Through 2022 LVA had the pleasure of working with Critical Mass Arts in Port Hope Ontario, helping them realize goals of bringing projection mapping events to their creative arts loving community. Critical Mass Arts works with a diverse group of artists and all types of art showcasing them in some fun community events. They are now integrating new media and projection arts into the program. Featuring a range of media artists established and up and coming, as well as getting local school kids involved with fun and easy interactive animation tools. Big thanks to CMA’s Debbie B and team for trusting LVA to provide projection solutions and services. Also thanks to all the supporters and kiddos who came out in support of Illuminights @ the Candle light festival. We hope to see you all back there sometime in 2023
To create an accurate “Digital twin” and 3D model we could edit and animate into 3D projection effects we used Reality Scan a new and free photogrammetry app published by Epic Games. The process of scanning and exporting highly detailed 3D models with photoreal textures is incredibly easy with this I Phone app and should prove to be an incredible tool for 3D projection mapping and digital creators of all kinds. See the raw models here on sketchhfab – https://skfb.ly/oCw7yhttps://skfb.ly/oCw7y
After exporting the 3D mesh from sketch fab the model is sliced up and processed for animation in Z brush and then animated in Maya . You can see a sample of our end mapping content in this YouTube video that was used in the NYE Illuminights event on the train bridge in Port Hope. https://youtu.be/2e70AznZ3bI
At Livevideoart we always love working with art focused and community groups making inspiring and positive experiences like the illuminights events in Port Hope. LVA proudly delivered a range of projection technology solutions and services to activate these events in 2022. We are looking forward to see more from Critical Mass Arts and their diverse group of art friends. Check out the CMA website and social media to learn more about them & their projects or contact the team and get involved.
“I have not posted much in the last year on the Blog but you can catch up with some BTS action on the LVA Instagram . There are some new developments and fun news to share so look out for more of that in my next post. Happy 2023 everyone , “ Scott Vj Guy
Join project director and lead artist Scott Guy of LIVEVIDEOART in a behind the scenes look at this Christmas experience made for guests of 13 Canadian shopping centers through Holiday 2021.
From projection systems to the build of our life size toy train car Scott presents the unique and remarkable elements of this project. Created for holiday shoppers at Ivanhoe Cambridge | JLL malls, we want to say special thanks to Maria and the whole JLL marketing team for believing in us and partnering with LVA to offer this experience to Canadians. We are specially proud of having met the goals set out to make a highly covid-safe, accessible and affordable experience for all folks to enjoy and the proceeds raised almost $60,000 for indigenous charity in Iqaluit Nunavut . We also want to say nakurmiik (Inuktituk-thank you) and ninanoskomitin (I am grateful for you) to our Indigenous culture consulting organization IndigenED led by Veronica Johnny, for guiding us through the sensitive process of respectful representation of indigenous culture avoiding unintentional appropriation. We were honored to learn from these valuable knowledge keepers and share some of that in this public artwork. We thank Panasonic Canada Inc. for their efforts getting our equipment delivered across Canada on time in a very challenging time for shipping and for lending us the 4K Camera we shot the footage on. There are just to many to name but of course we really appreciate all the efforts of everyone across Canada who worked on this, we could not have done it without that excellent team. Last but not least we thank all the guests who came out and anyone who is interested in or supportive of these type of experiences. The LVA team is excited to continue working to offer these special spatial augmented moments for our clients and their guests. Please watch the full video for all the details and like and subscribe our YouTube channel!
Experience Credits: Designer and 3D Artist – Scott L Guy Executive Producer – Mandy Leon Music and Sound FX – Hans Ohm Set Builders – ImagineIt3D Remote Technicians – RAMCOM
Video Credits : Host – Scott Guy Director of Photography – Andrija Dimitrijević Voice Over – Mandy Leon Cameras Provided by Panasonic
On The North Star Experience animation production there was a very important part of the clients request that kept me up for a few nights. We were tasked by JLL Canada to create a Digital Shopping Mall Santa and deliver a Covid Safe photo experience at the ending of our scenic train ride.
