Interaction Design, Project One, Blog Seven

I have now looked at creating a second mock model out of Ice Cream containers to see if I can create my idea and see if the mechanics work. 

 In the image above you can see the first half of the model. I have created a sharp object which stabs the palm of the hand, this is attached to the string.

This is now the next layer of the model, the floor in which the users hand rests on with a hole for the sharp piece of wire to come through.

Now this is the model with the roof added.

This is what it looks like all put together. For this model I haven't bothered to hide the mechanics of it as you can see the string system out the side.

A problem I have encountered with this model is the string system. Using the contains there is too much friction and so when the stabbing wire is stabbed down towards the hand hitting the string, the string keeps pulling down then just begins pulling down on the roof section of the model instead of tightening at the bottom pushing the sharp piece of wire into the palm.

I think with a more sturdy structure this will not occur, so I think I now need to get onto constructing the final version with maybe something like balsa wood. I would prefer to create it out of something I can take apart so I can tweak it but with something like wood I would have to nail or glue it together which would be annoying to undo all the time. I like the idea of creating something like I have above and then just chucking a nice piece of fabric over it to hide the inner works so then it is still easy to tweak it.

Digital Creation, Project One, Blog Seven

I have been looking at lighting and done a few lighting experiments...

The image above is a render from when I was learning to use the spotlight, this wasn't what I wanted, however the effect on the bottom plane + the iteration on it's surface looks very cool and close to the effect I want.

Once I learnt how to use the spotlight I got this effect. This is more or less what I want. I think this works well with my slender looming predators as it's as if someone has exposed them with a torch and they are looming back into the shadows.

This lighting just needs a little more experimenting with, I am thinking of trying to create some filters using a transparent glass plane in front of the camera. The compostion also needs some work, it is currently very cluttered also I still have 16 more iterations to create and add. I so far have 65 iterations. In terms of textures for the background I feel it works as it is with a white background and floor as it creates a successful contrast I did try using a texture but I found it did not work so I think I will leave it as is.

Interaction Design, Project One, Blog Six

After the interim presentation the feedback I got was mainly positive, and now it is a matter of making it and trying to get the effect I want. One thing I was given constructive feedback on was the general shape of the project as it is a box, it was suggested I see if I could find another form whilst getting the same effect. So I am now going to look back on my design and see if there is a way to move away from a box structure, and in doing this I am going to look at what materials I will construct it out of. Additionally another idea I was given was to see if I could make more places where the hand is touched instead of just the palm, so that is something else I will look at but it could be a little difficult. I have also had the idea of putting a barrier between the hand and the belt + sharp object in case something does go wrong and the sharp object hits the hand.

Interaction Design, Project One, Blog Five

Here is the proposal for my interactive experiment the 'Hand Stabber'...

"The 'Hand Stabber' explores the senses touch and sight by having touch and sight working inversely, so when you visualise where you think something is going to touch it touches somewhere else.

The 'Hand Stabber' is a box in which the user inserts their hand into so they can no longer see it. They then insert a sharp object into the hole on the top of the box and stab it downwards towards the position of the hand inside the box. How it works is before the sharp object reaches the hand it hits a circular belt of ribbon which is looped right around the hands position in the box with a pin attached to it on the side under the hand. Thus once the sharp object hits the looped ribbon at the top end it presses it down, tightening the bottom end pushing the prick up into the palm of the hand while the sharp object has pressed the ribbon down until it is completely tight stopping just before it hits the hand.

Therefore the user thinks they are going to be stabbed on the top of the hand when they are instead pricked in the palm and thus the feeling contradicts what they saw."

I have also made two A4 drawings, the first showing how to use the 'Hand Stabber' and the second showing how it works.

Digital Creation, Project One, Blog Six

I hae re-rendered a slightly altered version first composition in a higher quality, however I feel that I don't like this one as much as last. I think for my final I will need to spread it a bit more so the iterartions at the bottom are mre visible. Also I am going to play around with lighting to find something more appropriate.

Render #2

 In terms of continuing iterations I have looked at making stretched out slender, looming predators butkeeping them at a smaller scale. I have looked at preading thr predators wing span more.

Continuing iterations

I am now at 60 iterations.

Interaction Design, Project One, Blog Four

I have been continuing to develop my object and had been wondering whether to just target the users fingers in oppose to the whole hand as in terms of construction if I just targeted the whole hand I could make a smaller and less resource and construction intense object. However in discussing it only having the fingers inside the object I think would take away a lot of the 'risk' factor making it seem less scary. Thus I think I will continue to use experiment with the whole hand.

I have also been looking at my storyboard and have decided to have two separate A4 storyboards, thus I can have one which explains how to use it without giving away how it works and then the other which explains the trick behind it.

I am now looking specifically at how I can construct it.

Digital Creation, Project One, Blog Five

After not being completely sold on my last texture, I looked for a darker predator skin and found this texture of snake skin...

Snake Skin Texture

I think this texture better suits my models and I may continue to use it. I have applied it to the iterations in the image below.

For these iterations in the image above I have looked at having my predator rising up and increasing in size and wing span to cover a greater area to show it looming over a greater amount of space. I used mainly stretch and bend to achieve this as well as push to break it apart and look more slender and shadow/ghostly like to underline the idea of looming.

After creating these I got to about 40 iterations so I decided to compose these and take a rendered image.

Here is my first composition...

First Composition

For this composition I wanted to have my iterations appearing from a central spot showing there development as they loom away. I decided to have a white floor and wall to make the predators seem like shadows as shadows are often associated with looming, also I like the idea of creating confusion between what is a shadow and what isn't to enforce the idea of a predator looming, as with my precedent image of the shark you just see a silhouette in the distance. 

Precedent Image

I think that in this image the lighting is far too bright I would like to try having it very dark with maybe just a spot light running through the middle, I think this will better bring across the idea of looming. The lighting also made my iterations at the back look grey which I don't like.

After doing that I went back to creating more iterations. I decided to bring the size back down from my previous iterations as I think I have now covered that scale enough. So I used modifiers like twist and removed the stretch modifiers to get smaller looming predators. I also used melt to melt them into the ground a bit to go with my narrative as with my previous iterations they had been looming out into space, now I am taking them back down to loom against the walls as almost shadows.

I am now at about 50 iterations.