RE: Soft for Dancers Up Date #2/ Articles On Line[was dance and language thread]

From: mjumbe (b_mjumbe@yahoo.com)
Date: 04/11/02


hello list, 

good points richard.  i was thinking if you would
enter this thread. i think here you explain clearly
what you were asking in your ai  thread /question. 

as i can only speack for myself here, here goes. here
is a quick discription of what i am developing, it is
provisonally named cem (cencept enabled movemnt)

cem is a boimechanic autonomus movent simulation
engine that generates unique movement compositions in
real time. Utilizing motion capture data cem allows
choreographers to grenerate multiple, unique
variations of a motion capture file and manipulate
these new composotions with and advanced motion
editing tools allowing rapid development of
choreograpic concepts and ideas. Working in a 3d
environment the user can 'tweak' movemnt with non
distuctive keyframe tools and rapid prreviewing of
changes made. The cam motion editor also allows audio,
video, and image files to govern movent gernration
facilitating the experimantation with abstract ideas. 

cem utilises realtime ik /fk with a physics engine and
a novel movemnt greneration algorithm to remove the
need for a vast motion capture library  to generate
movemnt. the motionacapture files are used only as a
'base line' to 'improvise' from. indeed cem cpould be
refered to as an impovisation technology. Cem exports
files as motioncapture data, avi and 3d file formats. 

(for those who are interested i have a more detailed
dircription)

what do i want to achive? an improvising digital
dancer. cem is the first satge, to work on generating
motioncapture data in realtime, then onto realtime
high definition rendering, and presented in 3d without
the need for extra gear (head sets etc) and shown in
traditional venues. i too would like to see more than
mocap markers. look at what final fantasy the spirits
within achived with regard to realism (all mocap and
cgi), that is what i would wish for, and better. but
that is a way off

with cem what i amm looking to do is be able to import
3d file formats and mocap data, so i can model my
choreograpy (dancers, stage and props) and experiment
with concepts and movement. to view the movemnt from
any angle, be able to manipulate it in detail if i
desire, and compare variations. it is both
pre/visualisation and synthisis. cem is an advanced
compostion tool, or improvisation technology. it takes
the place of the dancer in porcessing concepts. you
can give it a movemnt task via a mocap file and it
will work on it. ior if you wish it will just
'improvise' of its own accord. no other data needed. 

cem does not have an overly complex 3d workspace as i
do not feel it is needed. rendering high quality 3d is
not an issue when deveoping dances, as many people
still use pen and paper. in terms of animation then
there are other apps that do that better, but cem
could be used in crowd simulations so you do not
experince movemnt pattern effects from the same
animations being run in collison and detection
sequnces. as cem works in realtime it could also be
used in live perfomances, with sensors, or mocap.. i
will let you imagine what you could do with it.. 


i developed cem top down, working out all i wanted it
to do before working on the details. i also think it
is important to consider the output /result. so why do
i want to do it? decause a 3d digital dancer, even
constrained by real world rules can do things a real
dancer is unable to. because i see digital dance as a
translation of physical dance into the digital sphere
in its entirety. and i think that digital perfomances
can have emotion, in the same way film can. you have
to find the right setting. from a personal point of
view i have a great interst in improvisation from
working with lisa nelson, and that is what kick
started this process. 

'I would like to ask where you think the boundaries of
A.I. movement interaction should become a moral
debate' i'm not sure i understand this.. i do not see
it as an issue. i do not intend to replace dancers.
but create something that have an application ouside
of thier abilities. just as sewing machines are unable
to replace hand stiching...

'This comes back to the discussion about emotional
content, and I propose that a singular performer
(human real person) will give a more congruent,
sensitive, comprehensive, and component compliant
performance with "tonal" harmony than a piece-meal
compilation of microdances.' i think that there can be
harmony in digitally constracted, or simulated dances.
what is required, i believe is a hyper realistic
presentation (which is why i would work in traditional
spaces with real would constraints) then would would
be more accepting. it is an issue less of the
perfomers 'presence' and more our concept of presence
(1). 

i think that people are protective of thier work,
especially it's applications, and how they would use
it. it is hard when you are at the begining to hold
into what you have rather than see someone with more
funding do it before you. perhaps this is why there
has been a lack of apllication discusiion. (other than
existing beta, or final releases). for myself it is
what i intend to work on for my phd, so i too am wary.
 but i think that if we are to advance dance tech
software then a more open diaglogue is needed. 

thankyou for you time

matt

(*1) Matthew Lombard & Theresa Ditton 'At the Heart of
It All: The Concept of Presence', Journal of
Computer-Mediated Communication Volume 3, No. 2 
September, 1997
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/lombard.html
(the issue also has similar articles
http://www.ascusc.org/jcmc/vol3/issue2/



--- Richard Widgery <motion@widgery.demon.co.uk>
wrote:
> Re: Soft for Dancers Up Date #2/ Articles On
> Line[wasDear Armando & Antonio,
> 
> May I thank you for your narratives; this discussion
> is really getting
> interesting, sorry I have not joined in before...
> partly I wished to see how
> it would pan out before jumping in.  It is now
> getting very wide based,
> multi threaded and wish to address a "few" issues.


------

 Richard Widgery
> richardw@kinetic-impulse.com
>
--------------------------------------------------------
> KINETIC IMPULSE
> Digital Performance Art & Science
> http://www.kinetic-impulse.com
>
--------------------------------------------------------
> 
> 
> 
> 


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