Full 3D User Interfaces are within reach of current technology.
The real hurdle is for development teams to make the conscious decisions that will allow them to take advantage of a full 3D User Interface, rather than a Faux 3D interface,
where Parallax is the only tool in the toolbox.
This is one of many Pre-visualization's I created for the Amazon "Fire Phone",
titled "Tyto" during pre-production. '11-12.
A current Work In Progress ~Creating Limited Edition wooden sculptures from digital using 3d Printing and CNC~
A few years back I created this image with some freeware (cant remember the app).
Sandy Shorebreak '10
I liked the shape, generated from math equations and output as a point cloud, but it was only a 2D result and the mathematical UI didn't give me the creative control I wanted.
So I turned to ZBrush (the only 3D tool that is robust enough to allow me to attempt this) to re-create it as a 3D model.
My first attempt yielded pleasing results from an appearance standpoint, but the model contained a few errors that needed to be addressed before it could be successfully translated into wood.
First, the depth of the majority of the curves were not adequate, and they needed to be deepened.
Second, software designed to analyze models for STL export displayed several errors in my file.
Rebuilding the file resulted in a sculpt that has less surface noise, but preserves the intent.
The deeper curves looks too brute force for my taste at this point, but deeper was a suggestion by the folks at 3DWood.com in Italy.
Their experience has been that detail is lost in the translation to wood, and accentuating the detail at this stage is desired for the end result.
The ZBrush file, exported to 3DWood.com as a .STL file (after Decimation) is 3D printed at 2x larger. Its printed hollow to keep costs down, and the interior is filled with a low cost resin.
The finished wooden sculptures (20) will be 7 inches tall, so this model is approximately 14.
7 inches was chosen for the final height, as that was a size limit for single solid pieces of Maple.
Larger size models would require laminated boards.
This 2x size model is then used as the "Guide" that the "Panatograph" operator brushes the stylus against.
The 20 drill bits follow the stylus movement and cut 20 blocks of wood simultaneously.
Photo provided by 3DWood.com
Photo provided by 3DWood.com
Photo provided by 3DWood.com
Photo provided by 3DWood.com
The final sculptures arrived in May. They are very accurate representations
of my original digital file.
The final sculptures arrived just in time to get into the
"Less > More" Exhibition at theMitchell Gallery, St. John's College,
Light Space Time, 3rd Annual "Nature" Art Competition.
"Again, It is an honor to be included in this group of accomplished individuals." Images entered: Golden Lion Tamarin: 20x16 '12 Digital Inkjet Silverback: 20x16 '12 Digital Inkjet lightspacetime.com "The art which was selected for the Special Merit Category is any art that we believe could have also been placed in the top tier of the entries selected for the various media categories. The only reason that this art was not selected for the top tier was due to the size constraints of this particular competition. Otherwise, the Special Merit art, in many cases, is interchangeable with any of the best art that we selected."
is a series of Limited Edition Ink Jet Prints who's theme is centered around animal hair.
Shown as measured cubic segments, representing our methods for analyzing creatures so we can understand them, while we loose focus on their existence as a whole.
Some feel that the current offerings in User Interface Design on all devices are
too In Your Face and Noisy.
Others feel that Time, Date, Bars, Battery, and Carrier logo are important enough that they
need to always be there, so as to be accessible at a nano moments notice.
I know I always feel better after a frantic glance to check to make sure I still have the same carrier.
(nothing irritates me more when designing a graphic experience, than to have it interrupted,
abused and defiled by the unnecessary. In this case, the ever present carrier logo, the only graphic
on the screen that delivers No Useful Information To The User.)
There is nothing about the above screen that is pleasant to the eye.
It is the digital equivalent of a grocery store, with every item fighting for your visual attention.
Lock Screens could be an oasis in this desert of visual clutter, and while not as noisy,
sometimes even pleasant, still tend to be text information based.
Myself and others tend to feel that as users become more sophisticated, they don't need
obvious queues like an arrow icon followed by text describing the arrows function.
Think of this as an animated alternative to the arrow for "slide to unlock".
Sliding the luminous bar in any direction would Open the screen and take you to
your grocery store, or Password
If text based information is really wanted on this screen, a user action, could bring that data to the surface, followed by it's fading away or moving off screen.
"Ocean"
"Event Horizon"
As an animated screen, it would have a greater visual appeal, but would draw heavily on battery life.
You could also impart more information in the animation.
The overall color of the screen could indicate Battery life (as you are clearly abusing it), the direction could indicate Bars, the speed could indicate Messages, and a vibrating of the animation image could accompany or replace the silent vibration ring for phones or alarms.
