Andy Payne's Posts - Grasshopper2024-03-29T09:34:45ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPaynehttps://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2768637383?profile=RESIZE_48X48&width=48&height=48&crop=1%3A1https://www.grasshopper3d.com/profiles/blog/feed?user=35c04mnrv0adq&xn_auth=noNew Firefly Website with Shoptag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2014-07-02:2985220:BlogPost:10964342014-07-02T14:40:52.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654859109?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654859109?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750"></img></a></p>
<p>I am excited to announce that Firefly has a new and improved website (<a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">www.fireflyexperiments.com</a>). The website has many new features including a new forum and an e-commerce shop which includes products like the new Firefly Interactive Prototyping Shield. <span>The Firefly Interactive Prototyping Shield…</span></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654859109?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="750" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654859109?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="750" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>I am excited to announce that Firefly has a new and improved website (<a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">www.fireflyexperiments.com</a>). The website has many new features including a new forum and an e-commerce shop which includes products like the new Firefly Interactive Prototyping Shield. <span>The Firefly Interactive Prototyping Shield mounts on top of your Arduino Uno and provides access to a number of useful input (ie. sensors) and output (ie. motors) devices. Features include:</span></p>
<ul>
<li><span>Three linear slide potentiometers connected to analog pins 0, 1, and 2</span></li>
<li><span><span>Two-axis joystick connected to analog pins 3 and 4</span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>Light sensor (photocell) connected to analog pin 5</span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>T<span>hree push buttons connected to digital pins 2, 4, and 7</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>R<span>ed LED connected to digital pin 13</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>R<span>GB LED connected to digital pins 3, 5, and 6</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>T<span>wo servo connections on digital pins 8 and 9</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>A <span>connection to the </span><a target="_blank" href="https://www.sparkfun.com/products/10267">Easy Stepper Driver</a><span> (co-designed by </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.sparkfun.com/">Sparkfun Electronics</a><span> and </span><a target="_blank" href="http://www.schmalzhaus.com/">Brian Schmalz</a><span>) to control stepper motors. The direction of the motor is controlled through digital pin 10 and the number of steps through digital pin 12</span></span></span></span></li>
<li><span><span><span>H<span>igh-voltage MOSFET circuit capable of driving lights, valves, DC motors, solenoids, or anything else requiring higher voltage or current. The gate of the MOSFET is connected to digital pin 11 (PWM).</span></span></span></span></li>
</ul>
<p><span><span><span>Come take a look at the new site, post some questions, and let us know what you think!</span></span></span></p>Facades+ Interactive Surfaces Workshoptag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2013-03-19:2985220:BlogPost:8125822013-03-19T15:47:40.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654792915?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654792915?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600"></img></a></p>
<p>I am excited to be teaching a one-day <em><strong><a href="http://facade.archpaper.com/ny2013/day-2-technology-workshops/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Interactive Surfaces</a></strong></em> workshop for the upcoming Facades+ Conference being held in New York City on April 11th-12th. The event has an amazing line up of speakers and workshops which are being taught…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654792915?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654792915?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>I am excited to be teaching a one-day <em><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://facade.archpaper.com/ny2013/day-2-technology-workshops/" target="_blank">Interactive Surfaces</a></strong></em> workshop for the upcoming Facades+ Conference being held in New York City on April 11th-12th. The event has an amazing line up of speakers and workshops which are being taught by some of the industries leaders including: <strong>Robert Aish</strong> (Autodesk), <strong>Nathan Miller</strong> (Case), <strong>Skylar Tibbits</strong> (MIT + Ted Fellow), <strong>Neil Meredith</strong> (Gehry Tech), and<strong> John Sargent</strong> (SOM).</p>
<p>The <em>Interactive Surfaces</em> workshop will concentrate on producing facade prototypes that are configurable, sensate, and active. The facade of a building is the liminal surface across which information and environmental performance is frequently negotiated. Given dynamic context of our built environment; the facade must be capable of intelligent adaptation over time.</p>