We discussed several options like photo booths and kiosks with digital overlays and backgrounds but those solutions were not immersive enough and not part of the world we were creating. I chose to use the short throw projection system to seamlessly integrate our digital Santa from the show into a real world photo experience. At first I was not worried, even though as far as I knew this had never really been done, I had under 3 months to animate the entire train ride sequence and a full body digital Santa Claus. Not to mention the Country wide installation and Launch on November 24th. With some experience in character animation thought I knew what I wanted and how to get there. I had been experimenting with Epic’s MetaHumans Creator and knew I could make a custom Meta Human Santa by generating the Meta Human base Character adding my own costume and accessories.
As the deadline loomed closer I was in the middle of building landscapes animating animals, setting sequences designing lighting and effects all while planning the project execution and launch process across 13 Locations and 5 provinces. I had put Santa off because I knew the environments and train sequence were a huge time consuming task. I was starting to worry how will it all get done, but after studying the MetaHuman / maya / UE4 workflow and trying the animation rig in Unreal Engine Sequencer I knew I was on the right track(unintentional pun). An intentional departure from the traditional Mall santa experience our entire train show offers guests an alternate holiday photo experience. We had to ensure the winter tour of the north was beautiful and inspiring and the ending with Santa is as festive and magical as possible with a believable realistic character families would enjoy taking photos with.
So based on my simple story board drawing and inspiration from a sculpture we have at home I started a 3D model in Maya and Zbrush to design his look. I used the Meta Human Creator Tool from EPIC Games and exported the character I started back in October and used that to build my costume on top of. I tested a couple versions of the character and it was easy to make variations and near endless realistic facial options with Metahumans. The hair and clothing are also very nice but not as many options there. The workflow for adding custom clothing is not complicated if you have understanding of rigging in Maya.
His long velvety red coat with the big hood and fluffy white trim are unmistakably Santa Claus but the overall character is intended to have a more natural woodsman look inspired by some of the older Christmas fables. Originally he had a beautiful natural wooden staff adorned with ornaments but we pulled it from the final show to simplify and make photos more clear.
The Meta Human character was an excellent asset in the process and looks fantastic in the scene with my custom costume. The built in animation rig for body and facial are great to work with giving so much control and perfect deformations. If I had more time I could have spent a lot more on animations and cloth simulation. I would have also liked to create a larger beard groom and add a facial motion capture pass to increase the realism. We can have all that in Santa 2.0 in 2022 we hope.
Our Meta Human Mall Santa appears at the end of The North Star Experience in a magical flourish , waving and greeting guests he silently beckons them in for a photo before heading on their way . The Panasonic Short Throw multi projector setup allows guests to walk right up to the screen and interact with the character. We used the new DLP laser projectors PTRZ890 and the ETDLE 060 lens widely used in immersive productions around the world. We consider this a passive immersive photo experience. The 3D scene is adjusted for photos by adding large white “photo discs” like reflectors used in photography that create a bright white light to illuminate the guests properly for a photo. There is also a added effect as result of the 3D lighting, our Digital Santa casts a simulated shadow onto the white disc just like the guests do with real shadow and it naturally blends reality and digital space in one photo. I have used this projection spot light technique before to create spotlights in projections for photos or for illuminating performers like DJs and musicians on stage.
Livevideoart Inc is continuing a tradition of pushing the boundaries of technology and creativity deploying the first ever MetaHuman Shopping Mall Santa and the The North Star Experience live in 13 shopping centers. We look forward to further developing our real-time digital characters in future projects. It’s an absolute joy and definitely one of the highlights of my career to know this creation of ours is entertaining and creating memories with families across the country. You can still see the train ride and our Digital Santa until December 24th but hurry shows are selling out fast. I am so happy to know so many families are enjoying this experience every day with our MetaHuman Santa Wishing everyone a Happy Holiday , A very merry Christmas and a wonderful winter season to all from JLL Canada and LVA.
