B CUSP 110C – Digital Thinking

Homework 11: Creativity and Processing

Goal: The purpose of this exercise is to give you a chance to create, and to get experience writing simple Processing Programs to give practice with the language features.

In the assignment you will write three active Processing programs to display something of interest to you. These are not to be complex programs, but rather simple programs that do something cute or clever or interesting or have some other property that would interest a viewer. Below are four examples developed by Professor Lawrence Snyder from the University of Washington Seattle; notice that these are short programs that do something worth watching for a moment. That’s what you’re supposed to do.

Examples

Here are four simple Processing programs like the kind expected in this assignment. You can use anything from these programs, but keep in mind that small changes from one of these programs is NOT creative … it’s derivative! Grading is based on creativity, good use of the language and your comments. All programs are available on the calendar page.

Random Lines

It’s easy to use the random number generator, which we’ve seen before, to create cool patterns. Here is a program that draws batches of 10 random lines of either white or red, chosen at random. Notice that I can use the random function directly as an argument in the line( ) function. Here is the link to the source code.

Seattle Rain

Randomization is used in many places in computing … for example, to simulate the physical phenomena. Let’s “simulate” the Seattle rain. This program generates droplets of a random size and one of two different (but very similar) random colors. The slow frame rate makes the action develop in kind of a hypnotic way, like Seattle rain. Here is the link to the source code.

Programming A Heart Beat

Processing comes with various ways to make shapes, and so it is very flexible. Here a heart has been drawn with a few basic shapes, and colored red. The program then turns down the red some, and then turns it back up again, making it look like it is beating. Here is the link to the source code.

Walking Man

In this program a simple stick figure is animated to walk forward … will he fall into the abyss?? Run it to find out. Notice that the body can be moved simply using our standard move-to-the-right techniques, but the legs must work differently. It’s not complex, but it gives the idea of a stick man walking. Here is the link to the source code.

Assignment. Write three programs to do whatever you want (but don’t copy the examples above), and make them clever or interesting or cute or have some property that would interest a viewer. You should use the topics that are covered in lectures (try images!!), because those are the basics and one goal of this assignment is to practice the basics. But, if you need some other feature of processing that you find in the reference page, go ahead and use it. The goal is creativity … but don’t spend forever on it either.

Wrap up. You’ve used programming to invent new visual applications.

Turn In.

1. Exercise 8: Post all three applets to your personal web-site and email Jack the URL to your personal web-page.

2. Homework 11: Turn in the source code to your programs and e-Submit to the class dropbox. Don’t forget to bring printouts to class. Yes, you will be submitting three separate .pde files!

Note: this homework will count as two homework assignments [carry twice (x2) the weight]! Boring assignments or submissions that are simple modifications from the given examples will result in points being deducted!