<p>In this workshop, we'll be focusing on new hardware and software prototyping techniques; primarily focusing on a wide range of sensing and actuation modalities in order to build novel interactive devices. Using remote sensors, microcontrollers (<a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.arduino.cc/" target="_blank">Arduino</a>), and actuators, we will build virtual and physical prototypes that can communicate with humans and the world around them. Using both <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.grasshopper3d.com/" target="_blank">Grasshopper</a> and the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/" target="_blank">Firefly </a>plug-in, you will learn how to create intelligent control strategies for interactive or responsive facades.</p>
<p><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://facade.archpaper.com/ny2013/day-2-technology-workshops/" target="_blank">Click here to sign up!</a></strong></p>
<p>The participants who sign up for this workshop will also be the first to get their hands on the new Firefly Interactive Prototyping Sheild which I have been developing. This shield provides access to a number of built-in, ready-to-use sensors and actuators including: 3 linear sliders (potentiometers), a light sensor, a two-axis joystick, 3 push buttons, a red LED, a yellow LED, a Green LED, and a Tri-color LED, 2 servo connections, and a high-voltage MOSFET circuit capable of driving lights, valves, DC motors, etc. Each participant will not only walk away with a kick ass new hardware kit, but valuable knowledge in how to create new types of interactive prototypes!<br/><br/></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654793019?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654793019?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654793167?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="600" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654793167?profile=RESIZE_1024x1024" width="600" class="align-center"/></a></p>Firefly Now Available for Rhino 5.0tag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2013-02-05:2985220:BlogPost:7829762013-02-05T00:54:58.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p>Hi Everyone,</p>
<p>After a long time coming, the complete Firefly toolkit has finally been upgraded for Rhino 5.0 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions). This new release includes an updated C_sawapan_media.dll (many thanks to Panagiotis Michalatos!) as well as a new installer! </p>
<p>The installer <em>should </em>automatically remove any previous versions, and copy all of the core Firefly Grasshopper Assembly files (as well as any needed dependencies) into the roaming Libraries folder on…</p>
<p>Hi Everyone,</p>
<p>After a long time coming, the complete Firefly toolkit has finally been upgraded for Rhino 5.0 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions). This new release includes an updated C_sawapan_media.dll (many thanks to Panagiotis Michalatos!) as well as a new installer! </p>
<p>The installer <em>should </em>automatically remove any previous versions, and copy all of the core Firefly Grasshopper Assembly files (as well as any needed dependencies) into the roaming Libraries folder on your computer. Additionally, it <em>should</em> automatically copy all of the necessary Arduino sketches into your sketchbook folder (usually found in the Arduino folder under My Documents). If this folder does not exist, it will create one for you. Additionally, it <em>should</em> also create a new Firefly folder under My Documents where it will place all of the current Grasshopper example files for you to use.</p>
<p>There are no 'new' components in this release (although I've been working on some fun new ones... including one for the <a href="https://www.leapmotion.com/" target="_blank">Leap controller</a>... will be posting more about this soon) although this release does mark a big milestone for the plugin. All future releases will now target .NET 4.0 and will thus only be compatible with Rhino 5.0 (both 32-bit and 64-bit versions). Rhino 4.0 users can still use the existing build 1.0067.</p>
<p></p>
<p>To download the latest version of Firefly, visit: <strong><a href="http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></strong></p>
<p></p>
<p>PS. Please let me know if you find any issues with the installer. It's a work in progress :)</p>Firefly Kinect 0.0004tag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2012-10-03:2985220:BlogPost:6974082012-10-03T18:45:26.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p>I have just released an update for the Firefly Kinect (ver. 0.004). There had been a small bug in the Kinect Video Stream and Kinect Depth Stream components which has now been corrected. As before, this build uses the Microsoft Kinect SDK 1.5, which means the components will only work in Rhino 5.0. For best results, I recommend using Rhino 5.0 32-bit version as the Firefly Kinect components also rely on some of the C_sawapan_media.dll functions which has only been compiled for 32-bit…</p>
<p>I have just released an update for the Firefly Kinect (ver. 0.004). There had been a small bug in the Kinect Video Stream and Kinect Depth Stream components which has now been corrected. As before, this build uses the Microsoft Kinect SDK 1.5, which means the components will only work in Rhino 5.0. For best results, I recommend using Rhino 5.0 32-bit version as the Firefly Kinect components also rely on some of the C_sawapan_media.dll functions which has only been compiled for 32-bit applications (for the time being). </p>
