i.document

i am sure that if ben fry and casey reas would start processing today they would use python instead of java. learning the short and efficient python is much easier than the statically typed and lengthy java. no compilation would be necessary anymore, tons of native libraries would be available via c-bindings, etc. nodebox is a nice example of the use of python for computational design. unfortunately it is restricted to os x.

today we are using python for all sorts of automated code generation in wuerzburg. one example is the conversion of fluid simulation data into x3d files for our coperion project. jan and sebastian are using this approach for their simulated cities of their master projects.

i started a short proof of concept of a python based processing. jython is an implementation of python in java. with its help it’s possible to write code with the processing api in python language.

code example (helloProcessing.py):

from processing.core import PApplet

class HelloProcessing(PApplet):

     def setup(self):
          global p
          p = self
          p.size(350, 350)

     def draw(self):
          p.fill(p.random(255))
          p.rect(150, 150, 50, 50)

     if __name__ == ‘__main__’:
          import pawt
          pawt.test(HelloProcessing())

1. just download and install jython:
http://www.jython.org/Project/download.html

2. put you processing libs into java classpath or modify the startup file (jython) in order to do so:

#!/bin/sh

# This file was generated by the Jython installer
# Created on Mon May 19 20:25:40 CEST 2008 by me

CP=”/Users/me/jython2.2.1/jython.jar:/Applications/Processing/lib/core.jar”
if [ ! -z "$CLASSPATH" ]
then
CP=$CP:$CLASSPATH
fi
“/System/Library/Frameworks/JavaVM.framework/Versions/1.5.0/Home/bin/java” -Dpython.home=”/Users/me/jython2.2.1″ -classpath “$CP” org.python.util.jython “$@”

3. start the python file in your shell:

./jython helloProcessing.py

two semesters ago marc nonnenmacher created a tangible information table about people’s worldwide economic situations. topic of my class at design factulty university of applied sciences wuerzburg-schweinfurt in cooperation with erich schoels was “museum 2.0“.

he used different coins as tangible interfaces. as soon as the coin was dropped on a country the information emerged around the coin.

his project will be published in output 11.

one important topic of my teachings is publication. only with a proper publication strategy the student’s projects will be recognized outside the university.

it worked out again. make: blog published some projects of the last semesters:

urban soundscape by altitude
more demanding plants: florakel
living interface
robotic lighting: luxation
the aura cabinet

update:
talking shoes

this semesters class is about minimal interfaces. we’re installing a complete new media lab underground in fh wuerzburg’s villa. there is enough money to buy iMacs, a tracking workstation, eeepcs, arduinos, sensors, mobile projectors, irobot creates and lego mindstorms, ..

last semester’s topic of my course “experimental interfaces” at fh wuerzurg’s design faculty was reconqr – reconquer urban networks. the results were amazing:

HERBARIUM DIGITAL (georg reil)
an augmented reality visualization of urban network traffic projected on architecture

urbanpulse (silke hilsing)
a minimal installation for feeling the city.

klangstufen (christiane keller)
stairs act as interface for a spacial sound experience of stockholm’s city noise.

denk.mal (claudia wieser)
a large interactive installation about privacy issues at german facebook clone studivz.

urban aura (philipp hartung)
experimental protocol for the communication channel between underground metro and surface: wind and light.

sound of surveillance (dominik hoegn)
creates sound from surveillance cameras

parasite (katharina weier)
an urban parasite communication system

all progress and development was documented in the courses weblog:
http://gestaltung.fh-wuerzburg.de/blogs/reconqr