
Deadlines are a... very frustrating.

senior project 1

I'm so exhausted. There is no time to sleep and I'm looking forward to going and eating some pizza in an hour. Until then, I ink.

Here are two of my pages for my senior project. They are missing lettering and I think I want to add some gray wash to the second page but they are really coming along. I'm enjoying myself.
...
now if I could only get some sleep.