<p>To download this latest release, visit: <strong><a href="http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></strong></p>New Firefly Build, Website, and more!tag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2012-08-17:2985220:BlogPost:6619622012-08-17T20:26:41.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654764015?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-left" height="412" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654764015?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="325"></img></a></p>
<p>I'm really excited to announce the release of several new Firefly endeavors I've been working on over the past few months. The first is the release of a new Firefly Build (1.0067) which is compatible with the latest version of Grasshopper (0.9.0006). This release has a lot of new features including: an entirely re-written Firefly Firmata, multiple web-cam support, a…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654764015?profile=original" target="_self"><img width="360" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654764015?profile=RESIZE_480x480" width="325" class="align-left" height="412"/></a></p>
<p>I'm really excited to announce the release of several new Firefly endeavors I've been working on over the past few months. The first is the release of a new Firefly Build (1.0067) which is compatible with the latest version of Grasshopper (0.9.0006). This release has a lot of new features including: an entirely re-written Firefly Firmata, multiple web-cam support, a new Load Image component, several new filters and effects, a re-written Pachube/Cosm component, and a Frequency Visualizer component. For more information about all the new features, be sure to check out the ReadMe text file included in the download.</p>
<p></p>
<p>I've also been working on an entirely new website for firefly. Starting from the ground-up, I rebuilt the interface so it's more user-friendly and informative. I still have plans to incorporate other features in the site... so expect more new here in the future. But, for now I'd love to get your feedback on the new site <strong><a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com</a></strong></p>
<p><strong> </strong></p>
<p><strong><br/></strong>Lastly, I've also been hard at work on a new Firefly User's Guide (called <em>Interactive Prototyping</em>). This manual is still a work-in-progress but it <span>is intended to teach the basics of electronics (using an Arduino) as well as various digital/physical prototyping techniques to people new to the field. It introduces Arduino (including programming in the Arduino IDE) and runs through several different examples. It also features an introduction to Firefly and has many step-by-step tutorials to teach you the basics of how to use Firefly as an Interactive Prototyping Environment (IPE). I intend to add new chapters to this in the coming months (including chapters on computer vision and networking). But, I wanted to release it now to give people a basic understanding of the interface. Again, I look forward to your feedback.</span></p>
<p><span> </span></p>
<p><span>So, check out these links:<br/><strong>New Firefly Website: <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com</a></strong><br/></span></p>
<p><span><strong>Download Firefly Build 1.0067: <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></strong></span></p>
<p><span><strong>Download Interactive Prototyping Manual: <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.com/resources/">http://fireflyexperiments.com/resources/</a></strong></span></p>Firefly 1.0066 and Kinect 0.0003 Now Availabletag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2012-03-13:2985220:BlogPost:5547572012-03-13T23:34:45.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654743155?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654743155?profile=original" width="675"></img></a></p>
<p>I am excited to release a new build for both the Firefly core toolset and the Kinect related components. Firefly 1.0066 has several new computer vision components including: Accumulative Exposure, Flip Image, Resize Image, and Image Region. In addition, The Webcam Video Stream and Video Input components now have settings to control the output resolution. Supported…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654743155?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654743155?profile=original" width="675" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>I am excited to release a new build for both the Firefly core toolset and the Kinect related components. Firefly 1.0066 has several new computer vision components including: Accumulative Exposure, Flip Image, Resize Image, and Image Region. In addition, The Webcam Video Stream and Video Input components now have settings to control the output resolution. Supported sizes include (640x480; 480x360; 360x240; 240x180; 160x120; 80x60; 40x30). There is also a new smoothing algorithm (Temporal Smoothing) component added to the Utility Tab. This component converges on a smoothed numeric value based on a weighted distribution of past observations and the current incoming value. The Code Generator library has also been updated to reflect this addition.</p>
<p>A lot of work has also gone updating the Firefly Kinect components to be compatible with the latest Kinect SDK (v. 1.0) released in February, 2012. This release i<span>ncludes updates to the Skeleton Tracker, as well as new components for Video Streaming, Depth Streaming, and Depth To Point Cloud. <span> Baking the point cloud created by the Depth To Point component and you've got a 3D scanner!</span></span></p>
