Designing Interactive Particle Systems: Integrating Unity’s Visual Effect Graph, Max, and the MUGIC sensor

Description

Using interactive particle systems is an effective way to maximize the responsiveness and expressivity of real-time performance.

Participants of this virtual workshop will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to build interactive particle systems for real-time audiovisual expression. This workshop is for artists who want to integrate the capabilities of Unity’s powerful visual rendering with Max’s powerful audio processing. The MUGIC® sensor will be featured as an ideal input controller for interactive particle systems. Other input devices and techniques will also be explored. Over the course of the workshop, participants will build an interactive audiovisual project incorporating Max, Unity, and gestural input.

Topics include particle systems and their components, OSC communication between Max and Unity, user input, sensors, gestural control, mapping, and cohesive design.

Knowledge Prerequisites:

• A basic ability to navigate the Max software.

• Unity beginners welcome! Familiarity with Unity is helpful, but NOT required.

• We will use minimal C# scripting in this workshop, but pre-made scripts will be provided for those without programming experience.  

Workshop Outline:

The workshop is separated into three main sections.

UNITY’S VISUAL EFFECT GRAPH

Unity’s Visual Effect Graph (VFX graph) is a free tool that generates stunning, real-time particle effects. This workshop will cover how to build expressive particle systems for interactive performances. Participants will learn how to expose parameters of the VFX graph, which can then be mapped to various inputs.

MAX TO UNITY | OSC

Unity and Max prove to be a powerful duo when it comes to musical expression and artistic performance. Max’s powerful audio processing capabilities go hand in hand with Unity’s real-time visual framework. This workshop will cover the basic tools and concepts necessary establishing a straightforward OSC connection between the two platforms. Participants will learn how to design efficient OSC mappings from Max to Unity.

INPUT INTEGRATION

The MUGIC® sensor will be featured as an ideal controller for interactive particle systems. It is a wireless motion sensor with ready-made utilities that make Unity integration simple. This workshop does not require a MUGIC® sensor, as it will explore a general workflow for sensor/input integration. Participants will learn key concepts for building highly expressive audiovisual environments that take advantage of well-designed user input.

Required Software:

• Unity 2019.4 (or above)

  • Download Unity Hub for easy Unity installs.

  • Choose a “LTS” (Long Term Service) release for a stable workflow.

  • BE SURE to install an IDE (Visual Studio, Xcode). The workshop can be completed without an IDE, but may limit your ability to experiment and explore.

• Max 7 (or above)

  • A free trial or subscription is available from the developer’s website.

  • The workshop will provide patches for participants who do not have a paid or trial account, just be sure to have Max downloaded and installed (you can use Max for free without its Saving functionality).

Required Hardware:

• Mac or Windows computer

  • Unity’s VFX graph utilizes your computer’s graphics processer. The number of particles you will be able to render depends on your video card’s capabilities. The workshop will detail necessary design changes for various hardware setups.

• Any Control device

  • MUGIC® sensor is recommended, but not required.

  • Other possible input devices include MIDI controller, custom Arduino device, video game controller, or a standard QWERTY keyboard and mouse.

Short Description

Participants of this 3-hour, virtual workshop will be equipped with the necessary knowledge and tools to build interactive particle systems for real-time audiovisual expression. We will integrate the capabilities of Unity’s powerful visual rendering with Max’s powerful audio processing. The MUGIC® sensor will be featured as an ideal input controller for interactive particle systems. Participants will build an interactive audiovisual project incorporating Max, Unity, and gestural input.

Organizers

Kevin Anthony
Assistant Professor of Music Composition
Electronic Music Studio, Director
Brigham Young University

Kevin Anthony is a music composer, electronicist, vocalist, artist, designer, and a pursuer of creative technologies. He has a passion for maintaining interdisciplinary environments which promote collaborative creativity. He has received degrees from Brigham Young University Idaho (B.M.A), Brigham Young University (M.A), and the University of California, Irvine in Integrated Composition, Improvisation, and Technology (Ph.D.)

Preferred Length of Workshop

3 hours.

Technical and Space Requirements

I intend for this workshop to be entirely virtual. Users can attend via a zoom meeting (or similar virtual meeting space).

Knowing the workshop will be virtual allows me to prepare a well-produced video stream using OBS and multiple cameras. I will also be able to take advantage of the virtual environment, e.g. participants sharing their screens, online chat, breakout rooms, etc.