Update descriptions
December 4, 2008
I feel like I have created a mostly finished project. I got the paint aspect working correctly, including changing colors and stroke thickness. I also created another type of depiction using dots that avoid where the laser pointer has drawn. I have also included a link to download the .png images needed to run a simple test version of my program. I drew a triangle with the laser pointer, so this is the image that should appear.
I am disappointed that I could not get the fireworks part to work correctly, but this was one of the last milestones I had determined I would reach. I am also greatly disappointed that I was unable to get my program to work in real time as I feel that this would have been more impressive, but I hope to get that working in the future. However, I am still quite proud of the work that I have accomplished and looking back perhaps I didn’t realize how much time was required for each aspect. I feel like this project challenged me in a new way and this is by far the most complicated program I’ve ever created. As with most things, it seems that time is always the greatest enemy.
November 24, 2008
I have run more tests to make sure that the shapes that I have been drawing appear accurate. I'm not sure if all of the points are being drawn the exact location, but I am getting the general shape of what I had intended to draw. More testing will be required.
I have worked on trying to correct the issue of the laser pointer being turned off during the drawing process, but I still haven't quite figured out how to correctly code this part. I think I've almost got it though. I have also began working on getting the program to draw each time, but it requires pretty much restructuring all of my current code. It is pretty messy right now, so I decided not to post it yet.
November 16, 2008
I tested the BTV Pro program and it seems to work correctly. It has a time-lapse feature and I set it to capture images every half a second. It also allows me to limit the number of images it captures. Therefore, I can limit the time the program runs for. I ran a few tests to see that it would capture images with a clear location of the laser pointer. I then used these images to test the program that I wrote.
When writing the program, I realized that it was not finding an exact point for each image capture. As a solution, I decided to find a range of points around the center of the laser pointer location and then take an average of the x and y locations. I used the previous program I created to find a range of colors created by the laser pointer. I then save all of the points in an array that creates points based on the x and y averages. I then drew lines based on these points.
November 10, 2008
I captured an image with my webcam of a laser pointer on the wall in a darkened room. The image seemed to show a defining point where the laser pointer was located. I then created a test program that returned the color at the position where the mouse is clicked. I used this program to find the exact color at the center of the laser pointer position on the wall. I then used that color in a new program, which searches the image for that color and then replaces it. The program only replaces the pixel as a test, so I could make sure the image was finding the correct color and that that color was only found once. The changing of color will not be included in the final program.
I also have researched different programs that can capture an image using my webcam. I tried a program called Iris that captures an image based on movement, but when I tried using the laser pointer, the program wasn’t sensitive enough to pick up on the laser pointer’s movements. I then found a program that seems to be more promising, which is called BTV Pro. The link to the website where I found this program is: http://www.macdevcenter.com/pub/a/mac/2003/09/23/more_isight.html?page=2
November 8, 2008
Site created.