<p><span><span>Known issues: The C_sawapan_media.dll library will not work properly on 64-bit applications, thus you will not be able to use either the WebCam Video Stream or Video Input components on Rhino 5.0 64-bit. According to my tests, it should still work fine in Rhino 5.0 32-bit and Rhino 4.0. All other components (besides the two video input components listed above) should work fine on Rhino 4.0 and Rhino 5.0 (32-bit and 64-bit) versions.</span></span></p>
<p><strong><br/></strong></p>
<p><strong>To download the latest build of Firefly visit:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></li>
<li><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly">http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly</a></li>
</ul>
<p><span><span><br/></span></span></p>Firefly 1.0065 Now Available (with new Computer Vision and Audio Tools)tag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2012-02-11:2985220:BlogPost:5352662012-02-11T20:14:40.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654739149?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-center" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654739149?profile=original" width="646"></img></a></p>
<p>I am very excited to announce the release of a new build for Firefly, complete with a new suite of tools for computer vision and audio synthesis. First, I would like to thank Panagiotis Michalatos for his support in the development of many of these new tools. In addition to his technical help, the latest build of Firefly makes extensive use…</p>
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<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654739149?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654739149?profile=original" width="646" class="align-center"/></a></p>
<p>I am very excited to announce the release of a new build for Firefly, complete with a new suite of tools for computer vision and audio synthesis. First, I would like to thank Panagiotis Michalatos for his support in the development of many of these new tools. In addition to his technical help, the latest build of Firefly makes extensive use of a media library (C_sawapan_media.dll) created by Panagiotis Michalatos and Sawako Kaijima, founders of the computation and design consultancy firm known as Sawapan. For more information about their work, visit: <a href="http://www.sawapan.eu">www.sawapan.eu</a>.</p>
<p>There are many new tools included in this build including: live web cam streaming, video playback, image analysis and filtering, sound capture, tone generation, and many more... For more detailed information, make sure to check out the README.txt file included in the download. Or take a look at the some of the new components in action here (<a href="https://vimeo.com/35973354">https://vimeo.com/35973354</a>). I look forward to hearing your feedback, so let me know what you think about these new tools (and what features you'd like to see in the next release).<br/> </p>
<p><strong>To download the latest build of Firefly visit:</strong></p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly">http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly</a></li>
</ul>Firefly Build 1.0064 Now Availabletag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2012-01-20:2985220:BlogPost:5206352012-01-20T18:21:16.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654736885?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654736885?profile=original" width="717"></img></a></p>
<p>I am excited to release the latest build of Firefly (ver. 1.0064). This release features many new improvements to the Firefly toolset. Most notably, there is now support for controlling stepper motors through the Firefly/Grasshopper interface. The new Quad Stepper Motor component formats the necessary data to control up to 4 stepper motors, and the Convert Degrees…</p>
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654736885?profile=original" target="_self"><img src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654736885?profile=original" width="717" class="align-full"/></a></p>
<p>I am excited to release the latest build of Firefly (ver. 1.0064). This release features many new improvements to the Firefly toolset. Most notably, there is now support for controlling stepper motors through the Firefly/Grasshopper interface. The new Quad Stepper Motor component formats the necessary data to control up to 4 stepper motors, and the Convert Degrees To Steps utility component will translate angle position into the necessary steps to move the motor. These components are a compliment to the new <em>Firefly_QuadStepper_Firmata.ino</em> Arduino sketch which can control speed, acceleration/decceleration, calibration setpoints, and position of up to 4 motors using the AccelStepper library (available from:<a rel="nofollow" href="https://github.com/adafruit/AccelStepper">https://github.com/adafruit/AccelStepper</a>, although the library is also included in the download).</p>
<p></p>
<p>In addition, the Pachube Read component has been completely re-written to have dynamic outputs depending on the type of feed you are using (JSON, XML, and CSV)... That's right, the component also now accepts JSON feeds as well (a big upgrade from the last version). The Code Generator has seen a few minor improvements to be compatible with the recently release Arduino 1.0 IDE (which now has a new file extension for all file types (.ino)). Lastly, all of the example files have been updated to work with Grasshopper 0.8.0063.</p>
<p></p>
<p><strong>To download the latest build, visit:</strong></p>
<p><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></strong></p>
