www.cargocollective.com/erichagan.

You should be able to find my contact information there if you have an inquiries.

Inspiration

I first created a simple processing sketch trying to explore the concepts of periodic increased size (to show the mountain goats entering the screen), random distribution of objects akin to the shrubbery to be placed on the level, and minor experiments in motion. This first sketch is located here.

Next, I created the elements for my animation. I decided it would be easiest to animate the goats if they were separated into simple pieces including two part limbs, a body, a neck, and two parts to the head (upper and lower jaw). I traced an image of a mountain goat that I found online in illustrator, used photoshop to create  and then saved the individual elements as separate layers in order to import them into after effects.

Within after effects, I created short 5 second behavior clips of the goat reaching down and chewing on the plants, as well as a short walk cycle. In order to best interact with processing including image processing, reactivity, and the ability to switch between the different movie clips, I exported the animated scenes as a collection of PNG images. While I animated in a 720 x 540 window (owing to the diminished capabilities of processing) I exported the mountain goat segments sized to 240 x 180. I knew that my goats would be smaller if anything, so I was not worried about losing quality.
I created a simple background image of a single mountain that took up most of the frame. Since I eventually plan to project this project, I left a simple single color sky which will be removed in the future.

I then created a simple fan-like shaped shrub in illustrator again using textures I found online and adjusted with photoshop. The fan-like leaves were rotated back and forth in to give the whole scene a bit more of a playful and animated sprite feel.

Animated loops:

plant_motion

chewing

walk_cycle_1

I successfully added randomly spawned moving shrubbery on top of the illustrated mountain background, but the mountain goat refused to behave in anything resembling a civil manner. Both animated loops agreed to play and I also in early version implemented a simple mouse click to switch between walking and eating. I then set it so that if the goat is walking and collides with a plant (all plant locations being set at the beginning of the sketch are also saved in an arraylist to track their future locations). I began a rudimentary goal-oriented behavior to direct the mountain goat towards the plant which was closest to him, and this is where the trouble began. The goat initially got confused in which direction he was headed, always traveling in a positive x direction away from the plants. Using arctangent limits the range of radian angles generated from Pi to -PI, ensuring that the cosine and consequently the x value would always be positive. Knowing this, I created a set of logic to direct the goat in the right direction depending on where he was in relation to the current closest plant, also resetting his behavior if along the way he came upon something even more near. However, I was unable to mirror the images, so it appeared that the mountain goat had a fondness for moonwalking. Attempts to reverse the pixel array ended in disaster, and the common option online to scale in the negative direction left me with a flickering ghost of a goat, flittering in and out like he was stuck in super position until he was able to eat owing to my use of Alpha channel enabled PNG files. He was able to gorge himself on plants in the end for the plants did not diminish in size nor disappear no matter the time dedicated to chewing on them, except for those few times where his journey led him without being near enough to taste.

Once this pair of issues is solved and the one goat behaves himself, I shall introduce several more goats to compete within the tiny environment. I was consistently weary during the process about the amount of resources hogged by the stream of images loaded, so in optimizing my code for the future I will attempt to mitigate the amount of times I run loops either through the pixel array, through the animation, or through various other arrays I have set up for tracking. Eventually this will also be projected initially onto a 2 dimensional mountain-outlined surface, but for now I desire to solve the minor issues I have faced.

The sketch is unable to work in Processing.js. Therefore I will show it in class on my computer (unless the java applet upload finishes succesfully).

which appear (either from climbing the mountain or appear out of “caves). These mountain goats perform two main actions:
1. climbing the mountain
2. eating assorted shrubbery which appear upon the mountain top.

I think that after a certain time, the mountain goats will stop eating the shrubbery (since there are no more) and will instead begin to eat the mountain itself (which will appear as blackness / lack of projection). Initially I want to make small animation loops in After effects, a set background in illustrator, and either just run the full composition as an After effects video which plays on loop, or a simple processing sketch which allows for random positioning / spawning of the goats and the shrubbery. I will then use Madmapper (and Syphon if processing is used) in order to project the animation onto the prop.

Mock up example

The acrylic version is held together on either end by a set of three discs. These discs have slots which allow the arms of the tree limbs to pop into place and rotate freely, while preventing them from popping back out.

Three limbs, with one three part set to create a single disc

Pushing the end of the arm in between the gap on the middle piece of the disc.

The limb is sitting on the protruding peg, allowing the limb to rotate freely.

Example of the arm rotated around the peg

Aligning the top piece over the center part. The screw holes are placed such that only one way lets both the holes align and the gaps around the edge of the disc.

When the top and bottom pieces are aligned with the center, the three screw holes line up, allowing #4-40 screws to fit down through all three layers (each layer is 1/8″ thick, so I use 1/2″ screws to give enough room for the nut as well)

All three screws are in place, as are all three limbs.

The final 1/2 assembly is able to stand on the desk by itself.

An earlier prototype with all three limbs & complete mechanisms. With the top being held up, the limbs pull in close to the center

With the top disc compressed (or the bottom disc brought up) the limbs extend outwards

By varying the arrangement and the length of the bars in the four bar linkage (umbrella mechanism) the limbs will behave in different ways as they appear to “grow” out from the center. I am currently experimenting with the different ways.

Here is a video of the last prototype in action.

I was able to find this article which tested the efficiency of wrist braces in protecting snowboarders and in-line skaters from wrist injury during their activities. The paper attempted to expel rumors that wrist braces change the location of force to other parts of the arm, causing injury despite wearing the brace. In the end, the paper states that wrist braces do not tend to cause alternate injuries and can protect against them. In addition, it stated that beginner snowboarders are at a high risk of injury in general.

I laser cut the same pattern I constructed earlier this semester to mimic the possible wrist angles. I then placed them into a wooden frame so that the distance of the gears matched up. In the future I will find a motor shaft coupler, attach a servo motor to the end which will allow a user to control the location of the wrist.

Synopsis 1: Vector Abstract landscape and weather
 Using the single horizontal line as wipes and other transitions, the short animation will showcase a change of perspective for what a single line can imply.

Animation style: Vector illustration primarily, combination of simple shapes and colors/gradients

Synopsis 2: A Chase Scene

While I haven’t worked out all the specifics for my second idea, but in making a version of the classic chase scene I wanted to utilize different materials throughout the animation process to imply the amount of time that has passed in the chase scene overall. Materials include pen drawings (using puppetry), vector illustration, and either laser cutter or 3d printed stop motion.

This is the photograph with which I started.

Started from the bottom, looped around to the top, only to realize I had mis-counted the grid somewhere and made my face much to long and lopsided.

I decided it would be easiest to draw as much of the photograph as possible before attempting to age myself. I also decided it would be best to leave my beard for last. At this stage I had already embellished the shading under the eye a bit.

At this point with the beard added, I could begin adding additional shading towards the aging process.

More shading on the cheeks, under the eyes, and on the forehead. I also began pulling the hairline further up the shape of the head, and removed the tuft that normally grows out front.

This is almost the final piece, I pulled the hair back further, included increased cheek and mouth shading, and darkened the eyebrows and forehead. I will add the final drawing tomorrow when I am able to scan it.

Update: Scanned final image below