Ian On The Red Dot

So, never coded in ActionScript before. What to do?

Downloaded the starter kit from Saqoosha.net.

Went through the samples.

First step was to print out the marker that came with the started kit. Tested the SimpleCube sample. Everything works.

Now, try to generate a marker using my own image.

Found this online generator.

Substituted the name of my marker’s pattern in the code. Marker does not register now.

Why?

A little searching led to this:

new FLARCode( i_width:int , i_height:int , i_markerPercentWidth:uint = 50 , i_markerPercentHeight:uint = 50 );

I need to change the values passed to the constructor in the SimpleCube sample code because I had generated my marker with different settings.

After changing the values, the sample code works again.

What do you give a blog who is about to turn 3?

A Blank Canvas

Just in case the settings need to be changed so that the camera can be accessed:

Notes:

Never did any Flash ActionScript coding before this little project.

It was a good chance to learn a little about:

1. Papervision3D
2. FLARToolkit

The overlaying of information on top of the physical world. The additional information is viewed through another device. The device needs to be able to determine the coordinates of a point in the real world. Markers were initially used to ‘cheat’ the system by explicitly identifying a point. Cameras are one way the device sees the world. GPS and compass functionalities are other ways for a device to ’see’ the world.

What are the other ways a device can ’see’ the world? The use of audio – capturing sounds made at a locale.

How to present the data? On a screen? Project it out?

During my last year in NUS, I took a module which allowed us to explore AR technologies. It has been 3 years since and now, with webcams being more obiquitous and mobile phones getting better hardware, augmented reality related software and systems might be gearing up to be the next buzzwords for 2010.

The questions are:

1. How to push data out to the physical world.
2. How to pull data in from the physical world.

I sense a change coming.