My Programming Course Research Topic - Spline Curve Graphics in Augmented Reality Games and Applications

Look. How often can you say a dream you had 10 years ago is coming true for you now?

I'm not talking about the ra-ra-ra clap-your-hands-and-high-five-each-other-kind-of-dream that involves goals and such.

I'm talking rather about the one that hopefully many of you get to enjoy while asleep at night. And it's the one that kept you thinking about it long after you've awoken from it?

My hope is that many of you out there, like me, can put both hands up with a big resounding "YES!!".

Because this, Dear Reader, is what I'm proud to share with you today. A dream, a real vision, that may once have seemed impossible and far-fetched, which is now very much in my reach!

Before I go any further, please accept my deepest apologies for being overly superstitious. Without giving too much away (even to those of you who think you may have heard the full story!) , I would like share with you part of my plan to start fulfilling this dream. The superstitious part is that I believe if you do share too much of your dream to others, the energy from it starts to dissipate, leaving you with empty promises to others, and a pipedream that will forever remain just that. It's superstition, so please accept that.

The context? I'm in my second and final year of study at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment, Sydney Campus in Australia. The course? The Advanced Diploma of Professional Game Development, Software Development Major (essentially game programming).

I can't tell you it's been fantastic so far. A little slow on the uptake, but I've managed to steadily catch up to understanding the various concepts behind professional computer and video game programming.

So, in our second year, we've been given an opportunity to go away and research a topic of, if you will, specialisation, in this vast industry. On the proviso that it's a topic which either advances on a topic we covered in class, or that ventures into something completely new and different (cutting edge, smart, etc.. insert synonym for innovation here).

What I eventually settled upon aims to bring together two strong points of interest for me in computer graphics applications.

• Graphical applications of spline curves to roller coaster and racing game simulations, and 
• Augmented reality (AR). 

Get that? Was a bit of mouthful wasn't it? OK, in lay terms, that's just graphics for roller coaster games and simulations, and semi-holography.

What follows serves as the entry point to my applied research, and also a better understanding for you, Dear Reader, of these two fields.

Wikipedia states the following definitions for spline curves and augmented reality:

Spline Curves :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spline_curves 

Augmented Reality :  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality 

My aim is to fuse these two technologies together, to eventually build toward my Great and Secret Dream (remember I can't share this with you just yet, I am superstitious!).

Without re-writing the Magna Carta on this one blog post, I'd like to share a quick little story as to why I wanted to focus on these two areas.

I love roller-coasters (in fact all thrill rides!) and novelty virtual reality technologies. The former gets my blood pumping and just to me is very life-affirming, and the latter, because it's that one step closer to eventual fully fledged hologram technology! (Purists please forgive my large jumps to conclusions!). 

Marker-based augmented reality (MBAR) literally lets you carry a floating 3D graphic in the palm of your hand and can allow for all sorts of weird and wonderful visual effects on the go! This particular type of AR can be highly practical and already features on a number of handheld gaming platforms such as the Nintendo 3DS, and the Sony PSVita.

So, as you watch this space from now, please keep those peepers peeled for my research as it slowly unfolds here!

Peace,

Nick.

Sorry - Brain MIA today

Well I would love to have posted something today for you all to read. But my brain has gone missing in action. AWOL, call it what you like, but there's nothing to post today.

Oh yeah, it was my father's 60th birthday today. Happy birthday Dad. Sorry I had to opt out of working for you today, but I kinda want to do game development. It's my passion and my aim. That's where I want to succeed.

Celebrating Two Easters?

As some of you might have guessed, this is not my real name but rather a pseudonym of convenience for my readers. My actual surname, Kefaloukos, translated in English means 'white head' (something which you will see me have my coding career proves to be highly stressful!...:^P ).

Being Greek, one of the traditions that I follow in Greek Orthodox tradition is the Orthodox calendar dates observing Easter. Now this is a bit of a funny phenomena, as I'm sure many fellow Orthodox denominations will agree, that it never quite falls on the regular Easter dates that Western Christians follow. As such, it may be that one year, our Greek Easter falls on the same weekend of Good Friday through to Easter Tuesday.

As it so happens, 2012 is one such year on which there is a one week delay from say this regular Easter and the Greek Orthodox Easter that my family and myself observes. And the cuisine is a very central theme to our celebrations. In the follow-up, we often observe a fast, or "nisteia" to abstain from eating certain foods such as meat and oil (it's also a great way to watch one's fat intake if planning to diet!).

So, I would like to share with you all a photo of a delicious seafood dish which we enjoyed at home tonight as part of the commencement of our fasting.

The dish below is Octopus with Rice in Red Sauce, and is baked till the octopus flesh is tender and juicy, and the rice soft and full-flavoured.

Above: Octopus with Rice in Red Sauce.

In weeks to come, I will aim to share this recipe with you all to try for yourself. Keep an eye out for that until then!

This weekend I will be spending some time out from game development, and then picking up back on it, and posting a sample of some of my game development work completed during my diploma thus far at the Academy of Interactive Entertainment. So be sure to stay on the lookout for this soon!

Have a lovely Good Friday, or day, wherever you are, whenever you are.

Nick.

Welcome All!

Wow, this is so exciting! Two of my favourite topics in place...let out a Bronx cheer...phewww....

....where was I?....Oh there you are.

Welcome to this, my blog page. Over the next year or so, prepare to be entertained, informed and catered for, as I share my insights with you all out there on cooking and coding.

I can't think of much more to say, so will have to update you more tomorrow!

ciao lovelies.

Nick.