Student Spotlight: Andy Brennan

At Leeds Met, Masters student Andrew Brennan (MSc Sound & Music for Interactive Games) has been investigating a number of tangible interfaces ranging from big screen to table-top interaction. For his ElectroBurst project, Andy created a real-time interactive audio table interface using the Nintendo Wii remote.

ElectroBurst : An investigation into physical, tangible interaction with music. WingBats utilises a glass table, a projector and a Nintendo Wii control setup to bridge the gap between the 'real' and the ‘virtual'. By playing a simple game the physical actions of the user influence the resulting sound.

Andy says, "I initially wanted to be an architect and spent two years learning about principles such as conceptual design, self critique and discipline. After this period I decided to take my newly acquired skills and knowledge to sound design and production. My undergraduate course in BSc Creative Music & Sound Technology has exposed me to exciting areas of sound technology that I had never thought of before. My first audio programming experience was Native Instruments Reaktor, which I used to create various synths and samplers. From this point on I began to experiment with other programming platforms such as Max/MSP, Processing, Java, C++ and C* to create various interactive systems and stochastic performance tools. "

His masters work has continued these experiments and successes. More info is available on Andy's personal site, and his project blog.

Student Spotlight: Simon Mann

For the 2008 Innovation North Postgraduate Showcase, Simon Mann (MSc Creative Technology) demoed his bTraffic project. It builds on boid flocking algorithms to create realistic traffic animation.

bTraffic is an easy to use toolset designed for animating traffic flow. It works within an existing 3D application and generates simulated traffic that can be used for still or animated 3D visualisations. bTraffic is customisable and aimed at animators with little or no programming skills.

Simon has a keen interest in 3D modelling and animation which has led him back into university life. He indulges in programming in a variety of languages including PHP, Python, Actionscript, MEL, SQL and Javascript as well as occasionally dabbling in a little C, C++, Virtools, ASP and Maxscript. From an artistic angle he enjoys regular life drawing sessions which help to complement his 3D modelling skills.

In the past Simon has had a range of jobs including being a web designer, web developer, applications developer, multimedia designer and technical support analyst and has been involved in creating anything from small websites up to large successful Content Management and Ecommerce systems. He has worked in a variety of companies from a small start up business through to an enormous public sector body and believes that all helped him gain a huge amount of experience and skill.

Announcement: Postgraduate Showcase: 13.3., 5-8pm

On 13.3.2008, the annual Postgraduate Showcase for the Creative Technology students will be hosted at the Old Broadcasting House, 17:00 - 20:00. There will be the students presenting their work, as well as some staff from Innovation North. Also, there will be some finger food - bring friends and colleagues to this event!