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Primordial Dance


© Karl Sims & Thinking Machine Corporation

Image(s): 640*480



Jpeg Image (35 Ko) Jpeg Image (37 Ko)
Jpeg Image (21 Ko)


Author(s)

  • Karl Sims
    • Country : USA
    • Biography : Karl Sims received a B.S. in Life Sciences from M.I.T. in 1984. After working at Thinking Machines Corporation for a year be returned to M.I.T. to study graphics and animation at the Media Laboratory and received an M.S. in Visual Studies in 1987. He then joined the production research team at Whitney/Demos Productions in California, and later became co founder and director of research for Hollywood based Optomystic. He currently works once again at Thinking Machines Corporation as a research scientist and artist in residence. His works of animation include Particle Dreams, Excerpts from Leonardo's Deluge, Panspermia,Primordial Dance... He presented at 94 Siggraph his Evolving creatures.

Project : Primordial Dance


Video(s) and extracted images: 320*240

Film
1
Video QuickTime -> Film/Video (3.2 Mo)
Jpeg Images -> (13 Ko) (12 Ko)

Film
2
Video QuickTime -> Film/Video (2.8 Mo)
Jpeg Images -> (16 Ko) (12 Ko) (13 Ko) (12 Ko) (11 Ko)

Film
3
Video QuickTime -> Film/Video (2.3 Mo)
Jpeg Images -> (10 Ko) (8 Ko)



Description



"Primordial Dance" is an experimental animation containing a progression of abstract textures and colors. It is a study of emerging and transforming mathematical equations. It might be considered "visual music" in that it attempts to provoke emotion with underlying structure and complexity without relying on specific representational entities. These effects were created by an unusual process in wich a computer and an artist work together to "evolve" images and movements. The computer performs random mutations on equations that generate pictures. The artist then selects a subset of the resulting pictures to be used as parents for the next generation. When this process continues for many generations, various and interesting and complex images can occur. Animation is created by interpolating between equations to give smooth transformations from one image to another. These techniques allow complex equations that generate textures and motions to be created that would be difficult for a human to design by hand or even understand, but the user still maintains control by aesthetically directing the evolutionary process.

Technical Information

Music: David Grimes, Target Productions Drums: Jim Salem, Abbi Spinner, Ken Schachat, Seth Goldstein Hardware: Connection Machine System CM-2

More Information...


  • Bibliography :

    1. Sims, K., "Artificial Evolution for Computer Graphics" CG (Siggraph '91 proceedings), Vol.25, n°.4, July 1991, pp.319-328,
    2. 92 Imagina proceedings VII pp19-30


  • Abstract :

    [2] This paper describes how the evolutionary mechanisms of variation and selection can be used to "evolve" complex equations used by procedural models for computer graphics and animation. An interactive process between the user and the computer allows the user to guide simulated evolutions of Lisp expressions in useful directions by observing results and providing aesthetic information at each step of the process.
    The computer generates random variations of expressions and combinations between expressions to automatically create new generations of results. This repeated interaction between user and computer allows the user to search the hyperspaces of possible equations without being required to design the equations by hand or even understand them.

    Three different applications of these techniques have been implemented and are described: procedurally generated pictures and textures, two dimensional systems described by sets of differential equations, and three dimensional shapes represented by parametric equations. It is proposed that this method has potential as a powerful tool for exploring procedural models and achieving flexible complexity with a minimum of user input and knowledge of details.




  • Some internal links :

    (oo) Same Author
    (ooo)Particle Dreams
  • Some more Comments :

    Third INA 92 Research Pixel Prize

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