[soc2008-general] MolViz and AR Tags

[Christian Muise]

Hey Gail,
  Just a few things (I'm leaving soc2008-general on the reply list just to
clear things for anyone else interested in putting in an application):

- The separation between the PyMol plugin and the Head Tracking project has
already been made. The interface is generic so as far as the PyMol plugin is
concerned, any form of head tracking looks /exactly/ the same. Thats the
nature of the API (which is what is under PSF and what you're applying for).
In other words, once the driver is done up, no extra effort should be needed
to integrate it with PyMol.

- Focus on other example applications will come when developers realize how
easy it will be to integrate this technology. Phase 2 might have better
focus on fixing the AR driver to be cross platform (different versions may
be required for this), well documented, user tested, etc.

  Cheers

On Sun, Mar 30, 2008 at 12:18 PM, Gail Carmichael <
gail.banaszkiewicz at gmail.com> wrote:

> On Thu, Mar 27, 2008 at 10:04 AM, Gail Carmichael <
> gail.banaszkiewicz at gmail.com> wrote:
>
> > So I would love to hear how interested the community would be in such a
> > project.  By the weekend I hope to put together a more comprehensive
> > application.
>
>
> Hi again!
>
> As promised, I have a more detailed application prepared.  If anyone other
> than Christian would like to comment (even just to tell me you like or
> dislike the idea in general), I would love to get some feedback.  For
> example, is more detail about myself or the project desired?
>
> I was trying to get on IRC but my program kept crashing, so for now it's
> just email until I get that sorted out :)
>
> The text of my application is pasted below.
>
> Gail
>
> ----
>
> Head Tracking with AR Tags
>
> Abstract
>
> Using MolViz as the primary demo application, I will implement head
> tracking with markers used in augmented reality systems.  First, a plugin
> will be developed for MolViz for this new form of input.  Next, uses of this
> form of head tracking will be explored for other Python applications.  The
> end result will be a small system that Python programmers can use for a new
> paradigm of user input in their software, particularly games.
>
> Detailed Application
>
> My name is Gail Carmichael, and I am a Masters of Computer Science student
> at Carleton University in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.  My main field of
> interest can be summarized by the term "visual computing," which includes
> such topics as computer vision, computational geometry, and computer
> graphics.  Most recently, augmented reality has been of particular interest
> to me.  You can find out more about me on my portfolio website
> http://gailcarmichael.com/ or check out my blog at
> http://compscigail.blogspot.com .
>
> My interest in AR is the reason why I jumped at the opportunity to work
> with Christian Muise, a former colleague of mine, to develop an alternative
> mode of head tracking for use in any Python application – one that makes use
> of augmented reality techniques.  Christian has successfully implemented
> plugins for the molecule visualization package PyMol that allow for user
> head tracking with the Wii remote and with computer vision based face
> recognition.  Using AR tags would produce a cheaper alternative to the Wii
> remote and a more accurate version of the face tracking.
>
> (Special note: I am currently in the process of learning Python.  The fact
> that I am new to the language should have little consequence to my success,
> as any good computer scientist is able to pick up new languages fairly
> quickly.)
>
> Here is a general project plan for the summer:
>
> Part One
> -------------
> - Become familiar with Christian's head tracking plugins and their use in
> PyMol.
> - Investigate the potential use of PyARTK <
> http://mgldev.scripps.edu/projects/pyartk/>, a Python wrapper for the
> popular ARToolKit <http://sourceforge.net/projects/artoolkit>.  This
> package will facilitate the recognition and positioning of predefined AR
> tags.
> - Implement the PyMol plugin that will track an AR tag placed
> strategically on someone's head and use the position to control the
> orientation of the molecule.
>
> Part Two
> -------------
>
> (The scope of this part will depend on how much time remains; that is,
> this section is largely optional compared to part one.)
>
> - Generalize the PyMol plugin to be useable in any other application.
> - Explore potential uses of head tracking in existing software,
> particularly games.
>
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>
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