<p><strong><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly">http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly</a></strong></p>Attention all Firefly and Pachube Userstag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-12-20:2985220:BlogPost:5035112011-12-20T19:00:00.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><span>The kind folks over at </span><a href="http://www.pachube.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">www.pachube.com</a><span> have been very interested in the integration between <a href="http://www.rhino3d.com" target="_blank">Rhino</a>/<a href="http://www.grasshopper3d.com" target="_blank">Grasshopper</a> and <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">Firefly</a> with their web-based </span><a href="https://pachube.com/about_us" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Internet of…</a></p>
<p><span>The kind folks over at </span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pachube.com/" target="_blank">www.pachube.com</a><span> have been very interested in the integration between <a href="http://www.rhino3d.com" target="_blank">Rhino</a>/<a href="http://www.grasshopper3d.com" target="_blank">Grasshopper</a> and <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">Firefly</a> with their web-based </span><a rel="nofollow" href="https://pachube.com/about_us" target="_blank">Internet of Things</a><span> </span><span>tracking and monitoring service. So much so, they'd like to showcase new projects that feature both of these platforms on their </span><a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.pachube.com/" target="_blank">website</a><span>. What we're looking for is any project that ties together real-world sensing (using one or more Pachube feeds) with 3D parametric modeling (ie. Grasshopper/Firefly). Basically, anything that uses Firefly and Pachube together. If you have an interesting project, let us know about it. You can contact </span><strong>Ed Borden</strong><span>, the cheif marketing and PR officer at Pachube, at </span><a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:%20edborden@pachube.com" target="_blank">edborden@pachube.com</a><span> or email us at </span><a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:%20info@fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">info@fireflyexperiments.com</a><span> and we'll make sure to get the word out.</span></p>Firefly Kinect 0.0002 Now Availabletag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-11-09:2985220:BlogPost:4717352011-11-09T21:50:23.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<div><p>I'm happy to announce a Firefly update for the Microsoft Kinect. This update has been released to be compatible with the official Microsoft SDK (beta 2) release November 1st, 2011. A major improvement in this build is that the SDK now allows 32-bit and 64-bit target applications... meaning, the Firefly Kinect Skeleton Tracker will now work on either version (32-bit or 64-bit) of Rhino 5.0. The official SDK also has many new improvements regarding skeleton tracking, including improved…</p>
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<div><p>I'm happy to announce a Firefly update for the Microsoft Kinect. This update has been released to be compatible with the official Microsoft SDK (beta 2) release November 1st, 2011. A major improvement in this build is that the SDK now allows 32-bit and 64-bit target applications... meaning, the Firefly Kinect Skeleton Tracker will now work on either version (32-bit or 64-bit) of Rhino 5.0. The official SDK also has many new improvements regarding skeleton tracking, including improved speed (approximately 20% faster) and greater accuracy with joint positioning. The Firefly Kinect Skeleton Tracking component also takes advantage of the new joint smoothing and prediction features. Lastly, this release includes a new Grasshopper example file to get you up and running as quickly as possible (<a href="http://www.grasshopper3d.com/video/firefly-kinect-hand-tracking" target="_blank">a video of this example can be seen here</a>).</p>
<p> </p>
<p>You can download the latest build at either location:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly">http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly</a></li>
</ul>
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<p>As always, your feedback is greatly appreciated... For more information, visit:<a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com</a></p>
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<p> </p>New Version of Firefly 1.0063 and Kinect Beta Releasetag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-10-07:2985220:BlogPost:4460332011-10-07T00:19:50.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654720232?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654720232?profile=original" width="639"></img></a> <br></br>A new version of Firefly (1.0063) and Firefly Kinect beta release is now available! The latest version of Firefly offers many new components including: Bang, AND Flip Flop, NOR Flip Flop, Counter, Frame Rate, Stop Watch, and Is Key Pressed. <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/tools" target="_blank">You can read more about all the new tools here</a>. </p>
<p>A…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654720232?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654720232?profile=original" width="639"/></a><br/>A new version of Firefly (1.0063) and Firefly Kinect beta release is now available! The latest version of Firefly offers many new components including: Bang, AND Flip Flop, NOR Flip Flop, Counter, Frame Rate, Stop Watch, and Is Key Pressed. <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/tools" target="_blank">You can read more about all the new tools here</a>. </p>