The North Star Experience has been a holiday hit across Canada. The immersive Christmas holiday imagination train experience features the first ever MetaHuman Mall Santa greeting guests at the end of the ride for photos. The project is an original creation by Livevideoart Inc produced for Ivanhoe Cambridge / JLL properties. The experience was launched simultaneously across 5 provinces and 13 locations for the Month of December. Spaces are limited and locations like Vaughan Mills are now sold out so search The North Star Experience in your Shopping Center for booking availability. Mike Arsenault from Global News visited the experience at the Vaughan Mills Shopping Center outside Toronto last week and said it brought out the kid in him and he enjoyed meeting our digital Santa Claus. Watch the Global News video segment here
Mike Arsenault with our Meta Human Mall SantaCovid safe family about to start the ride
Guests have been mesmerized by the scenery and inspired by an authentic spirit of the season that lives within every part of the show. People are leaving uplifted with a sense of calm and grounding. We have heard so many great responses about the experience and it warms our hearts that families across Canada are enjoying our imagination train and creating special memories together.
The immersive train ride to the north ends with Santa in a Candy Cane forest. Great memories can be captured on camera throughout the scenic trip in this new take on Shopping mall Santa.
LVA on track with 13-location holiday train installation for Ivanhoe Cambridge; The North Star Experience.
LiveVideoArt brings the magic of the holidays to shopping centres across the nation
(TORONTO, November 24 2021) Toronto-based LiveVideoArt (LVA) has partnered with real-estate mega-corp. Ivanhoe Cambridge for a new take on in-mall holiday celebrations. Branching away from the traditional in-person Santa Claus photo exhibit, Ivanhoe Cambridge sought a projection-mapping visual display for guests to be all inclusive, Covid19-safe and flexible to roll out simultaneously in 13 locations across Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta and British Columbia.
LVA’s original creative concept was to use the power of projection technology to bring guests on an immersive, simulated train ride through Canada’s North. All aboard the North Star Experience imagination train.
Scott Guy, LVA director and lead creative, designed the original 3D installation. The concept comes alive inside a life-size passenger car of a toy train. Guests step aboard the sturdy platform and take their seats beside a large open window set-facade. Three Panasonic short- throw laser projectors cast originally designed visuals onto a panoramic screen creating an in-motion feeling of travelling as the landscape scenes pass by.
The North Star Experience begins with a toy train under a Christmas tree. The train sets off through holiday-themed tunnels that transport the guests into Canada’s Northern communities.
Along the way, as passengers journey North, they pass wildlife in their natural habitats with a dash of Holiday magic that highlights all the gifts that nature brings. At the end of the ride guests get a photo opportunity with the virtual Santa Claus.
In refining the concept, LVA reached out to Indigenous Arts Educator Veronica Johnny. Together, they worked to accurately represent Indigenous people living on the passing landscapes. Johnny’s organization, IndigenED, facilitated the inclusion of knowledge-keepers Chrystal Sparrow and Lucy Tulugarjuk. Chrystal Sparrow’s original house-pole design was recreated in 3D animation and is featured in a longhouse design within a passing Coast Salish community. While Lucy Tulugarjuk’s insights guided the elements related to Inuit culture like the inuksuk. Together with these collaborators, LVA proudly produced a piece that reflects the strong connections within nature and Canada’s diverse and vital landscapes and People. To honour and offer support to these Northern communities, proceeds of all ticket bookings go directly to the Qajuqturvik Community Food Centre, a hub of food security and advocacy in Iqaluit and Nunavut.
Guy designed the visual content with 3D animation tools such as Maya ZBrush and Unreal Engine. He says, “Our approach is a style of rapid prototyping and real time content creation that allows a more streamlined production process with less overhead. Five years ago it could have taken a team of animators and many months to create the type of show we can create much more efficiently today. Our real-time workflows and detailed planning enabled us to deliver an unprecedented nation-wide experience without compromising on the brief or our creative vision.”
