The Digital Pueblo ProjectThe Digital Pueblo Project

Ed Angel

Professor of Computer Science,Electrical and Computer Engineering, and

Media ArtsDirector, Arts Technology Center

University of New Mexicoangel@cs.unm.edu

www.cs.unm.edu/~angelatc.unm.edu/digitalpueblo.html

Our MissionOur Mission

The Digital Pueblo Project is building an art and technology environment in New Mexico that includes animation and computer graphics in film, television, arts, music and dance. The goal of the project is to create an atmosphere that will foster innovation and economic opportunity in New Mexico and reverse the drain of talented and innovative people.

A Short HistoryA Short History

• NM is a center for art, culture, and technology

• Computer graphics/animation/digital arts can build on these three strengths

• For ten years, NM had a large and active local SIGGRAPH (ACM Special Interest Group on Graphics)

– Much industrial support (Sun, DEC, SGI)

– Annual exposition at ABQ Convention Center

– Combined activities in all three areas

UNMUNM

• UNM has research and teaching strengths in graphics– Much of graphics/visualization groups at LANL

and SNL are UNM graduates (CS and EECE)– Other grads at Pixar, Dreamworks,

Disney,Autodesk– Starting ~1995 animation efforts

• Jointly listed classes between CS and Media Arts

– Graduates would rather be in NM

Interdisciplinary EffortsInterdisciplinary Efforts

Students in Animation PodStudents in Animation Pod

Where are they now?Where are they now?

• Pixar

• Dreamworks

• Disney Studios

• Lucas Films

• Microsoft

• SGI

• National Labs

• Startups

Dawg StarsDawg Stars

• Outgrowth of SIGGRAPH efforts

• Working with Senator Domenici’s office

• Participation– UNM (CS, Media, ATC, Lodestar)– Aquila, Autumn Light, Muse Tech

• Projects– Mentoring/TeaPods– NM Video/Animation– Graphics and Animation in NM

Economic InitiativesEconomic Initiatives

• New Mexico is both rich in culture and art, and a leader in science and technology.

• However, the state faces several challenges that prevent full development of its communities. – Geographic spread– Lack of access to resources– Lack of job opportunities

• Challenge is to surmount these barriers without destroying the cultural uniqueness of NM

• Motivation for Digital Pueblo Project

GoalsGoals

• Digital Pueblo project will create an infrastructure in New Mexico for innovation and economic development in the digital arts and sciences industry– Technical Resources and Infrastructure– Project Creation– Synergy and Innovation

• Supported by NSF Partnership for Innovation program

NSF Partnership for Innovation

• “The PFI Program is focused on connections between new knowledge created in the discovery process to learning and innovation. The goals of the program are– to catalyze Partnerships for Innovation that will enable the transformation

of knowledge created by the national research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth, build strong local, regional and national economies and improve the national well-being;

– broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and catalyze enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term.

– To develop a set of ideas for pursuing these goals, this competition will support promising partnerships among academe, government and the private sector; partnerships that will explore new approaches to support and sustain innovation. “

Principal InvestigatorsPrincipal Investigators

Ed Angel, Principal Investigator

Professor of Computer Science, Electrical and Computer Engineering,

and Media Arts Director, Arts Technology Center

angel@cs.unm.edu

Ernie Herrera, co-PI

Associate Director, Albuquerque High Performance Computing Center

eherrera@ahpcc.unm.edu

Danae Falliers, co-PI

Associate Director, Arts Technology Center, College of Fine Arts

zmdf@unm.edu

Jack McIver, co-PI

Associate Vice Provost for Research, UNM

jmciver@unm.edu

Project StaffProject Staff

Sally Bowler-Hill

Program Coordinator

Arts Technology Center

sabh@unm.edu

Hue Walker

Media Specialist

Arts Technology Center

huebk@unm.edu

Students, Instructor, and Mentors

Catherine Vanderpool

Aaron Romero

Chris Cervantes

Joe Ulibarri

Board of Directors Board of Directors

Judy Beckes-Talcott Aquila Group

Frank Zuniga NM Film Commission

Patrick Vanderpool Senator Domenici’s Office

Nancy Uscher UNM Provost’s Office

Ron Solimon Indian Pueblo Cultural Center

Mark Henne PIXAR Animation Studios

Partners at UNMPartners at UNM

• Arts Technology Center, College of Fine Arts

• Computer Science Department

• Lodestar Astronomy Center

• HPCERC

Partners in NMPartners in NM

• Albuquerque TVI• Aquila Group• Bandelier EFX• Big Byte• Connect NM• Conti Films• Drumfire• National Hispanic Cultural Center of NM• NM Trains• Poeh Arts Center, Pojoaque• Pueblo of Zuni• Sandia National Laboratories• Vizeon

National Partners National Partners

• IBM

• Intel

• National Indian Telecommunications Institute

• PIXAR Animation Studios

Initial ProjectsInitial Projects

• Year One (started 10/1/2002)– Two technology pods created and operational– National Hispanic Cultural Center

• Classes started Feb 2003– Lodestar Astronomy Center

• Classes already started– NITI

• Class started March 2003– Poeh Arts Center

• All classes project-based– Develop real skills and real products

Connections via AccessGridConnections via AccessGrid

• High-bandwidth videoconferencing system.

