Animata Renderer

Animata is an excellent open source real-time animation software. Check it out if you haven't already heard about it: http://animata.kibu.hu/

Now the only problem with it is that there are no image processing capabilities inside Animata. Therefore, it would be extremely useful, if you could render Animata scenes in something like Quartz Composer.

Michael Forrest has already made a renderer for Processing AND for the iPhone

I'm far from being an expert, but I would imagine that this means that most of the work is already done. All the classes are here http://github.com/michaelforrest/animata-iphone/tree/master Someone would just need to make them into a QC plugin. Correct me if I'm wrong and this actually is a lot more difficult than I imagine.

I would love to do this myself, but it would probably take me a few years. Kineme guys would probably do it in an afternoon. Any takers? I will be happy to help in any way I can (testing etc.)

echolab's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

yeah! +1

leon's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

Ou, that sounds really interesting. I work with Quartz and live interaction with performing arts and scene - this would certainly be a great tool. I can't make the patch either, but meet the pledge for the patch and ask to keep me informed.

cwright's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

unfortunately, it's based on FLTK (a 3rd-party rendering library, GPL'd), which means it'd have the .. graceful GL/QC integration of ParticleTools, combined with ... the high performance of ParticleTools. Manual context switches suck. Also, GPL isn't very fun for us :(

I took 1 look at the code (http://github.com/michaelforrest/animata-iphone/blob/c40e092d5214822b263...), and within the first hundred lines I wanted to start drilling my eyes out. Not gonna reuse/port iphone code to QC, that's for sure :)

smokris and I have casually discussed using http://www.chipin.com/ (or something functionally equivalent) for projects that would be free, but still prohibitively time consuming to develop for free. Any thoughts on that model?

waxtastic's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

Thanks for clearing it up. I was kind of expecting that it's not so simple. Anyway, here's a link to some Processing library I also stumbled on: http://github.com/zeni/animatap5/tree/master Probably not that useful either, but just to throw it out there.

Quote:
smokris and I have casually discussed using http://www.chipin.com/ (or something functionally equivalent) for projects that would be free, but still prohibitively time consuming to develop for free. Any thoughts on that model?

I would chip in for this one and some other plugins also. I think it might work better than just basic paypal donations. People could see what they are donating for.

franz's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

chipin seems the right tool for KnM. Much better than donations, as you're not giving "generally" bur for a specific project. Make some polls to get the most demanded KnM would-be projects, set up a chipin, and i'm sure you'll be surprised.

echolab's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

I would chip in for this one too, sounds like a fair and easy solution.

usefuldesign.au's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

I feel the absence of 2D drawing tools in QC, presumably they are all in Quartz 2D which is fine if you're developing an application but inconvenient if you are just working in QC as a visual-programmer (if I can call it that). Requires Adobe CS or other for image inputs, which are by there nature inaccessible baked objects.

I know Kineme has looked at lots of 3rd Party and Open Source drawing and animation Libraries to determine suitability for a QC ".plugin" and look forward to the day you find the right one. I would definitely chip-in if only as thanks for the QC support and inspiration I get here.

I only bought Quartz Crystal so guess I could start by buying the other apps.

@franz: that installation at the station was really top-shelf btw.

echolab's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

we were fascinated by animata too, although it was a pain to get it to work (compile from svn, missing libraries etc). one of the first obstacles we met was the communication via osc (see related post on the vdmx forum)

so one of the starting points to get the project running would be a small modification of the osc send patch. should be easy to get it a bit more flexible (it's all about mixing strings and floats in one message). maybe it would also be interesting to take a look at the original animata

(http://code.google.com/p/animata)instead of the processing/iphone ports.
 
i found my own workaround by screenrecording animata in vdmx with the help of vades plugin. the osc communication happens via a small processing app i built.
(it just combines the strings sent by a custom vdmx_qtz_plugin in the right order and pipes them to animata) ... you can also use osculator for that.
 
i can pack a small demo if anyone is interested...

cwright's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

echolab wrote:
maybe it would also be interesting to take a look at the original animata

