WikiWeb is a piece created in Processing which creates a live, interactive visualization of Wikipedia. I’ve rescripted aspects of the code to make it run a little better and also added a better user interface, hopefully making it easier to use. The new version includes a toolbar of possible actions and a help and reset button. Any feedback on the changes or the project in general is very much appreciated.
Post Page »Quartz composer is a great tool for audio visualization for two main reasons. First, it renders incredibly quickly and smoothly. Unlike processing, which i usually prefer for its flexibility, which would quickly start dropping frames if you try to create many of the effects Quartz Composer has. The second thing that makes it great for live performances is the fact that the script can be edited live while it is rendering. Most environments would require the script to be saved, recompiled, restarted to make any changes. This is also made easier by the very clear visual environment.
The drawback of course is there are only a limited number of predefined functions which can be used, but there is still some room for creativity. The program is still very new, so I have some hope for its future. Another drawback is it’s only for mac and only the newest operating systems (10.4, 10.5) at that, but if you have a mac, you’ve already got it. Check out my previous post on QC for more info on that. Read On »
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Quartz Composer is a Mac Application for visual programming. The program allows anyone to create interactive scripts which can be exported as a Quicktime movie or used as a screen saver. It allows for just about any input–mouse, audio, keyboard–although some some of these won’t work when run in some contexts. To make my critique brief: Quartz Composer is quite fast and powerful and the interface is very usable. Anyone with or without any programming knowledge could create something that looks nice if they play around with it long enough. Ultimately, however, it is very limited. Even if it may seem at first like it could do anything, if you are a creative soul you will find you can only realize your visions if they happen to be doable with one of the prefabricated filters or effects.
At last Processing is no longer beta, with the release of version one. It’s not a whole lot different, although the new version comes with a brand new color scheme. I always did prefer cyan to red anyway. The mac version acts a little more like a Mac program should, a self contained applet without all the extra files. This does make using libraries slightly more work. Processing 1 seems to run much smoother over all, and the compiler has been upgraded. I recompiled WikiWeb and it’s running better. There is a more detailed list of changes on the Processing site.
I’ve been working for a while on a project I have named WikiWeb. Coding in Processing I built a program which generates a live, interactive visualization of Wikipedia. The applet works by downloading the source code for each page. The html is passed through a function which detects all the internal links and creates a new object for each. It also creates new link objects connecting the new pages with their parent and for any other pages which are linked. The applet also opens up pages in a new window, making it functional as well as fun.
I’ve built a site to house the project with some more information, however this post will serve as an area for comments about the project. The site employs spry JavaScript framework for some smooth effects.
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