The original accompanying soundtrack and audio effects were co-written, arranged and produced by Hans Ohm.
It’s a project LVA is more than just proud of.
“It has come together so well”, says Mandy Leon, producer at LVA, “from the original concept renders, to these thirteen real-life twenty-four-foot train cars set-up across the country, there have been many logistical challenges to work through. Tight timelines, supply chain slowdowns, shipping delays… but we’ve kept the train on track and are delivering this experience on time and budget. It’s a Christmas miracle and the magic of the LVA network.”
A tiny but tactically agile shop based out of Toronto, LVA partners with a finely tuned list of Canada-wide support vendors to provide a scale of services for their clients. The weight of this holiday project called for all hands on deck. The feat of designing, building and shipping the train sets to be assembled on-site was critical to the success of this project. As was their relationship with Panasonic Canada and other crucial suppliers.
All aboard! The trains are rolling into the station and the North Star Experience will be running in all locations by Nov.27 through Dec.24. Bookings on the shopping centre websites.
Installations at Place Montreal Trust, Galeries d’Anjou, Laurier Centre (QBC), Vaughan Mills, Oshawa Centre, Mapleview Mall, Conestoga Mall, Outlet Collection Niagara (ON), Outlet Collection Winnipeg (MB), Southgate Centre (AB), Guildford Town Centre, Metropolis at Metrotown, Tsawwassen Mills (BC).
##
For more information, experience photos and media requests contact:
Since 2017 LIVEVIDEOART has worked to become a go to service provider for top agencies and entertainment productions in need of 3D Video Mapping, Media Servers and Immersive Experience designs. Drawing from a wealth of experience in 3D design, video mapping and game development our XR concepts paired with powerful technology sales an service will maximize the impact of your next event or immersive XR experience . Re opening plans are being announced all over and we are pitching and planning what comes next. LVA can’t wait to hear about your next amazing idea and how we can help bring it to life.
Please tap the Like and Subscribe button on the YouTube video help us get this collection of work on as many screens as possible.
We are looking for new project partners going live this year and of course anyone planning for 2022 and beyond. Get in touch if you have any booking inquiries or questions through our contact page or email info@livevideoart.com
Ask LVA about :
360 degree immersive projection spaces
Our Real-Time 3D Interactive graphics technology
Custom Media Server Technology
Projector Sales, Installations and Support
Architectural Projection Mapping
Live VJ Shows
Stage Designs
” Thanks to everyone involved in making these projects happen and for the support of so many great artists , producers and companies over the years whos work I really respect. It’s a pleasure to work with the teams we get to be part of and we look forward to re-connecting with people from past projects and are excited about all the new creators we will meet as the production world finds its way back into the ‘spotlight’ ” ~ Scott Guy
Proud to see Big Digital bring home the prize from the Digital Signage Awards Yesterday for The Genesis Experience project at Pearson International Airport . As the Lead Projection Mapping Tech I designed and installed this system and maintain it to this day. Consulting with the creative and construction teams to have a complete experience within 30 seconds all framed around a highly detailed automotive projection mapping concept. The creative motion design fits perfectly into the experience and the brand identity as it reveals the car sparking it to life in front of your eyes. The visual content rendered from multiple perspectives has been wrapped around the car and the panoramic background using 6 projector. The clients wanted this level of detail so that when viewers pass by on the moving sidewalk they have a continuous viewing experience of the effect from all visible angles. Working closely with Thinkingbox , Big Digital and Juice works Exhibits I think we met all those goals and the many challenges on the way and delivered a world class installation for our Toronto International Airport.