• All sites are seen and react simultaneously.

• Used for meetings, workshops, seminars, distance education, and digital arts.

National Hispanic Cultural CenterNational Hispanic Cultural Center

Access Grid RoomAccess Grid Room

The room on the right is a multipurpose classroom at the NHCC that has been equipped with a projector and an Access Grid node (box at far right)

DPP PodDPP Pod

We also have a lab at NHCC equipped with three dual display workstations and a file server specifically for the Digital Pueblo Project

An identical lab has been set up at the Lodestar Astronomy Center

Large-Format Visualizations at Large-Format Visualizations at the LodeStar Astronomy Centerthe LodeStar Astronomy Center

David Beining, Director

Hue WalkerChris JordanSheryl Hurley

Domed Theater & PlanetariumDomed Theater & Planetarium

• One of the first and finest in the world

• Opened 2000

• 55-foot diameter domed screen, 140 seats

• Full-Dome Video (SkyVision) & 5.1 Sound

• Feature & Star Shows

• Lectures & Observing Events

• Student & Community Screenings

• Now 50+ theaters internationally

The SkyVision SystemThe SkyVision System

Courtesy: Sky-Skan, Inc

• Created by Sky-Skan, Inc. (www.skyskan.com)

• Tiled projection system with 6 digital RGB projectors

that are feathered to produce a seamless immersive display

• Contains a 5.1 Dolby sound system

Producing for the DomeProducing for the Dome

Production Steps: “The Panels”Production Steps: “The Panels”

• Rigging Five Virtual Cameras (Top Half of a Cube)

• Creating Top, Front, Back, Left and Right ‘Panels’

• 360-degree view

• Targa/JPEG image sequences for each view/camera

• Each panel’s resolution is 1200 to 1800 pixels square

Production Steps: “Dome Production Steps: “Dome Masters”Masters”

• ‘Stitching’the panels using proprietary software

• Merging panels, fish-eye distortion, masking

• A result is called a ‘Dome Master’

• 2400 to 3600 pixels squared

• Single Targa Image Sequence

Five ImagesFive Images

Folded ImagesFolded Images

Dome MasterDome Master

Sequence of Dome MastersSequence of Dome Masters

Production Steps: “Slicing”Production Steps: “Slicing”

• ‘Slicing’ the Dome Masters for projection on dome

• Cropping, feathering and gamma drops on edges

• Compression and playback formats by DPS video cards

• NTSC resolution per channel

• Clips to respective projectors’ LVD and workstation for playback

Sliced and ProjectedSliced and Projected

Creating Content: Maya Creating Content: Maya InstructorsInstructors

It takes a lot of work and generates a lot of data

Design schemata issuesDesign schemata issues

• A new filmic language• ‘Frameless Composition”• Scale, Motion, Context• Color palettes and gammas• Exposing the seams• Dome time

Production IssuesProduction Issues

• Complex camera rigs• Three rendering steps• File management • Data storage• Dome time

Student ProjectsStudent Projects

Student ProjectsStudent Projects

Artist ProjectsArtist Projects

GRONK, Prototype Domemaster for the Digital Dome at the LodeStar Astronomy Center

James Crutchfield & David Dunn, Sample Pattern for The Theatre of Pattern Formation

New ProjectsNew Projects

• Athens: 4 1-minute animations for new Eugenides dome in Athens, Greece

• Mars: 3 classes to create a fly-in, landing, and dataport simulation

• Bugs: Lightwave + “bug rigging”

• Gronk: Brain Flame

DifficultiesDifficulties

• Have we bitten off too much?– Everybody wants in

• Connectivity– I2 not really there in rural NM– Alternatives all have problems– No real incentive for telcoms

• Dealing with diverse groups (geographically and culturally) takes a lot of time, energy, money, and people

What’s NextWhat’s Next

• Years Two and Three– Move out of Albuquerque

» Santa Fe » Poeh Arts Center» Your Town

• Self-sustaining projects– Film industry– Startups– Large format productions