International Inspirations

Inspirational, award winning projections from around the world.

The best of the best examples in the field of projection mappings are from across the pond in Europe and other light art supporting nations. It’s not that we don’t have the talent here in NA , WE DO . It’s the support of these larger than life creative public shows that is lacking. Projection Competitions and light festivals are pushing designers to do their very best work and showcasing them on the ultimate large scale HD canvases.

Events like IMap in Romania , The Berlin Festival of Lights and even a large one happening in Sydney Australia offer a deep program of world class projection arts for viewers to enjoy
(scroll dwn to the videos below for some amazing inspirational work).
The cost of such installations are impossibly prohibitive to any grass roots creative collective – so that bill needs to be covered by a major sponsor or government organization. Unfortunately in North America I feel it is harder to get major support for projects that do not include immediate profits or marketing returns. Also I’ve found the way our modern cities are built there are very few appropriate and interesting buildings available to project upon. Light pollution is a major issue for us and I envy all the historical cities that have these old town squares that are historically preserved and not filled with massive animated billboards , street lights and advertisements. There may be more opportunities in the USA because they simply have more buildings and cities. In all of Canada we have only one Capitol building in our one federal capital city but in Europe every small country has a selection of historical castles and state buildings just begging to be lit up.
I have been lucky to work on a few very creative and ambitious commercial projects over the years at venues like Casa Loma in Toronto and for digital marketing firms like Big Digital and Jam 3 inc.
Casa Loma is actually a very interesting large scale canvas with a lot of creative possibilities and I hope to work on another creation there in the future.
I would love to see more high quality large scale public projection art around Toronto but there have definitely been some great achievements in our neck of the woods.

The show at the Parliament building in Ottawa for Canada 150 is a great example of a public large scale projection mapping animating a historical or iconic building with high detail themed 3D visuals.
The Montreal based Moment Factory is responsible for some of the most exciting stage show and public installations around Montreal, Ottawa and many international locations.
Software Touch Designer , the acclaimed interactive visual tool often used by Moment Factory and many others is developed by Toronto development company Derivative

I have yet to attend an international projection mapping or light festival but I will be very soon. I had to cancel plans to attend Berlin Festival of Lights last October due to a big project at home.
The festival in Berlin Germany is one of the biggest and has inspired several sister events around the world like IMapp .
Some of my early inspiration comes from watching videos of these awe inspiring public events from over seas. Around 2010 to 2012 I started seeing these amazing videos from Germany, France and Amsterdam by creative agencies like MUSE Agency from Amsterdam. MUSE is possibly now closed because I haven’t seen anything from them online in about 5 years but they deserve massive cred for paving the way for the medium.
Today you can attend great mapping focused events like IMap in Bucharest Romania, The Berlin Light Festival and in Leon in the South of France is the historically famous light festival where it all started in Europe. All these are destination special events for any fan of the art of projection mapping and general illuminations. I hope to attend and also compete in one of these events in the near future. In North america there is not really comparable mapping competitions but that will hopefully change in time and I aim to be part of that new wave( if there is a will there is a way).
Right now I am really impressed by incredible works from the likes of Limelight3D mapping and production groups like Maxxin10sity projected onto some beautiful building architecture around the world. Check out these winning entries at IMap Bucharest Romania. This massive building provides the canvas for one of the largest projection shows in the world.

IMapp 2017 winning submissionÂ
This level of creative production is beyond what any commercial project would aim to achieve. It takes major sponsorship support dollars to pull it off and still holds its creative integrity by not being turned into a massive advertisement or branding exercise. I do hope to design or contribute to a massive projection like this in a competition setting like IMap in the future.

Winning entry for IMapp 2016 is possibly favorite piece I have seen by the excellent Limelight 3D Mapping company.Â
Panasonic provided projectors for this production and in this video they partially reveal how it is possible to create such immense scale and high detail projection shows. linking over 100 projectors together to playback the amazing works of the projection design competitors from around the world. You can see the special rigging employed to line up all the beams perfectly and how they arranged several arrays on scaffold towers pointing at different angles to ideally cover all visible surfaces of the building.
MAXIN10SITY is the projection mapping company responsible for much of the technical and creative design that powers these shows. Just like in our LiveVideoArt.ca projects they use advanced digital media servers and video mapping software but on a massive scale it seems they can cover any size building with high detail animations.

Learn more about IMap in Romania on the official website. IMap is one of the world’s premiere projection mapping festival showcases. Every year presenting the best of the best mapping animation submissions from around the world.

Click for the IMapp website

MAXIN10SITY is a major player in projection mappings . Also from Romania and a partner in realizing the IMAP projects. They are a team of design curators , technical specialists and amazing animators putting on some of the largest and most impressive shows across the world.

Watch these two stunning presentations on the Palace of Karlsruhe a large museum in Germany.

I really think these companies and competitive public showcases are pushing the boundaries of the art form and setting the bar for other projection productions to aim for be they commercially motivated or for free public entertainment.
There certainly are a huge amount of talented installation designers and animators here working on some amazing productions so I would love to see a international level competition emerge near me that showcases some of our best of the best projection mappers. LIVEVIDEOART.CA would differently submit to compete or want to assist the production .