Launched in 2018 at the Terminal 1 Parking Garage Entrance and operating 24/4 daily since then its almost timeless design and robust execution make for a long lasting activation only needing updates for future car model releases. I achieved a highly detailed projection mapping layout using Resolume Arena Advanced mapping system and what I’ll call the poly mesh technique. Running on a custom built projection mapping media server the system has 7 outputs with 6 going to the 8,000 lumens WUXGA laser projectors. With an always online server I have remote viewing and settings adjustment capabilities from my home office but I also make a monthly visit to the site to make sure things are running and looking good.
I am grateful to have had this experience working with all the teams involved and I am looking forward to the next big idea we put together. Congratulations to all the winners at the Digital Signage Awards and the honored mentions. It was great to see all the ambitious digital visual experiences people are creating around the world.
No Fungen Time ..is what I probably thought when I first heard of selling art and digital content on the blockchain based transaction platform known as NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) and DeFi (Decentralized Financial) markets. Its been almost 2 years since I met digital artist Mike “Beeple” Winkleman at FITC Toronto in 2019 and I know he got into the NFT market shortly after that. I also attended (and projection bombed) Beeple’s first gallery show ever and got 2 signed prints for $10 each. In a very short time Mike’s work resold thousands of times and gained value exponentially across the NFT market until he absolutely blew the roof off any expectations selling out his editions for millions and selling one NFT, a collage of his many pieces for $65,000,000 making him the most expensive living artist in the world! So congratulations to Mike Beeple and thanks for taking the time to chat over a beer at the FITC fest after party. Mike calls his art Beeple Crap on Instagram where he has 2.1m followers and he has a hilarious self deprecating and cynical humor. I’ve watched his work making everyday images for years and marveled in how fast he cranks them out. Some of it is beautiful and some of it grotesque , well a lot is gross actually and provocative too but never in a sexy way… With the amount and variety of images he’s made you can’t like it all but there are so many to love. If you go to the Beeple Website you’ll find a boatload of free content like video loops and 3D asset files for creators to remix his stuff and that Is why I think I and so many love his work and highly respect his contribution to the scene of live video artists out there. The 65m reward is well deserved!
Wonder how much these signed Beeple prints I have from his first gallery show could be worth now ?
This massive value was almost unbelievable but little did I know while Bitcions were pinging off all the news channel finance segments, Ethereum had outpaced it and increased its value gaining over %1100 this year!
Ethereum Skyrockets in the past year sending the value of early NFT adopters work into orbit
Ethereum is the crypto currency and popular blockchain algorithm that NFTs are based on. NFT tokens can be used to sell pretty much anything from unique animated .gifs to real world objects. The system ensures automatic proof of ownership and chain of transactions with direct royalty payouts to the creator/copywrite holder of any Token (NTF/Item/digital collectable). As blockchain tech becomes more advanced and understood people are developing apps backed by the de-centralized automatic system.
If there is a barrier in getting going with crypto currency/NFT trading, it is likely the endless wave of apps and services claiming to offer you the best and most secure experience. There are a few I have found to be safe and well managed and there are many that are not, then to compound that issue, the good ones are swamped by a huge increase in interest causing delays in customer service. Buyer beware if you are shopping around the various markets and money apps needed to enter the market. Make sure you are not being fished for info on a fake site or depositing money to a unknown entity. The last and most significant barrier is the cost. Like most sales platforms there are fees involved and the “GAS’ fees you will have to pay to list and sell items can add up. It cost me about $40 to list a multi edition item on Rarible and each item you list there charges gas based on various settings I think. OpeanSea lets you create items for free but the charge is taken off when a sale happens and the first time you auction something you get dinged about $90 for a onetime wallet verification or so it says.
So if you’re still reading, let me share a few tips and links to get you heading in the right direction. If you’re already holding or trading crypto you should be good to go but from my experience as a artist with little block-chain/NFT knowledge I had to find out what works to begin selling my own NFT creations .
First you are going to need a wallet. It’s what you use as ID to sign in to blockchain sites and make transactions. You can get a wallet and access the NFT market sites and even publish content without any currency balance .
