PROJECT 2: Physical Project

DRAFT: January 30, 2007

DUE DATE: March 23, 2007 (Exhibition Day)

• Team composition: Most teams will be the same as for Project # 1. If you wish to modify your team, please see the instructor.
• Artifact to be represented: The items to be represented can be more general for the Physical project. You may choose the same representation (albeit physical) that you did for Project #1 if you desire. Choose one of the following source structures to represent using physical materials:
  • A mathematical formula (or set of equations)
  • A data structure
  • A program structure or segment
  • A "model" (ie. from Systems Simulation or Databases)
• Primary Deliverables: Take this source structure and represent the structure as a physical piece. Any materials are possible.
  • Create a physical piece out of any material that you like, but attempt to keep the size down to one meter cubed. Larger designs are acceptable if the requests are made to the instructor, and if there are not too many of them. Kinetic sculptures and sculptures involving microcontrollers are optional. Bring the piece to the location and date specified on the class calendar. Make sure that your piece is STURDY. Do not, for example, use paper or weak cardboard as a structural element. Recommended locations for materials:
    • Arts and crafts stores
    • Hardware stores
    • Modeling kits from a toy store
    • Bookstores selling materials used for art and architecture projects
  • Create a comprehensive set of photographs that, chronologically, show the development of your model from day 1 to the final construction. Overlay labels and arrows on each, to illustrate what was built, or how it was constructed.
  • Create 2-Page Word or PDF flyer (back to back-on a single piece of paper) and bring 20 copies to the on exhibition day. Place the copies next to your piece as they are meant to be taken by passersby. The 2-page document should be composed of the following sections:
    • Project title
    • Team members
    • Abstract - a brief 300 word description of the piece
    • Description of the mapping from the source to the target
    • The source structure
    • The mapping of components from source to target
    • Two sample photo images from placed side by side
• Secondary Deliverables: one CD containing
  • Sketches of any artwork used during development
  • An 4-6 page single-spaced document (PDF or Word) describing a detailed source to target mapping via a one-to-one mapping procedure. Include the source presentation in text along with photo snapshots. On the first page, specify your team members and responsibilities (i.e., who did what).
  • There are no minimums on number of components. Choose a structure of "reasonable size". The grading will depend more on the quality and innovation of what is submitted.
• Grading: An average project that is complete and comprehensible will get a B. Only excellent projects will get an A. In-between projects will receive a B+. The instructor will assign the final grade based on feedback from the 2 Teaching Assistants. "A" grades go to impressive and innovative projects, and grades depend somewhat upon what your peers produce in terms of relative performance. Graduate students and teams have higher expectations.
  • Comprehensibility (can we understand what you are doing, with all documentation?)
  • Completeness (whether the design is complete and accurate, and whether you handed in all required items).
  • Quality (perceived time to complete, with subjective look and feel of the project)
  • Documentation
• Mixed reality option: A maximum of 8 teams can choose projects that fit well with "mixed reality" concepts. Bonus points will be provided to those teams who choose this option and show excellent projects. Mixed reality is where one merges some aspects of real-world sensing (often a webcam video stream) with virtual (computer graphics) objects. An example would be where your project was the physical representation of a finite state machine and you wanted to show a "virtual" color change over each state when that state was active. This would be difficult to achieve through physical materials only, but with a mixed-reality approach, it would be possible. Not every team will need or want this approach, so it is purely optional. Teams that do use mixed reality will be teamed with one student from Dr. Lok's Virtual Environments class (where there are 8 students registered for Spring 2007).
• Special event: A small number of physical projects will be selected for public exhibition at the WARPhaus Gallery (late April) on University Avenue. Those selected will be invited to exhibit. The exhibit may also include movies (machinima) from Project # 3 and movies of selected mixed-reality projects.