If you’ve inherently suspected that there’s a structural difference between a soccer match, a space odyssey and your favorite porno but never been able to put your finger on it, cinemetrics is for you. It beautifully lays out a film like a flower of pencil shavings, colored according to the film’s palette and oscillated according to amounts of screen movement. Stunning… and informative. Compare genres, director’s oeuvres or remakes… its a beautiful step back from the cinematic experience.

I think I speak for most users of 3D applications when I say that I look a most music app interfaces with green-faced envy. This one, the Sample Toy by Marek Bereza is yet another demonstration of beautiful interface. Here, the hardware becomes part of the interface – but this app shines not just because of the iPhone. Beautifully intuitive interaction decisions. Thanks to CreativeApplications for the coverage.

Here’s an archive piece: Kirill Grouchnikov reveals the processes involved a java NPR applet. You can play with it yourself.

A technical platform that allows infinite stylistic opportunities? An interface allowing for instinctive, creative access to these opportunities? Here an excerpt from an interview with David “The Edge” Evans (It Might get Loud). If you’d like a glimpse into my inner world, exchange “piano” with “photo-realism”. (Translation from German DerSpiegel Nr.35/24.8.09 by yours truly)

The Edge: A piano always sounds like a piano. The guitar was transformed into something new when it became electric – and we’re still exploring what it is. The guitar in itself isn’t enough, its the ability to hook it up with all these effects that’s changed the sound. The wah-wah pedal, the fuzzbox. Electricity has been transformed into sound. That’s what it is. A saxophone is a saxophone. But when you hook up an electric guitar you have infinite possibilities.

Spiegel: In the film, your roadie says the effects board is your brain. Why do you choose to control it with the guitar?

The Edge: It’s very instinctive. That’s why it’s such a wonderful medium to express feelings and ideas.

I can’t wait to explore the guitar of NPR.

I’m always amazed when I stumble across some wonderful something that has been off my radar for years and years. Check out this presentation of the 3D drawing application Rhonda and follow the link to author Amit Pitaru‘s presentation from 2003.  Yes, 2003. There are very cool things going on here. The artist draws on the camera plane, creating wire-like line sculptures. The representation of these lines fades beyond the draw-plane, however, and a little point marks an existing line’s intersection with this plane – so you can see where you would be drawing in space. Clever. It’s also refreshing to see how smoothly the workspace flows… simply by rotating space instead of the object. I’ll be watching to see what this team continues to put out.

Side note:
I’ve been very slow on posts here lately. I’ll soon be active once again… the open source release of frapper by the Institute of Animation is around the corner. And a few aQtree nodes will be included.