I explored a couple and settled on MetaMask – https://metamask.io/ You need to get the Meta Mask Extension app for your browser and then sign up for your wallet account.
With your Crypto Currency Wallet you can make profiles on blockchain sites and will have a set address anyone can send ETH or BTC into. This is known as a hot storage wallet ( HOT = software based, Cold storage is a offline hardware device)
Next you will need a way to load your wallet with crypto currency. Enter Shake Pay ! Shake Pay is an amazingly easy way to buy crypto if you have a Canadian Bank account.
This is where I had the most trouble spending days attempting to use bank account connections or linked credit cards sharing my personal info more that I’d like to admit. In Canada and many other countries the big banks are blocking crypto type transactions for various reasons so you may be forced to use a 3rd party money sending/crypto market app. I can only recommend Shake Pay for my fellow Canadians, especially those having trouble finding other ways to buy crypto coins.
Now after verification you can load your shake pay account with CAD via E-mail Money Transfer. Follow the simple steps in the app to the letter and this works fast and easy!
Finally you can buy some Crypto currency with your Dollar balance… Go get that ETH!
Trade enough dollars for at least .1 ETH . ( TIP – purchase at least .1 ETH because that is the minimum you can send out to a wallet address.)
Remember .1 ETH Minimum transfer amount = about $260 CAD at the time of publishing)
Once you have the Ethereum in your Pay App or other exchange of your choice you can then send it into your ETH (metamask) wallet address for use across the range of blockchain websites and apps.
Visit NFT Marketplace sites like Rarible and OpenSea.ioThere are many more like the high profile NiftyGateway but these type are more closed and for established artists requiring portfolio approval and partnership to schedule your drops. Artists that do sell on these more curated sites can sell for very high price from the high profile visibility.
Please do use the links I provided in this post to reward yourself and me too by getting a referral credit from my account
Use my Shake Pay Link and we both get $30 when you buy your first $100 in crypto! FREE Money you’ll need for “gas” fees to get started anyway. Any referral bonuses I receive will be put towards minting new art tokens or buying from other creators!
Use my OpenSea refferal link and get started on a profile so you can buy/trade or make your own NFTs
So now, if you did the above, I hope you are ready to explore the world of NFT arts and trading in crypto coins. You should quickly see the power and potential in this exciting new technology the more you use it . Make a profile on OpeanSea with your wallet for free and you can favourite cool pieces and follow the creators you like. Now I am holding some Ethereum and I have minted my first NFT art editions as well as purchased a collectable from another interesting creator. Lets hope it all continues to grow in value and popularity and that some folks in the blockchain arts community like what we share and support the drops from VJ Guy – Livevideoart .
As we say when wanting to easily wish everyone out there a very good time around the winter solstice. However you celebrate we know that this is an important time to come together and this year might not be the way we want or need but just stay strong and take care be kind to each other and we will get through to a better tomorrow in 2021.
Made this Christmas Card projection mapping to send our love to all our friends and family and viewers out there . Big shout out and thanks to our friends at Juice Works Exhibits for lending the space and setting up the hoarding wall to experiment on . Thanks to Panasonic Projectors for providing us a long term trial of these PTRZ 16K laser projectors , Follow and subscribe to the channel to see all our up coming posts including review and tutorials! I will also share a extended version of this video soon featuring more info and BTS discussions.
As a extra little feature I had to try the much anticipated and talked about Cyberpunk 2077 on this huge wrap around screen and it was awesome. I am loving the game even though there are a few bugs here and there it is mostly just a great game with excellent story and characters IMHO.
Merry Christmas Eve everyone and we wish you the happiest new year
This week I was glad to attend the HUB Montreal conference via it’s 2020 online presentation platform. The event is sponsored by Panasonic and features excellent showcases and presentations by top creative and technical innovators from around the world with live Q and A periods and panel discussions. Topics included Projection Mapping , AR , Public Installations and VR. I was pleased to observe there was a general focus on the convergence of technologies and making meaningful use of our access to advanced cross platform connected systems.