In a future post I want to discuss some of my favourite animators and interactive experience designers like digital sculpture master Luminokaya and Android Jones who are using custom full dome projection systems and 360 render techniques as well as take a look at MICRODOSE VR a interactive virtual reality visual performance tool designed by some really smart guys including performing artists like Android and a favourite musician of mine Blue Tech .

Hope you enjoyed the post and we see you again at LIVEVIDEOART,CA , please subscribe and share.

 

User Review – Wacom Intous Generations

Wacom Intous Pro
An independent long term user review by Scott Vj Guy
(Live video art is not sponsored by or affiliated with Wacom company this is just a story of my user experience)

The drawing tablet is my main input device on the computer when using creative software. It is critical for using Zbrush, Photoshop and Maya in certain workflows. I also now use it when doing more complex video mapping setups that require lots of warping and edit point adjustments. I have worked with several models and sizes over the years and owned the Intous 3 and 5 medium size.
I don’t enjoy using the smallest version nearly as much because its cramped and does not offer as much detail across the screen. I have large hands and like to rest on the surface so the large version feels good but it is too big for most desks and not portable. The medium is perfect for me.

Touch and wireless feature are nice bit build quality and durability suffer in the latest versions. It is lighter and smaller.

My Intous 3 was great but brokedown after about 10 years after heavy use and some rough transportation. I got the version 5 as a replacement around two years ago.
It was nice at first with wireless connection and a touch panel feature. I do really enjoy that touch feature in some programs and the new take on the scroll wheel with 4 modes was very useful. The pen that comes with the v5 is a bit smaller than the old one and I liked the old larger version. I think for my bigger hands the side button is easier to hit on the bigger intous 3 stylus.
So I was enjoying the Intous 5 but unfortunately over Christmas my Intous 5 has broken after only just over 2 years so just outside warranty. The the board inside the device is failing somehow and the tablet will not stay on even with a fully charged battery or plugged in with USB. I think it might be a result of often holding the device in my right hand while I draw with the left in seated or standing positions. The tablet might have over flexed in my usage but I have been careful with it so I feel the toughness of this new version is much lower than the old. There are also many reports of the USB connection port getting damaged from cable bending and causing problems like not recharging or connecting. So I went online to find a replacement used and I got lucky. I found a like new condition Intous 3 for $80 and scooped it up .

Old classic outshines the new fancy version.

I love my new classic 3. The pen technology is the same industry standard that Wacom is known for and the whole thing is slightly bigger and more solid. I think the drawing surface is slightly bigger and the frame around it is much thicker and made of hard plastic. Like the first one I had, I expect it will last a long time if I care for the cord. The latest version is much lighter and made of a softer plastic and I think that was an unfortunate choice by Wacom but possibly to reduce cost. I question if it being wireless is a good upgrade at all? Personally I am happy to not even think about keeping the v3 charged. Apparently many of the problems people having with broken Intous 4 and 5 is starting at the connection point of the removable USB cable used for charging. This port on the v 4 and 5 can easily be broken . Version 3 has a hard wired connection that is quite durable, re enforced even and cleverly connected with 2 channels for the cable to lay into avoiding it ever getting pinched . The 5 was cool and I liked the touch feature a lot but you can’t beat the build of the 3. I would stay away from the 4. It is a first attempt at the new style and was quickly replaced by the 5.

Look for it used .
You can find the 3 and 5 used from sellers on common online platforms. Ensure the full drawing surface is working and the surface or connection is not damaged .
I would definitely recommend to anyone looking to buy one of these to do the same as I just did and search for a used Intous 3 for a fraction of the $400 current model.

Pros & Cons :
It is really a personal usage preference if you like the size difference between the Intous 3 and 5 . I like the larger pen and tablet casing on the classic version 3 but a smaller human might better enjoy the smaller lighter 5

ProsÂ

  • Intous 3 – Industry standard pressure sensitivity tablet
  • Intous 3 – Hard Surface casing better IMHO than new softer build
  • Intous 3 – Long and sturdy USB cable that is hard wired to device.
  • Intous 3 – It’s more durable
  • Intous 5 – New touch feature
  • Intous 5 – New scroll wheel with 4 modes
  • Intous 5 – Light weight
  • Intous 5 – Wireless

Cons

  • Intous 3 – Wired , because some people hate wires
  • Intous 3 – Less custom button and slider functionality
  • Intous 5 – Softer plastic build
  • Intous 5 – Overtly flexible
  • Intous 5 – Weak USB port on device
Z Brush Character by Scott Guy created using drawing tablet.
Using wacom intous for concept art pieces like this photo paintover

Verdict:
The drawing tablet is an essential tool for many digital artists so it’s a must have for some, and Wacom seem to totally own the market with it’s line of professional tools . I liked both versions that I have had and the touch feature from the new one will be missed since I am using the classic 3 again but it was unfortunate that the version 5 I had broke. I think the version 3 is much better built and am glad I was able to find one in like new condition . There are lower cost options like the Bamboo but I recommend anyone getting into professional or serious hobby digital art should get themselves one of these professional grade tools and get drawing .

Link :Â http://www.wacom.com/en-us/products/pen-tablets/wacom-intuos-pro-overview

Thanks for coming , I hope these review are useful to someone out there . It’s therapeutic for me to write about tech 🙂

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