WEEK 7: LECTURE NOTE - THE POROSITY LENS

EXP 2 - THE POROSITY LENS.


"THE POROSITY LENS IS A METAPHOR FOR THINKING ABOUT THE WAY PEOPLE MOVE IN SPACES" 


(RUSSEL LOWE, TUES 31ST AUGUST 2010, BENV2423 LECTURE)

SO, WHAT IS POROSITY?

I tried to incorporate my developing understanding of what porosity means into the first experiment. The two terms I use, the harmony and chaos of porosity, are based on my belief that porosity is the understanding of space, people’s movement within space particularly. By harmony I meant to present a scenario of graceful interactions within space (both confined and open). By chaos I imagined a brutal interaction scenario (like Town Hall Station during peak hour) which had a certain force behind it. I also referred to void space. In my understanding of porosity I imagined the places where interactions occur as void space. Since interactions occur in void space and explosions are representative of interactions, I chose to highlight a movement through the structure as a large mass of people would on a train; this was the intent of my fly over of the structure. 


Finally, I chose to call the video Porosity vs. Structure as it is the structure which defines where porosity occurs or doesn't occur.
 

EXP1: MACHINIMA

EXPLANATION OF VIDEO ABOVE

EXP 1: SKETCHUP MODEL

http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=327605739bb00df5fae9a833bace6aca

EXP1: CRYSIS WARS FILES

http://www.filefront.com/17249086/Crysis Files.zip

POROSITY OF SPACE VS. POROSITY OF THE BUILD ENVIRONMENT, A THOUGHT

THE POROSITY OF SPACE

-FREE SPACE CAN BE DESCRIBED AS "PURE SPACE"

-THE MATERIAL COMPOSITION OF PURE SPACE IS THE PRESENCE OF NOTHING

-THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT EXISTS WHERE THERE WAS ONCE PURE SPACE

-WHEN CONSIDERING SPACE AS A MATERIAL, THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS "VOID SPACE" INSIDE OF IT.

-THE PRESENCE OF THE BUILD ENVIRONMENT IN PURE SPACE MEANS IT IS NO LONGER PURE BUT POROUS SPACE INSTEAD. HENCE, THE POROSITY OF SPACE IS DUE TO THE PRESENCE OF THE BUILD ENVIRONMENT AS PORES.

-AN EXPLOSION WHICH DESTROYS AND DECREASES THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT, DECREASES THE POROSITY OF SPACE, INCREASES THE PURITY OF SPACE

CONVERSELY, THE POROSITY OF THE BUILD ENVIRONMENT

-A HIGHLY CONCENTRATED BUILT ENVIRONMENT IS ONE WITH VERY FEW FREE SPACES

-THE FREE SPACES WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CAN BE CONSIDERED "VOID SPACE" AS IT IS NOT OF THE SAME CONSISTENCY  AS THE BUILD ENVIRONMENT

-VOID SPACE WITHIN THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT CAN BE VIEWED AS PORES WITHIN A MATERIAL

-AS THE AMOUNT OF VOID SPACE INCREASES, SO TO DOES THE POROSITY OF THE BUILT ENVIRONMENT

-EXPLOSION CAN INTERRUPT THE HIGHLY CONCENTRATED BUILT ENVIRONMENT BY DECREASING IT AND INCREASING VOID SPACE WITHIN IT.

REFERENCES

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u46vFMMUnR4 @35:38

http://www.unsw.edu.au/news/pad/articles/2009/jun/linkage_grants.html

WEEK 4: TASK FOR TODAY

WEEK 3: TASK FOR TODAY

TRYING NEW THINGS

A. Slow-Motion Explosion: Slowed down Crysis environment using "time_scale 0.2"


B. Slow-Motion + Explosion Physics - Explosion Visuals: Removed the explosion visuals using "e_particles 0" to observe how the physics of the explosion effected the surrounding environment, still at "time_scale 0.2"


C. Slow-Motion Fire: Something I found interesting when viewing the world in slow motion.


D. Vegas Render Settings: Windows Media Video V9 (*.wmv) 3Mbps Video (Result is 640 x 480 px)(Not HD)

UNDERSTANDING THE WORDS

POROSITY

Porosity is a measure of the void spaces in a material, and is a fraction of the volume of voids over the total volume, between 0–1, or as a percentage between 0–100%. The term is used in multiple fields including pharmaceutics, ceramics, metallurgy, materials, manufacturing, earth sciences and construction.

