Tracer Display for BlizzCon 2015

[JonnyMac]

Our friends at Alliance Studio have created another beautiful peice for BlizzCon, and we're happy to have made a [very small] contribution. Have a look at this Tracer character display; it's gorgeous.



While the centerpiece is a custom projection animation in the chest (built by Steve Wang's son, Jason), they also wanted a "throbbing" effect for the guns.

Sometimes I write several thousand lines of code for a customer, sometimes I write just a few -- this display is the later. Here's the main code loop (built on the standard HC-8+ template):

pub main | t, level

  setup                                                          ' setup io and objects

  t := cnt
  repeat
    repeat level from 0 to 200                                   ' fade up
      pwm.set(0, level            + 55)                          '  20% to 100%
      pwm.set(1, level * 75 / 100 + 55)                          '  20% to  80%
      pwm.set(2, level / 2        + 55)                          '  20% to  60%
      waitcnt(t += (1500 * MS_001 / 200))                        '  do ramp in 1.5s

    repeat level from 200 to 0                                   ' fade down
      pwm.set(0, level            + 55)                          '  100% to 20%
      pwm.set(1, level * 75 / 100 + 55)                          '   80% to 20%
      pwm.set(2, level / 2        + 55)                          '   60% to 20%
      waitcnt(t += (1500 * MS_001 / 200))                        '  do ramp in 1.5s


Yes, it's really that easy. When we work with our customers it is our job to implement their vision, not impose our own. Steve wanted simple and I gave it to him. It took me longer to drive over to his office than to write the code and show it to him.

For those wondering I made the program output the same basic ramp at different levels because the guns hand not been fully assembled. They ended up using channel 0 (brightest) and said it was perfect.

You can see a bit of video of the projection effect here:
-- https://www.facebook.com/wangfx/videos/10153259273318697/

[livinlowe]

Hey Jon!
How did you do the rotating LED's on the back? Or is that the custom projection piece you referred to? Either way, man, LED's make things cool!!! lol, I wish I had 1/10th the talent Steve and you have.

Great job

[JonnyMac]

The rotating element is a projection. The projector is in the body at a 90-degree angle to the chess so they can have layers of material to project on -- this creates a 3D effect. This was all handled by Steve Wang's son, Jason. He modeled and then 3D printed all the parts for the projector assembly. As always, that team does amazing work. I was over a few times so I saw it in various stages. The costume is immaculate; a very sweet lady named Vanessa does that. She can do anything with cloth, leather, a needle, and thread!.

Here are more pics of the display:

[JonnyMac]

Here's a neat little video about the Tracer display. The focal point of lighting is a projected video (it's really great), but there is an HC-8+ controlling the lighting on her guns.