(http://code.google.com/p/animata)instead of the processing/iphone ports.
  Definitely -- I plan on scouring as much as I can (from all angles, to get a feel for how everything's arranged).

jersmi's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

Animata looks really cool-- I voted for franz's post about chipin. Seeing KnM develop a tool like this would be exciting...

dust's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

honestly i don't think a QC plugin is needed for something like this. it looks like it could be done with some sprites and anchors, that is from looking at the video. looking at the code he seems to be using a some sort of 2d vertex array, which im not entirely clear on yet. it seems to be faster for the iphone to go that route than to make a VBO, which i started this evening. half way through i realized it was not going to be instant gratification and that i needed to build a VBO generator, so needless to say i put it to the side, so i can play with making some art.

waxtastic's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

I recommend that you check out some other videos where Animata is used or even try it out yourself. The video above is really just to show how the external rendering is done on other platforms. QC just can't do the stuff that's possible with Animata.

It would be really useful for me if I could build my characters and scenes in Animata and then load the .nmt files in QC or VDMX for effects and other controls. That brings me to one other important point about the plugin if someone is actually going to make it. The external control of joints, bones and layers needs to be really thought out, so that it's easy to animate.

gtoledo3's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

You can totally get this effect manually. QC can be great for doing simple cartoons. The physics engine on animata looked way cool 5 or so months ago when I looked at it. Really charming for being 2d... and that physics interaction opens up some doors, and potentially makes for a more creative environment.

I would just like to see QC have a good physics engine period forgetting about Animata, or anything else.

Being able to do stuff like have render patches detect if they are in the same coordinate space and then "do stuff" without having to use all kinds of math, javascript, and conditional chains would be a joy. Just to get something to hit a block and have "something" happen can be a pain. Especially if you are programming something that's a side scroller (which can be really tough), forgetting about how hard this is to pull off in 3D currently (almost impossible).

I think that having a patch that sends out true/false if images/render patches... 1. overlap 2. get within certain bounds (edge of objects, to a perimeter, adjustable via patch).

... would add a whole new layer of function and possibility to QC.

Animata has a funky coolness to it, it's undeniable. I would be more thrilled about physics that could be applied to 3 dimensions as well as 2... though maybe Animata does that and my impression is incorrect.

dust's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

i like the animata better than machinima i think its called you know making a movie out of a video game both are cool idea's and i have a great deal of respect for game art but for some reason animata seems a bit cooler to me. i have been thinking of doing something similar, i got lots of dolls right now, don't ask my landlords grandmother collected them and well seeing i have a kid he put like 1000 of them in my house.

i have been wanting to do some miniature sets and what not. don't know yet but there is this one doll that is just like the SAW doll and then there is one of those ventriloquist dummies that might be cool to put together. maybe do a little decayed marinate or something. yeah the physics part in qc might be a bit tuff but if you do something audio reactive like one of the examples visualizers the one with the south park guys it could save some time. speaking of screen or visualizers i here is one that i have been messing with its one of those repository ichat effect qtz files or something that i tweaked out.

you will need this plugin its the midi2color plugin. i forget how useful some apple docs are. this is all one sprite. actually looks pretty good with some trance and bass. no i don't trancersize if you don't know what im talking about then think nordic track still no idea...its a dance thing im saying i don't make trance music but sometimes experiment with trance breaks. so here is a test i did, its all compressed to hell, guess i forgot to un select h.2643. http://d0cut0uch.no-ip.info/qc/power.mov

so the plugin and the qc builder are attached. plus the original file, for some reason the qc builder screens background is grey ???? oh you'll have to hunt for the audio inputs there are three of them one inside each render in image and one at root level. you'll have to change the input to your device to work properly.

PreviewAttachmentSize
travelation.qtz83.98 KB
Archive.zip483.12 KB
Travelator.qtz42.37 KB

usefuldesign.au's picture
Re: Animata Renderer

The animata video above really reminded me of the Japanese paper set looking Video for Jose Gonzalez song Hand on You Heart.

Then went out shopping and heard Jose in two stores even though it's been a couple of years since people were playing this album a lot.

Not saying it was done in Animata but maybe could be.