Used in geology, hydrogeology, soil science, and building science, the porosity of a porous medium (such as rock or sediment) describes the fraction of void space in the material, where the void may contain, for example, air or water.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Porosity

1. The condition of being porous.

2. The ratio of the volume of all the pores in a material to thevolume of the whole.

Source: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Porosity

MACHINIMA

Machinima (pronounced /məˈʃiːnɨmə/ or /məˈʃɪnɨmə/) is the use of real-time graphics rendering engines (a game engine), mostly three-dimensional (3-D), to generate computer animation. The term also refers to works that incorporate this animation technique.

Machinima has advantages and disadvantages when compared to other styles of filmmaking. Its relative simplicity over traditional frame-based animation limits control and range of expression. Its real-time nature favors speed, cost saving, and flexibility over the higher quality of pre-rendered computer animation. Virtual acting is less expensive, dangerous, and physically restricted than live action. Machinima can be filmed by relying on in-game artificial intelligence (AI) or by controlling characters and cameras through digital puppetry.

Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Machinima

UNDERSTANDING THE BRIEF

ARCHITECTURAL COMPUTING CHALLENGE

To test and document the physical effect/s of an explosion on the 'built' environment.

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA FROM COURSE OUTLINE

Evidence of thought and rigor in concept development. Imagination and innovation in terms of the use of the representational instruments introduced in the tutorials. Precision and skill in each of the above areas of assessment. Students need to submit all three experiments to pass the course.

PROCEDURE

1. Using the Sandbox 2 editor for Crysis Wars create a level and assemble the structure found in the "benv2423_objects" folder on the FBE resources drve here:R:\samples\benv\BENV2423 - Lowe

2. Use the structure to arrange a 3 dimensional field of 'prefabs' ranging in size from small to large that engages with the notion of Porosity. Adjust the terrain to suit.

3. Carefully place explosive devices and record the interrelationships between objects, the explosive catalysts and space as they are triggered.

4. Capture different versions or views of the interrelationships created in step 2 from a custom ramp and platforms made in Google SketchUp. Think expansively about the nature of your ramps and platforms, but at a minimum they should include moving elements (via flowgraph, trackview and/or physics).

5. Compile video captures into a custom Machinima showing several different versions, or views, of the interrelationships into one 120 second (maximum) video clip with titles and captions as necessary.­­­


READINGS
1. CHAPTER: Simulation vs Narrative: Introduction to Ludology, BOOK: The Video Game Theory Reader by M. Wolf and B. Perron Ed's - [Google Books] [UNSW Library] 
2. CHAPTER: Documentaphobia and Mixed Modes: Michael Moore's Roger and Me, by Matthew Bernstein in BOOK: Documenting the Documentary: Close Readings of Documentary Film and Video by Barry Grant and Jeanette Sloniowski Ed's. [Google Books] [UNSW Library]

WEEK 2: THREE CRYSIS EXPLOSIONS

WEEK 2: NOTABLE VIDEOS FOR REFERENCE

1) ATOMIC CANNON AND THE EFFECTS ON THE DIRECT ENVIRONMENT

http://www.vce.com/grable.html

2) DISSECTING A HYDROGEN BOMB EXPLOSION (ENERGY, EXPLOSION, AFTER BLAST)


3) A DIFFERENT MEDIUM: THE RUSSIAN VACUUM BOMB


4) HIDDEN HIGH SPEED WORLD DOCUMENTED

Tempus II from Philip Heron on Vimeo.

WEEK 2: EXPLOSION HYPOTHESIS

IT IS HYPNOTIZED THAT THE DETONATION OF EXPLOSIVES WILL RESULT IN THE SUDDEN & RAPID MOVEMENT OF OBJECTS THROUGH SPACE ON UNPREDICTABLE TRAJECTORIES; WILL MOST LIKELY BE CHARACTERISED BY THE TRANSFORMATION OF ALL OBJECTS IN THE DIRECT VICINITY OF AN EXPLOSION INTO KINETIC PROJECTILES. 

WEEK 2: TASK FOR TODAY

WEEK 1: ENVIRONMENT IN PROGRESS