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Control software

Sofian Audry edited this page Aug 25, 2016 · 7 revisions

#Motivation

  • Tools for artists such as Max/MSP are hard to sequence cues beyond basic (eg. non linear control);
  • Go beyond basic timeline & interactiveness: Incorporate notion of agent as an approach to control;
  • Challenges from a HCI perspective: (a) "Low ‘‘Entry Fee’’ with No Ceiling on Virtuosity"; (b) creativity support tool, user-centered;

#Goal

  • To control/sequence the states/timeline(timing?)/behavior tree;
  • Support basic media (video/audio)?
  • Cue triggering in other platforms? Controlling States!

#Users

  • Performers (Vjs, musicians, visual artists)?
  • Artists/conductor willing a centered tool to control their multimedia pieces?
  • Students learning creative tech tools (e.g. MAX, Pd, OF, Processing);

#Design guidelines

  • Easy-to-use, intuitive;
  • Based on user-centered design;
  • Playful;
  • Incremental finer-grain controls as the user's expertise advances (e.g. if users are really experts, they can start coding their own functionalities);
  • Modular, extendable via plugins;
  • Support standard protocols in new media practice (i.e. MIDI, OSC, DMX, Arduino) as input and output;
  • Open-source & Cross-platform (Mac & Linux & Windows, in laptops);
  • realtime, for live performances, but latency is not critical;

#Alternatives available today

##Qlab Link: https://figure53.com/qlab/

  • Commercial, Stable, with advanced functionalities
  • Mac only;
  • Paid;
  • Simple cueing based on timelines;

##Vezer Link: http://imimot.com/vezer/

  • Commercial, Stable, with advanced functionalities
  • Mac only;
  • Paid;
  • Simple cueing based on timelines;

##ShowCueSystem Link: http://www.showcuesystems.com

  • Commercial, stable, with advanced functionalities
  • Windows only;
  • Paid;
  • Simple cueing based on timelines;

##Openshow Link: https://github.com/mapmapteam/openshow

  • Open-source & in its beginnings (we can model it to our needs);
  • Lots of work to do;
  • Simple cueing based on timelines;

##Duration Link: http://www.duration.cc/

  • Open-source;
  • No support to MIDI, DMX;
  • Simple cueing based on timelines;

Review: Duration

##Libmapper Link: https://libmapper.github.io/

  • Support users to create advanced mappings for realtime applications;
  • No support to MIDI, DMX;
  • Not focused on cue triggering, and in events happening overtime;

##IanniX Link: http://www.iannix.org/en/

  • Affords complex triggering;
  • Can be connected to other tools such as the Arduino ;
  • Supports OSC and MIDI;
  • Open-source;
  • Already complex for new users (needs better argumentation)???? hard for non-tech & non-programmers artists;

Review: Iannix

##Behavioral trees Link: http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/ChrisSimpson/20140717/221339/Behavior_trees_for_AI_How_they_work.php

  • Complex cueing (i.e. more complex than a simple timeline)
  • Not focused on cue triggering;

##Unreal Behavior Tree editor Link: https://docs.unrealengine.com/latest/INT/Engine/AI/BehaviorTrees/

  • Graphical implementation of Behavior Trees;
  • Proof-of-concept of a "user-friendly" Gui for BTs that is used professionally;
  • Focused for making games

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q6vTg2roI6k

#Other software of interest

##ZeroMCue Link: http://zeromq.org/ Alternative to OSC (faster)

#References '''Problems and Prospects for Intimate Musical Control of Computers, by Wessel and Wright, 2002.''' About instruments with "Low ‘‘Entry Fee’’ with No Ceiling on Virtuosity"

'''IanniX: Aesthetical/Symbolic visualisations for hypermedia composition''' '''IANNIX 0.8''' Papers explaining one of the alternatives: the Iannix.

'''Interaction design, beyond Human-computer Interaction''' Common text-book in HCI, that has a nice perspective on the user-centered design cycle.

#What are the next steps?

  • Analyzing alternatives;
  • Discussing it further with everyone (Blog entry);
  • Date?

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