IN CLASS ASSIGNMENT
Farmer Ghost is an interactive experience between the users' hand and the environment in which the farmer lives. As the user approaches the farmer they will see him as he works non stop on his field. With the help of a Leap Motion controller, the user will use simple hand gestures to control different elements. With your right hand you can help the farmer by moving the hand tool back and forth and making the corn grow nice and tall. With your left hand you control day and night settings and the weather forecast (clear sky or rain storm). Once a user figures out how simple and fun it is to intereact with it, they will never want to stop helping the farmer. The final design is 26x14x16 inches.
Interactive softwear - Millumin2 (millumin.com/v2/)
Interacrive controller - Leap Motion (leapmotion.com)
Farmer animated in Maya - Nicole Taylor (behance.net/nicolecgtaylor)
Malcom character courtesy of AnimSchool.com
Feb. 10, 2016 - Original concept. Cinema 4D design and look of the project.
My original set up included a larger display stand, and the farmer would be walking back and forth around his field. In the past I have tried some one sided Pepper's Ghost illusions and knew the basis of what I was getting myself into with the three sides. I used a few examples including PM Screens' Altec hologram display at Best Buy and a few others as refrence. After my teacher told us about Leap Motion and the many uses for that, I decided I would test it out to see if it would work with my design and concept.
Feb. 20, 2016 - Side by side of the original reference video and final render of the farmer.
I pitched my concept for the project to my friend, Nicole Taylor (nicolecgtaylor on Behance), who is an animation major. Once she heard what I wanted to accomplish she jumped on board and was a big help by animating the farmer. I am very glad she was able to assist me with the project knowing she had other responsibilities.
Malcom character courtesy of AnimSchool.com.
Feb. 23, 2016 - Updated concept. Cinema 4D look around render.
After studying the idea further, I figured the structure did not have to be so large and I made a simpler design for the housing. The final design is 26x14x16 inches and made entirely out of various woods and 0.03" thin acrylic. In Cinema 4D, I figured out that mapping an image where the monitor would be, along with using reflectance on the glass material would simulate a more accurate final product.
Feb. 23, 2016 - Cinema 4D stills.
Feb. 23, 2016 - First test of the farmer animation in the 3-sided pyramid layout.
The "projection" in the piece comes from a 27" monitor faced down in the top part of the housing. This video was a placement test and is what was reflected onto the acrylic to create the illusion.
March 4-5, 2016 - Built the frame and housing for the project.
Construction for the housing begins with a frame that would fit perfectly around the monitor screen. I then laser cut 0.03" thin piece of acrylic to create the pyramid with 45 degree angles. Then using the height of the pyramid, I attached the frame to the upper part of the housing. This upper part houses the monitor, my laptop, a cooling fan, and a power strip. A large piece of black fabric was then used to cover the back side to hide the tech and create a background for the farm.
March 8-10, 2016 - Detail work for the inside of the house.
A fresh coat of black paint was added to create a clean look among the 4 different types of wood. Then I bought some miniatures to help set up the landscape within the environment. For the dirt/ground I used a roll of burlap sack which was dyed in coffee to create a darker tone. I then cut a piece of cardboard so it would fit exactly on the ground inside the pyramid. Finally wooded dowels, varying in thickness, were glued down to simulate the rows of dirt found on a farm and then covered with the burlap.
