Antron Showroom – Digital Signage Expo 2013 Gold Apex Award Gewinner

Case Study: Antron Showroom, 2012 NeoCon Trade Show, Chicago

Um den Brand Antron und dessen Showroom am Neocon Event 2012 zu inszenieren, hat Float4 Interactive gemeinsam mit dem Design Unternehmen Perkins + Will eine immersive Umgebung mit Real-time Application geschaffen. Mittels Projektionsinstallation, welche durch Bewegung und Gesten der Besucher aktiviert wird und ein Farbspiel auf einer grossen Leinwand simuliert, wurde ein einmaliges Markenerlebnis geschaffen. Das Projekt gewann den DSE 2013 Gold Apex Award. Mehr über dieses Projekt, dessen Hintergrund, Herausforderungen und Lösung in der Case Study von Digital Signage Connection:

Immersive Environment Simulates Real-time Application of Paint

Perkins + Will worked with Float4 Interactive to create a environment in the NeoCon 2012 Antron Showroom that enabled users to simulate the application of paint to surfaces virtually and in real time.
Digital Signage Connection
Quelle: digitalsignageconnection.com, Case Study vom 07. November 2013
Float4 Interactive recently collaborated with design firm Perkins + Will to create a unique branding experience for the Antron Showroom at the 2012 NeoCon Trade Show in Chicago, Ill. Activated by user movements and body gestures, the immersive projection installation simulates the application of paint on a large canvas.
Nominating Company: Float4 Interactive, Montréal, Québec, Canada
Venue: Antron Showroom at the 2012 NeoCon Trade Show
Project: Installation that simulates painting on surfaces
Project Partners: Perkins + Will
Category: Event Venues

BACKGROUND

At the 2012 NeoCon event – which is North America’s largest design conference for commercial interiors – attendees were instrumental in bringing the Antron brand and showroom to life. Permanently located in Chicago’s Merchandise Mart, the branded environment was designed by Perkins + Will to provide a place in which designers can seek interest, inspiration and interaction.
Designed to be a collaborative and intuitive space, the showroom acts as a medium to weave the story of the process from fiber to carpet, and the importance of the role fiber plays as the starting line of creativity to design.
Activated by the user’s movement and body gestures, and powered by Float4’s RealMotion technology, the immersive projection simulates the application of paint, and has visual repercussions in other areas of the showroom.

CHALLENGES

One of the main challenges Float4 and Perkins + Will experienced was figuring out how to project virtual paint content onto irregular volumes and surfaces.
For example, the main projection surface was curved along two axes, which proved to be very challenging. Making this surface interactive also was difficult as it involved both touch and 3D skeletal tracking. In addition, the entrance installation involved projecting on different surfaces using the same projector. The small space made it very challenging to use projection.
From the content perspective, recreating paint digitally in real time was also a challenge – this simulation required meticulous design in order to achieve the desired effect. A portion of the experience involved generative visual content that reacted to live improvised music; this added another degree of complexity.

SOLUTIONS

Float4’s RealMotion engine and its hybrid interactive technology powered this user-driven experience by combining 3D skeletal tracking and large-scale touch interactions. The platform also included customized audio waveform modules that were implemented to create the real-time, sound-generated visual content. Custom-developed algorithms also allowed the team to replicate the common physical behaviors of paint, including splashing, pouring and dripping.
Additionally, RealMotion’s real-time rendering engine allowed the use of multiple projectors in order to display content on the irregular surfaces. Special projectors were used to reduce the throw distance to an absolute minimum, therefore reducing shadows.

RESULTS

The Antron showroom was one of the main highlights at the 2012 NeoCon Festival, which hosted 40,947 interior designers, architects and trade professionals. For three days, the Merchandise Mart was alive with activity, excitement and – most importantly – new business opportunities.
This is the second year that Float4 has collaborated with Perkins + Will for the Antron Showroom for NeoCon. A similar installation to this one was the past winner of the 2011 Best of Competition Award, which was presented to Antron Carpet Fiber at the IIDA/Contract Magazine Showroom & Booth Design Competition in 2011.
The Antron Showroom installation won the DSE 2013 Gold Apex Award in the Event Venues category.