<p>A lot of additional work has gone into the Arduino Code Generator and the new Firefly Code Editor (which can be invoked by double-clicking on the Code Generator component). Many new functions have been added to the function library for the Code Generator (including almost all of the latest Firefly components). In addition, the Code Editor has gone through a major overhaul to add many more features. There are still plenty of other features that have to be added to the Code Editor to make it a fully functional IDE, but the current changes are a big step in the right direction.</p>
<p>Today also marks the first release of the Firefly Kinect related components. Microsoft has placed certain restrictions on applications that want to use their official SDK, and as such this version will only work with Rhino 5.0 beta 32-bit version. In addition, you must have Windows 7 installed on your machine. Because of these restrictions, I have decided to release the Firefly Kinect build as a separate download. There are installation instructions included in the download file with step-by-step instructions on how to get up and running with the Kinect for Grasshopper. Currently, there is only one component, the Skeleton Tracker which will track up to two people moving in front of the sensor. Videos of the Skeleton Tracker in action can be seen <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/videos/firefly-kinect-head-tracking.html" target="_blank">here</a> and <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/videos/firefly-kinect-arduino.html" target="_blank">here</a>. I intend to add more functionality and new Kinect related components in the near future. Suggestions are always welcome. And, because this is the first release, please let me know if you find any bugs or problems with the component (hopefully there wont be many of these, but please be patient).</p>
<p>You can download the latest version of Firefly (1.0063) and the beta release of Firefly Kinect either of these two sources:</p>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly" target="_blank">http://www.food4rhino.com/project/firefly</a></li>
</ul>Firefly 1.006 Now Availabletag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-07-04:2985220:BlogPost:3118172011-07-04T14:30:00.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p><a href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654711729?profile=original" target="_self"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654711729?profile=original" width="569"></img></a></p>
<p>I am excited to announce the release of <strong>Firefly 1.006</strong>! This is a major release and includes many new components and bug fixes, along with a number of new tutorials and example files. Here are a few notable features:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Firefly 1.006 unveils a new <strong>Arduino Code Generator</strong> component which attempts to convert any Grasshopper…</p>
<p><a target="_self" href="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654711729?profile=original"><img class="align-full" src="http://storage.ning.com/topology/rest/1.0/file/get/2654711729?profile=original" width="569"/></a></p>
<p>I am excited to announce the release of <strong>Firefly 1.006</strong>! This is a major release and includes many new components and bug fixes, along with a number of new tutorials and example files. Here are a few notable features:</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Firefly 1.006 unveils a new <strong>Arduino Code Generator</strong> component which attempts to convert any Grasshopper definition into Arduino compatible code (C++) on the fly. It works by detecting components that are 'upstream' from the Uno/Mega Write component. The Code Generator checks the component ID against a library of custom C++ functions which then get added to the code if there is a match. The code can be simultaneously saved as a .pde (Arduino Sketch) file to be opened in the Arduino IDE.</p>
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<p>In addition, there is also a new <strong>Upload to I/O Board</strong> component which allows you to upload any sketch (see above) directly to your Arduino board from within the Grasshopper environment. A lot of stuff happens behind the scenes with this component. Essentially it creates a dynamic MakeFile and calls a shell application to convert the .pde file into a .cpp (C++) file and then into .hex code (machine readable code) to be uploaded to the microcontroller. Now, you can automatically convert your Grasshopper definition into Arduino code and upload it directly to your board! Note: WinAVR is required to be installed on your machine in order to properly upload sketches to your board. You can download the latest version <a href="http://sourceforge.net/projects/winavr/files/WinAVR/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We didn't stop there. The communication process has between Grasshopper and your Arduino board has been overhauled. Thanks to the newly rewritten GH_Timer (by David Rutten), the <strong>Uno/Mega Read</strong> components are now roughly 10x faster than previous versions. The <strong>Firefly Firmata</strong> has been re-written to be more flexible and efficient. The <strong>Uno/Mega Write</strong> component have changed how it sends data out to the board as well. Simply right-click on any input and set the data type to Digital, PWM, or Servo... That's right, you can dynamically attach a Servo to any pin now!</p>
<p> </p>
