SDS-Blender delayed

Just a quick note, I've decided to delay the release of my generative organic software until later this year, probably around the end of the year. This is because of two main reasons.

Firstly, as the software depends on the latest in-development build of Blender, I want to wait until at least the scripting API of the software is frozen and stable. The Blender team is working hard on the 2.5 release, and I think at the moment they are working on the scripting API, so finger's crossed.

Secondly, my own workload has increased significantly as I'm trying to get new results, write a paper, and write my thesis. My submission date is < 6 months from now, and once I've submitted I'll have some time to adapt my software to fit Blender's latest scripting interface. Luckily, Bart, who built the interface between SDS and Blender, did so in an excellent manner and so adapting to the new API shouldn't involve much work at all.

Also, my backup hdd is now playing up ... is a PhD = the work you do between all the things that go wrong??

Sleep is death

Jason Rohrer's latest game appeared out of nowhere for me. It's a role-playing/interactive fiction tool with which two people can create a story together. The controller of the game concocts a story, makes the artwork and music, and then controls a set of scenes to make a story. The player is assigned a character and can move, speak, or apply verbs to things, like pick up, etc. The controller and player take turns, both adapting to the actions of the other, with the controller generally trying to take the story on some intelligible narrative arc, or not. Here's an example game that has been played.

I've been thinking about this type of game ever since reading a book called Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson. A game where a person, or persons, in real-time direct out the game that a player or many players are taking part in. As an alternative to creating smarter AI to direct our games we could spend time developing tools and a culture of humans directing games. In the future, could their be an equivalent of a highly paid movie director whom directs games in real-time? I can't see why not.

Anyway, back to Sleep Is Death!

The end in sight

I started my PhD research in March 2007, over 3 years ago. It's been a long, strange, and lonely journey, but it's almost done! I'm on the last stretch now, and hopefully will have submitted my thesis in 4-6 months. Here's my latest simulation and it is typical of the kind of result I have for my thesis. Not quite what I had in mind when I started, but this part of my life needs to end soon and I have to move on to the next thing. : )



A growing tentacled thing in a box. from Benjamin Porter on Vimeo.
More geometric morphogenesis.