Like everyone else I wish we could have been all together meeting in Montreal this year and going out for drinks and dinner or what not afterward. The online event platform was able to connect us for the most part and I enjoyed a spontaneous meeting with friends from Panasonic where I heard the big announcement they made about an amazing new projector and motion tracking system that is coming to market.
The all new PT-RQ50 is the latest flagship projector from Panasonic boasting native 4k resolution and 50,000 Lumens of brightness it has the most powerful and high detail imaging capabilities to date. Although the general quality, power and reliability are all top in class the most exciting feature is the support for ultra high speed image processing at 240fps developed for use with the latest fast motion tracking system also developed by Panasonic. This new system opens up amazing possibilities for live interactive projection mapping and we excited to give it a try here at LVA soon so more on that later, Contact us if you are interested in using a setup like this in a future project! REMiNDER – follow LVA on Insta and YouTube for the latest posts!
Overall I really enjoyed the experience of HUB 2020 even though it was only online and I know there were some challenges with streaming on the second day . I managed to still get a lot out of it and was inspired by the work of my peers. The programming , technology and work presented was more directly inline with my own business and career interests than any I have been to before, I often feel like we are often teetering on the cutting edge and its hard to find support but seeing all those other creators and companies working in the same directions as we are is very reassuring and I hope LVA can contribute to the community discussion more in the future, possibly showcasing in a future HUB presentation.
Thanks to the organizers and presenters and our friend Cathy Tucker for the invite.
Stay safe and stay tuned for more livevideoart content coming soon.
Extended edition of the livevideoart Halloween Projection mapping
Halloween Projection Mapping by Scott VJ Guy and the LVA team with special support by from Panasonic Canada providing us two PTMZ 16K Projectors and lens sets to demonstrate some Lovecraftian video projection magic.
See some BTS shots in this longer edit and more projection details as Scott creates the full project from design, animation to installation and projections.
Check back for a follow up post with project description and Panasonic projector review coming soon.
Enjoy this Lovecraftian scene created by Scott VJ Guy.
Special thanks to our friends at Panasonic Canada for providing two awesome projectors for us to use and to by Bro in Law for letting us use the house .
Last Wednesday we did the first of our live Alpha sessions . A live test of the system featuring two 1hr Psytrance DJ sets by DJ Black Amber and DJ Tommy Plan B. DJs and VJs Streamed live from their homes into our 3D world and rebroadcast by the refleXion virtual production app on a resolumemedia server. Follow @reflexionvirtual on Twitch to interact with the scene live using our secret chat commands.
A few years back we started up a dev/design team and have been working on (refleXion) creating immersive interactive experiences and reactive visuals using our set of tools in Unity 3D combined with multiple input / output control methods and our Media Servers running Resolume Arena 7 controlling all the screens and additional content layers.
When the pandemic and following lock downs hit we realized it was going to be a while before we get to do any live installations but we understood immediately that we could take our tech online via live stream and eventually a shared virtual experience. At first we were just preparing a bunch of cool 3D audio reactive backgrounds for DJs to perform in front of but that was quickly expanded into the more fully realized real time interactive virtual venue experience concept you see above.
We are going to be doing some more regular Alpha session gigs and the show will get better and better every week. I know the feedback of this awesome community will be very valuable so let us know what you think so far. There will be a call out for artists to take part in the Alpha session trials if anyone is interested in streaming a VJ set into one of our next refleXion Virtual Venue gigs.
refleXion visuals is being developed by Wack Monster Interactive as a source plugin for resolume as well as a stand alone version. We include a robust cross app OSC control config and wide range of automation and customization options for users. With our smart camera tools refleXion visuals l can be used in single screen background effects or complex projection mappings as well as producing dynamic and larger than life virtual productions. For more information on refleXion visuals and Wack Monster Interactive visit http://www.wackmonster.com/reflexion/
With the thinking we should be ready to adapt to a world of online and remote connected events LVA is poised to offer a unique online virtual venue experience.
