Grid Moves

Concept

This example applies the moving code from before to the particle class. It's a bit more advanced now, and uses an if statement for the tween. Whatever the speed is divided by (speed determined by dragging distance) is the same value used for frames of animation.

It still has a way to go before it meets my concept, but this provides the foundation.

Grid Moves - Open Processing Link

Grid Realized

Experiment

Even though this is almost certainly going to end up as part of my final design, I though it should go into the experiment category since it is the first time that I have tried to use classes. This creates a grid in a block formation. 

While in it’s current state it does not really do anything new, the particle class is really powerful. Using constructors, fields, and methods I can now control each particle separately. 

Grid - Open Processing Link

Shock wave

Research

This probably fits slightly into the superfluous category that designers often despise. However, since my design is so simple, I think it would add a extra layer of interest.

If I wanted my design to involve explosions, then it seemed appropriate for the effect to have a resulting shock wave. The video I found, from the Myth Busters tv show does a great job of showing how a wave behaves. I would like to try and copy its visual style in my grid.

MythBusters shockwave - Link to video

Eruption

Research

I have been told to spend more time thinking about what exactly I would like my application ‘to do’. To me, this means what effect the impact should cause. Since this should feel like an eruption, I looked for some videos of volcanoes. 

From the video below, I was inspired to create something that ‘glows’ like lava, but ‘spurts’ at impact. I need to think more about how to abstract these features into a simple grid.

National Geographic Volcanoes 101 - Link to Video

Audacity

Experiments

Since this is a sound project, it was time to face the music (pun intended) and think about the sounds I would like to create. The most important, would be the ‘eruption’ sound. I looked around a bit, a quickly found a sound that was appropriate; not to difficult since explosions are pretty generic.

Currently I’m using the free application Audacity to edit the sound. It was easy enough to cut out any unnecessary pauses, now I just need to create explosions that vary in length and volume.

Slam

Concept

This iteration is a proof of concept. It’s meant to symbolise the dragging of the whole canvas. On release it smashes into the edge of the screen depending on how far it is dragged. The next step is to create something similar with particles, so I can visualise the distruction.

Slam - Open Processing link

Earthquake/Volcano

Concept

I think I finally have an idea that is interesting. I wanted to do something based on nature, but still be abstract. In this concept, designed to feel like a volcano or an earthquake, has the user dragging the entire canvas, and, on release, smashing it against the side.  I knew I would need a way of visualising the destruction and as  it is not possible for me to actually create lava with my current level of understanding I am using inspiration from the ToneMatrix and using a grid.