The Prototype: OmniVision software was written in Max/MSP with Jitter and Tap Tools. The main file, omni is responsible for taking in the streaming video from the camera feeds and sending them to the sub-processes. It then displays the resulting video stream and records image sequence documentation based on motion. The pkeycolor sub-posses file simply sets up an easy way to select the (background) color that is removed and replaced with transparency on the fly. The pkeybalance file does all the comparison computations. It takes in two video sources and a key color (the background color replaced with transparency). A motion index is a floating point number between 0 and 1 generated by comparing the current frame of a video feed to the previous frames and taking an average. (0 meaning no change) The motion indexes of the two feeds are compared. One feed is keyed into the background of the other based on the motion index. The higher the index the more is bleeds into the foreground. When the motion on a feed is so great that the motion index reaches 1 and the background totally usurps the foreground then pkeybalance switches the ordering of the layers. The previous background feed is now the foreground and vice versa. Omni calls pkeybalace three times, two feed pairs are compared and layered and the resulting two feeds are then compared and layered in the same way. In this way the amount that the feeds cover one another as well as the order in which the feeds are layered is in constant flux. Thus the directional views are combined and displayed such that the user witnesses a collage of his or her surroundings. The current directional video feed with the most motion always being the topmost layer. Max/MSP is a visual object oriented programming application written by Miller Puckette. Currently Miller is developing a related freeware called PD. Max/MSP is primarily designed for audio processing. Jitter is an added module for video. Tap Tools is an added library with a method for video motion index calculation.

Omni | pkeybalance |