<p>If that weren't enough, I've also added several components to handle network communication, namely UDP (User Datagram Protocol) and OSC (Open Sound Control). The <strong>UDP Listener</strong> and <strong>Sender</strong> components allow you to send/receive messages over a wireless or LAN network using asynchonous transmission. OSC messages are essentially <a href="http://opensoundcontrol.org/spec-1_0" target="_blank">specially formatted</a> UDP messages and the <strong>OSC Listener</strong> and <strong>Sender</strong> components add functionality in handling this type of information.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>There is much much more too (I didn't even mention the new <strong>XML Search</strong> or <strong>State Detection</strong> components)! For a full list of modifications and feature enhancements, check out the change log included in the download link.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To download the latest version of Firefly, please visit: <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>If you are using Firefly and would like to share your projects, comments or ideas please e-mail us (<a href="mailto:%20info@fireflyexperiments.com" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>info@fireflyexperiments.com</strong></a>) or post to the discussion forum. Updates will be posted to the Firefly website. <br/> <br/> <strong>Firefly Developers:</strong><br/> <strong>Andy Payne</strong> [<a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=08f0feb8e3&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>LIFT Architects</strong></a>; Harvard GSD - Cambridge, MA]<br/> <strong><span class="il">Jason</span> Kelly Johnso</strong>n [<a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=a05c125816&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Future-Cities-Lab</strong></a>; CCA - San Francisco, CA]<br/> <br/></p>
<div>///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////// <br/> <br/> <strong>Firefly</strong> is a set of comprehensive software tools dedicated to bridging the gap between <strong>Grasshopper</strong> (a free plug-in for <strong>Rhino</strong>), the <strong>Arduino</strong> micro-controller, the internet and beyond. It allows near real-time data flow between the digital and physical worlds, and will read/write data to/from <strong>Pachube</strong> / internet feeds, remote sensors and more.<br/> <br/> Firefly was founded by Andy Payne and <span class="il">Jason</span> Kelly <span class="il">Johnson</span> in 2010. Andy has been primarily responsible for writing the code underlying Firefly’s various core components. He has also been involved (along with <span class="il">Jason</span>) with the development of the Firefly Firmata, a critical piece of open source software which enables a direct connection between the Arduino hardware and the Grasshopper environment. As of 2011, Andy is the lead researcher and developer of Firefly’s new X control tools. He is currently pursuing this research independently as a part of his PhD dissertation at Harvard GSD in Boston, MA. <span class="il">Jason</span> continues to develop and support the core Firefly tools and educational primer. <span class="il">Jason</span> has been active in helping to establish the connection between Firefly and the Arduino software and hardware environment. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Architecture and Interaction at CCA in San Francisco, California.<br/> <br/> <strong>Acknowledgements:</strong><br/> Firefly is built upon the <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=7bcbf2c483&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Grasshopper</strong></a> plug-in for <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=dde0ef83ba&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Rhino</strong></a>, both developed by <strong>Robert McNeel and Associates</strong>. We would like to thank <a href="http://www.sawapan.eu/" target="_blank">Prof. Panagiotis Michalatos</a> for his generous support and guidance in the development of the Firefly_X toolset. <strong>Robert Lee</strong> also made critical contributions to early versions of the original Firefly build file. The <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage2.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=d03360f8f1&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Arduino</strong></a> language syntax is based on Wiring by <strong>Hernando Barragan</strong>. The Arduino environment is based on <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=0fc32680c6&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Processing </strong></a>by<strong>Ben Fry</strong> and <strong>Casey Reas</strong>, and is now supported by an amazing team of software and hardware developers that continue to refine and expand its capabilities. <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=1ab3e407c8&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>Pachube</strong></a> was created by <strong>Usman Haque</strong> and his amazing team at <a href="http://pachube.com/" target="_blank">pachube.com</a>. The <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=15d875a391&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>reacTIVision</strong></a> framework is being developed by the <strong>Music Technology Group</strong>at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona, Spain. <strong>Ronnie Parsons</strong> and <strong>Gil Akos</strong> of <a href="http://fireflyexperiments.us2.list-manage1.com/track/click?u=02590dfa24086f48319ac7cea&id=e78e819bea&e=ffe0edbed2" style="color: #0000ff; text-decoration: underline; font-weight: normal;" target="_blank"><strong>StudioMode </strong></a>in New York City have also contributed to the development of some amazing example files that were released with version 1.004. We would also like to acknowledge the input of various colleagues, students and workshop participants for their support and questions which help the evolution of Firefly.