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Josh Harle is a Sydney-based artist focused on new media and time based art. With degrees in Computer Science, Sculpture, and Philosophy, Josh is in a unique position to combine disparate domains of knowledge and explore their intersection. This is an exciting time in the history of human technology, where advances in 3D fabrication, proto-Spimes, and collaborative knowledge are bringing a new-found immediacy to our engagement with the world. Neonascent is part of Josh's ongoing experimentation with new media and physical/digital realm interaction. The heart of neonascent is a 4 metre diameter photographic cyclorama - effectively an egg-shaped room with smoothly curved walls - fitted with an array of 25 x 6.1MP digital cameras, modified for external control. Currently, image-to-model processing is performed using Creative Dimension's 3DSOM , and Singular Inversion's FaceGen Modeller, with further tweaking, articulation and animation done mainly in Chumbalum's MilkShape. The digital camera array allows still object, turn-table-based 3d capture software to be co-opted into allowing capturing of large, moving subjects (eg. people). Besides allowing all necessary views to be captured at once, fixed-camera allows for capture data to be re-processed retrospectively with alternative modelling methods, without shot-for-shot position calibration. The photo cyc is located in Surry Hills, Sydney, Australia. The original intention of the project was to work with capturing and composing models for physical rendering (3D fabrication with help from the Fabjectory) and rendering in virtual scenes. As a sculptor, Josh was interested in the way the body's physical projection into space could be emphasized - sculptures implicitly place the viewer's body into relationship with the artwork. After initial tests however, it became obvious that there were other exciting applications for the system: online interactive models, highly-detailed head models produced that are readily lip-synced and emoted, models embedded as characters into game engines (see examples using Max Payne 2) and avatars of virtual worlds, or articulated and used for production of Machinima. ...Examples
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