Browsing by Author "Harju, Matias"
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- Exploring narrative possibilities of audio augmented reality with six degrees of freedom
School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis(2021) Harju, MatiasAudio augmented reality (AAR) is gaining momentum with the current renaissance of augmented reality (AR) and mixed reality (MR). Since the 1990s when the term AAR was first introduced, the medium has been researched extensively, and with new technologies and wearable devices, interesting AAR applications are getting available to the wider audiences. However, the narrative possibilities of AAR tend to be still an under-explored territory. This is especially true for AAR that utilises six-degrees-of-freedom (6DoF) positional tracking. In 6DoF AAR the user can freely move in a space while hearing spatially synchronised virtual sounds embedded in the environment. Conceivably, the medium has interesting storytelling potential in, for instance, museums. This thesis explores the narrative possibilities of 6DoF AAR, concentrating on what is arguably characteristic of the medium: use of spatialised virtual audio, interplay between real and virtual, and interactivity based on user’s location and movements. The topic is approached from a content creator’s perspective through oscillation between conceptualisation and practical work. By analysing literature and related AAR experiences, 1) a series of narrative techniques characteristic to 6DoF AAR has been identified, and 2) a prototype of a 6DoF AAR setup has been crafted. The design and creation process of the prototype has been discussed to better understand the possibilities and limitations the technology may set for the narrative use of the medium. Five demonstrative scenes have been created and used to test some of the identified techniques in practice. This thesis presents a proposal for a list of narrative techniques characteristic to 6DoF AAR. The techniques are accounted for being a useful tool set for the author when designing the demonstrative scenes. Further, observations are disclosed on designing and building a 6DoF AAR setup capable of plausible auditory illusions and immersion. Challenges are reported related to, for example, registration errors in tracking and unexpected environmental sounds potentially hindering immersion and disrupting the narrative. For lack of user testing, however, more definite presumptions of the effectiveness of the techniques and the prototyped scenes cannot be made. On the other hand, it is suggested that with off-the-shelf components and authoring tools it is nowadays relatively easy for anyone with knowledge on sound design, programming, and storytelling to create gripping, spatially dynamic AAR experiences. - Sense of nowhere, portraying imagination through repetition and virtual reality
School of Arts, Design and Architecture | Master's thesis(2024) Yeh, Hsin-HsuanThis thesis explores the creative process and development of Sense Of Nowhere, an interactive VR experience that includes realms of imagination, thinking and illusion. This project focuses on the interaction between associative thinking and creativity, visually influenced by stop-motion animation techniques. The thesis explains the research process, including zoning out and religious notions. The development method reveals the practical workflow, hand-tracking integration and structural layout of the narration. Eventually, it ends with the director’s observation on communication with the team, regarding animation, interactivity and sound production. This thesis aims to provide perspective into artistic approaches, sharing the process and findings throughout the production.