<br/> <br/></div>Firefly 1.005 Updatetag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-02-16:2985220:BlogPost:1658182011-02-16T14:46:54.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<p>It was brought to my attention (thankfully) that there was a bug in the last build of Firefly (1.004) which was causing Rhino to crash upon closing any Grasshopper document. Thanks to David's help, I was able to track down the problem and a new release of Firefly (1.005) has just been uploaded to the Firefly website. If you have an older version, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to this newest release. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused and we welcome any…</p>
<p>It was brought to my attention (thankfully) that there was a bug in the last build of Firefly (1.004) which was causing Rhino to crash upon closing any Grasshopper document. Thanks to David's help, I was able to track down the problem and a new release of Firefly (1.005) has just been uploaded to the Firefly website. If you have an older version, it is highly recommended that you upgrade to this newest release. Our apologies for any inconvenience this may have caused and we welcome any feedback you may have to make this tool even better.</p>
<p> </p>
To download the latest build, check out our website at: <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com" target="_blank">http://www.fireflyexperiments.com</a>Firefly 1.004 Now Available!tag:www.grasshopper3d.com,2011-02-06:2985220:BlogPost:1562522011-02-06T00:30:00.000ZAndy Paynehttps://www.grasshopper3d.com/profile/AndyPayne
<div><div><div><div><p>Jason K. Johnson and I are proud to announce the release of <a href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Firefly version 1.004</a> - a set of tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet and beyond. This release adds a few new components the toolbar, including the new Ports Available component which polls your device manager and returns the COM number assigned…</p>
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<div><div><div><div><p>Jason K. Johnson and I are proud to announce the release of <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/" target="_blank">Firefly version 1.004</a> - a set of tools dedicated to bridging the gap between Grasshopper (a free plug-in for Rhino), the Arduino micro-controller, the internet and beyond. This release adds a few new components the toolbar, including the new Ports Available component which polls your device manager and returns the COM number assigned to Arduino board, as well as a new Wave component. We're also excited to release the new reacTIVision component, which enables real-time camera tracking of fiducial markers. If you're new to reacTIVision, take a look at their website and download their engine (and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reactivision.sourceforge.net/data/fiducials.pdf" target="_blank">printable fiducial markers</a>) for free: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://reactivision.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank">http://reactivision.sourceforge.net/</a>. We've also improved the efficiency of several of the existing components and updated everything for the latest Arduino UNO board. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>In addition, we have also released an update to the <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/" target="_blank">Firefly Primer</a> - a manual which provides an in-depth look at each individual component and walks you through the entire process of using this powerful new tool (from installation to final output). It also includes some basic tutorials, links and references to get you up and running quickly.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>This build requires <a rel="nofollow" href="http://download.rhino3d.com/rhino/4.0/evaluation/download/" target="_blank">Rhino 4.0 SR8</a> (or <a rel="nofollow" href="http://download.rhino3d.com/rhino/5.0/wip" target="_blank">Rhino 5.0 beta</a>) and <a rel="nofollow" href="http://download.rhino3d.com/Grasshopper/1.0/wip/download/" target="_blank">Grasshopper 0.8</a>. The installation for this build has changed slightly from previous versions (given the new special roaming folder created for Grasshopper 0.8) and the fact that the reacTIVision component requires the installation (copy/paste) of an additional library (libTUIO.dll). The installation instructions can be found <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/download/" target="_blank">here</a> and should be easy to follow if you are familiar with the Grasshopper interface.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>To download the latest build, check out our website at: <a rel="nofollow" href="http://www.fireflyexperiments.com/" target="_blank">www.fireflyexperiments.com</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>As always, we'd love to hear your feedback so feel free to contact us as: <a rel="nofollow" href="mailto:%20info@fireflyexperiments.com">info@fireflyexperiments.com</a> Or sign up for our mailing list and find out about all the new Firefly features and events.</p>
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