The Digital Pueblo ProjectEd Angel

Professor of Computer Science,Electrical and Computer Engineering, and

Media ArtsDirector, Arts Technology Center

University of New Mexicoangel@cs.unm.edu

www.cs.unm.edu/~angelatc.unm.edu/digitalpueblo.html

UNM

                                                                                         

Whom am I representing?

A Short History

• NM is a center for art, culture, and technology– but NM has second highest poverty rate in US

• Computer graphics/animation/digital arts can build on these three strengths

• For ten years, NM had a large and active local SIGGRAPH (ACM Special Interest Group on Graphics)

– Much industrial support (Sun, DEC, SGI)

– Annual exposition at ABQ Convention Center

– Combined activities in all three areas

UNM

• UNM has research and teaching strengths in graphics– Much of graphics/visualization groups at LANL

and SNL are UNM graduates (CS and EECE)– Other grads at Pixar, Dreamworks,

Disney,Autodesk– Starting ~1995 animation efforts

• Jointly listed classes between CS and Media Arts

– Graduates would rather be in NM

What I do: Scientific Visualization

More Scientific Visualization

Interdisciplinary Efforts

Students in Animation Pod

Where are they now?

• Pixar

• Dreamworks

• Disney Studios

• Lucas Films

• Microsoft

• SGI

• National Labs

• Startups

Dawg Stars

• Outgrowth of SIGGRAPH efforts

• Working with Senator Domenici’s office

• Participation– UNM (CS, Media, ATC, Lodestar)– Aquila, Autumn Light, Muse Tech

• Projects– Mentoring/TeaPods– NM Video/Animation– Graphics and Animation in NM

Dawg Stars Video

All of the Following Was Done in NM

So What’s The Problem?

• New Mexico is both rich in culture and art, and a leader in science and technology.

• However, the state faces several challenges that prevent full development of its communities.

– Geographic spread– Lack of access to resources– Lack of job opportunities

• Challenge is to surmount these barriers without destroying the cultural uniqueness of NM

• Motivation for Digital Pueblo Project

Our Mission

• The Digital Pueblo Project is building an art and technology environment in New Mexico that includes animation and computer graphics in film, television, arts, music and dance. The goal of the project is to create an atmosphere that will foster innovation and economic opportunity in New Mexico and reverse the drain of talented and innovative people.

NSF PFI Program

• Partnerships for Innovation• “The PFI Program is focused on connections between new

knowledge created in the discovery process to learning and innovation. The goals of the program are– to catalyze Partnerships for Innovation that will enable the

transformation of knowledge created by the national research and education enterprise into innovations that create new wealth, build strong local, regional and national economies and improve the national well-being;

– broaden the participation of all types of academic institutions and all citizens in NSF activities to more fully meet the broad workforce needs of the national innovation enterprise; and catalyze enabling infrastructure necessary to foster and sustain innovation in the long-term.

– To develop a set of ideas for pursuing these goals, this competition will support promising partnerships among academe, government and the private sector; partnerships that will explore new approaches to support and sustain innovation. “

Partners at UNM

• Arts Technology Center, College of Fine Arts

• High Performance Computing Center

• Lodestar Astronomy Center

• Computer Science Department

Partners in NM

• National Hispanic Cultural Center of NM• Poeh Arts Center, Pojoaque• Pueblo of Zuni• Bandelier EFX• Aquila Group• Albuquerque Technical Vocational Institute• Connect NM• NM Trains• Sandia National Laboratories• Drumfire• Conti Films• Vizeon• Big Byte

National Partners

• IBM

• Intel

• National Indian Telecommunications Institute

• PIXAR Animation Studios

Key Features

• Project-based learning– Locally-generated projects– External projects

• Distributed participants– Technology Pods (T-pods)– Centralized Storage

• Communication via Access Grid

Connections via AccessGrid

• High-bandwidth videoconferencing system.

• All sites are seen and react simultaneously.

• Used for meetings, workshops, seminars, distance education, and digital arts.

AG is BeyondTeleconferencing

• Enable group-to-group interactions at a distance– Connect the people and teams of the Alliance

• Improve the user experience– Provide a sense of presence– Support natural interaction– Eliminate the boundaries of the monitor

• Enable complex multisite visual and collaborative experiences

• Build on integrated grid services architecture– Develop new tools specifically to support group collaboration

• Use quality but affordable digital IP based audio/video

Initial Projects

• Year One (started 10/1/2002)– Two technology pods created and operational

• National Hispanic Cultural Center• Lodestar Astronomy Center

– Other classes• National Indian Telecommunications Institute

• Year Two• Santa Fe Community College (IAIA)• Pojoaque• Zuni

National Hispanic Cultural Center

Access Grid Room

The room on the right is a multipurpose classroom at the NHCC that has been equipped with a projector and an Access Grid node (box at far right)

DPP Pod

We also have a lab at NHCC equipped with three dual display workstations and a file server specifically for the Digital Pueblo Project

An identical lab has been set up at the Lodestar Astronomy Center

Large-Format Visualizations

LodeStar Astronomy CenterLodeStar Astronomy Center

The SkyVision System

Courtesy: Sky-Skan, Inc

• Created by Sky-Skan, Inc. (www.skyskan.com)

• Tiled projection system with 6 digital RGB projectors

that are feathered to produce a seamless immersive display

• Contains a 5.1 Dolby sound system

The Dome

Dome Projects

• DPP Projects– Athens– Troka– Class projects– Mars– Visiting Artist Programs

• Presentations– Planetarium Society– Astrophysical Association– SIGGRAPH 2003

• Recognition as leaders in development of nonastronomical content for domes– Donation of Digital Sky System

DPP AVI

Dome Masters from DPP Projects

DPP Difficulties

• Have we bitten off too much?– Everybody wants in

• Connectivity– I2 not really there in rural NM– Alternatives all have problems– No real incentive for telcoms

• Dealing with diverse groups (geographically and culturally) takes a lot of time, energy, money, and people

What’s Next

• Years Two and Three– Move out of Albuquerque

» Santa Fe » Poeh Arts Center» Navaho Nation

• Self-sustaining projects– Film industry– Startups– Large format productions

Conclusions

• DPP is a model for development over much larger areas

• Similarities with ISTEC projects– Geographical spread– Unequal access to resources– Working with diverse cultural groups– Use of advances in telecommunications to

conquer problems– Working outside formal structures– Ability to “level the playing field”

Thanks to

• Hue Walker

• Sheryl Hurley

• Chris Jordan

• Danae Falliers

• Ernie Herrera

• David Beining

• Laurel Ladwig

• Sally Bowler-Hill

• Chris Davis

• Jin Xiong

• Student instructors/mentors