This Monday April 20th we will be presenting the first ever live broadcast of the new refleXion Virtual Venue system . A 420 Celebration featuring some great Toronto DJ talent and visuals by Yours truly. Link us with LVA and friends on Facebook , MIXER or the You Tube live channel. Follow and hit notification bell to get updates on new episodes and events.
This virtual venue system will add real time reactive and interactive 3d graphics environments around the DJs or performer and place them into a new dimension of digital possibilities. We provided a curated online event experience that DJs and performers can cast themselves into from anywhere in the world and be seen and heard by their global audience. There are so many possibilities of how users can interact and view our virtual spaces, I am excited to explore this new frontier of event production with our partners Wack Monster Interactive and a network of amazing artists and creators. Please get in touch if you are interested in using this service to host your online virtual events.
I went live last week with our first LVA live VLOG stream where we will be discussing and showcasing projects and topics like projection mapping, digital design techniques, real time graphics and now live streaming content and virtual events,
I hope you check out the first episode and subscribe to the You Tube Channel to help us grow and get notified about our next video.
You can also catch me on MIXER doing some VR gaming and 3D art plus re streaming the VLOG show and some other cool streamers on the platform.
Until next time … Hats of to you my digital warriors ,
First we want to wish everyone out there a safe and healthy week. Hopefully everyone who can is staying in and helping to stop the spread while our essential workers are out there keeping things moving. We are all in this together and taking care of each other by following the precautions to help bring things back to normal . I made a GIF that is shared in the previous blog post to help spread the message of #stayhome if anyone feels like sharing it out there.
Get Linked in to LVA If you are on Linked-in and want to connect with Livevideoart on that platform please click the image below and follow our new official business page. https://www.linkedin.com/company/livevideoart I have had some luck on this job search site as a freelancer with some big opportunities finding me once and a while over the years and so we hope this trend will grow along with us at our new LVA home on Linked In.
Live Streams and Vlogs We have set up some streaming channels in an attempt to stay connected with our audience and friends out there and also encourage us to publish some more VLOG style content with some live streams showing design and project process.
For the foreseeable future we will do a live stream at least once a week starting Tuesday March 31st, on You Tube and on Mixer featuring original live performances DJ/VJ mixes info vids like tips on using Resolume for VJs & projection mapping artists. We also have a space for some casual VR gaming streams and place to geek out on the latest piece of ARVJ kit. https://mixer.com/ElementalAV
Z Brush is one of my main modeling tools along with Maya and I have used it for a wide range of production needs. 3D sculpting tools like Z brush are used to add hyper realistic details to models or create full 3d assets in a unique intuitive artist driven way. Powerful exporting tools allow us to create high detail production content as well as real time game models or files for 3D printing within the same workflow. Seamless fie sending to Maya and back makes it easy to build and texture objects and then pop into Maya with Go Z to animate and set things up. Once a base model file is set up we export the model for use in Unity 3d where we apply the refleXion component effects and animator controls. We are building up some cool content for the first refleXion release from Wack Monster Interactive that I am excited to share soon. Experimenting with some concepts like unlocking and unfolding interconnected objects as you explore our first real-time visuals source app… More on that to come Check out a few videos I will list here of my sculpting / modelling process in Z brush. The mutant shark was used in The Funhouse Underwater Ballroom Halloween scene and came out to attack the “glass” wall scaring the kids who came near triggering out interactive sensor zones.
Learn more about refleXion real time visuals systems at www.reflexionvisuals.com
Just want to wish everyone a safe time ahead and send a huge thank you out to all the health care workers and other essential workers out there keeping the world moving. We hope to see you and share much more livevideoart IRL soon as this all clears up . Vj Guy 🙂 one <3
