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QUOTE 20 from:

Kaiser, P. (1988) 'Unreal Pictures: conversation with Michael Girard and Susan Amkraut' [online]. Available from: http://www.kaiserworks.com/duoframe/duoideas.htm; accessed on 22/04/05

Let's turn to the present -- and the future. One thing we've spoken about before is the idea of emergent structure -- for example, a choreographed dance that emerges from a set of interacting rules. Could you give an example of a rule-based system for generating choreography?
MG:
One way would be to classify different kinds of motion, and then sequence the motions according to their classifications. For instance, let's say you have just two classes of movement: walking and running. Imagine a simple rule that says that after moving through a certain number of walking phrases, the virtual figure must shift to running. Then a similar rule would say how many running phrases the figure must perform before shifting back to the walk. Of course, such rules could be considerably more elaborate. At the very least, you'd want the rules to be probabilistic rather than fixed.
However, a more sophisticated approach would use the software to solve for certain constraints. If you're trying to complete a certain rhythmic pattern, for example, you can ask the software to search for matching pieces among thousands of samples. Let's say you want a hopping motion to maintain rhythmic integrity over a specific length of time in order to counterpoint what the other dancers are doing. The program gives you the chance to specify what global rules can generate such a sequence. You can then have the computer construct the network, selecting the connections and transitions over time.
If you have a number of dancers on the screen, you can split the density of movement at any given point. In such a case, you can have the system choose only those phrases whose footpaths won't cause the dancers to collide with one another.
MG:
You can also extend the notion of Brouhaha to Character Studio by creating spheres of behavioral motion that flow through a particular network. Imagine a sphere of influence that describes extremely frenetic motions, and then a network that consists of more languid movements. If you set the frenetic sphere in motion through the network of languid movements, you'll begin to see these invisible behavioral forces move through the dancers themselves, whose slow, graceful movements can suddenly be transformed into fierce, powerful movements, and vice versa. You could even have this transformation follow the path of a spline, even something as simple as a sine wave. The movements would still look very realistic, for there would be no distortion of the individual movements. But the over-all pattern of movements would be strikingly unusual, unlike anything you'd see in the real world.

QUOTE 20 from:

Kaiser, P. (1988) 'Unreal Pictures: conversation with Michael Girard and Susan Amkraut' [online]. Available from: http://www.kaiserworks.com/duoframe/duoideas.htm; accessed on 22/04/05

Let's turn to the present -- and the future. One thing we've spoken about before is the idea of emergent structure -- for example, a choreographed dance that emerges from a set of interacting rules. Could you give an example of a rule-based system for generating choreography?
MG:
One way would be to classify different kinds of motion, and then sequence the motions according to their classifications. For instance, let's say you have just two classes of movement: walking and running. Imagine a simple rule that says that after moving through a certain number of walking phrases, the virtual figure must shift to running. Then a similar rule would say how many running phrases the figure must perform before shifting back to the walk. Of course, such rules could be considerably more elaborate. At the very least, you'd want the rules to be probabilistic rather than fixed.
However, a more sophisticated approach would use the software to solve for certain constraints. If you're trying to complete a certain rhythmic pattern, for example, you can ask the software to search for matching pieces among thousands of samples. Let's say you want a hopping motion to maintain rhythmic integrity over a specific length of time in order to counterpoint what the other dancers are doing. The program gives you the chance to specify what global rules can generate such a sequence. You can then have the computer construct the network, selecting the connections and transitions over time.
If you have a number of dancers on the screen, you can split the density of movement at any given point. In such a case, you can have the system choose only those phrases whose footpaths won't cause the dancers to collide with one another.
MG:
You can also extend the notion of Brouhaha to Character Studio by creating spheres of behavioral motion that flow through a particular network. Imagine a sphere of influence that describes extremely frenetic motions, and then a network that consists of more languid movements. If you set the frenetic sphere in motion through the network of languid movements, you'll begin to see these invisible behavioral forces move through the dancers themselves, whose slow, graceful movements can suddenly be transformed into fierce, powerful movements, and vice versa. You could even have this transformation follow the path of a spline, even something as simple as a sine wave. The movements would still look very realistic, for there would be no distortion of the individual movements. But the over-all pattern of movements would be strikingly unusual, unlike anything you'd see in the real world.

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