Project Statement

“Unreal Picnic Invasion” is an augmented reality installation that allows the viewer to interact with 3D insects moving around a table top. This project is an exploration using real-time position tracking and graphics rendering to create virtual world that can be interacted with real world objects.
The premise of my project focuses on interacting with 3D models using real world items. During my research on works done using augmented reality, specifically works using tracking markers, I did not find many examples of works taking full advantage of the technology. With using tracking markers, you can give 3D objects their own XYZ coordinates in a 3D space and this also allows you to give them information on where other objects are in this 3D space as well. When my characters come into “contact” with the real objects they will run an animation that is appropriate to being hit by the real world item.
The theme of my project is set as a picnic so the main characters are insect based. There is a fly, an ant, and a slug character that continually tries to steal your grapes. I wanted to have the characters resemble cartoon characters so I used solid colors for their body textures. When modeling them out I wanted to make them in the same theme as characters from the video game Team Fortress 2, so I gave them each their own wearable item that signifies hostility and a sense of up-to-no-good. The fly wears a knitted ski mask, the ant wears a gas mask, and the slug wears a bandit mask. I also wanted the characters to have a wearable object so when they die they leave that remnant behind.
My installation is inspired by the classic “Whack-A-Mole” game, which encourages players to hit various moles that pop up and down from holes with a mallet. Taking this concept of using a mallet to bop creatures on the head, I created this installation with the idea of using real objects to “bop” the 3D insects. The insects wonder about on the table as they try to collect the grapes from the end of the table. Once the insects reach the grapes they pick one up and carry back to the opposite side of the table. The viewer is able to torment the insects by squishing them with a flyswatter, setting them on fire with a flaming stick, and melting the slug with salt.


Maya
Virtools
Webcam
Plasma Display
ARToolKit Markers
Flyswatter
Stick
Salt Shaker
Table cloth