A few years ago I worked at a startup that let you send handwritten notes via an API. The machines that did this were basically 2.5 axis 3d printers, aka pen plotters which is not a new concept.
I was a software dev on one floor of a building working on the platform, and on the floor below us there was a fleet of about 100 of these machines that were producing the notes. Edit: There was a team of folks that maintained and operated these machines. They didn't write the software but without them the API would not have been able to function.
I really enjoyed interacting with these folks when I could. I got to build some QA UIs for them, and I took a lot of satisfaction out of using my knowledge of the platform to make a nice and efficient tool for them. You don't get to talk directly to your users often and it was a very enjoyable project for that reason.
Anyway, for a holiday party, I thought it would be cooler than a photo booth if we could find a way to make the robots draw the people that operated them. "Yeah sure, that would be cool good luck!"
Well, I actually made it work. With grit, determination, duct tape and jQuery I created a UI for generating vector path data from bitmap images so my "robot" could draw them. I hung out in a room and operated the photo booth all night and it was really fun. Nobody at work actually cared in a meaningful way but it was an extremely satisfying project for more than its aesthetic value.
I've figured out multi-pen workflows to do things like maps and really cool repeating pattern geometric artwork, but the project is kind of stuck because my career has been a struggle. I have my own dedicated machine / hardware to free me from the tyranny of the cloud, but turns out the "I'm gonna build it myself" path takes longer than expected. Who would have known?
I love it so much. I can't give up on it, but it really needs more attention than I can dedicate to it. If you think this is cool and you'd like to commission some artwork please get in touch I'd really like to make this happen.
Really cool! But your site could really benefit from having more examples. One image is not enough. Maybe you can link to an instagram account with examples that users share with you. I could see this being a fun activity at a wedding event.
Re: "Wedding events" Yes! But, the cloud. (see below).
One of the problems with my current workflow is its dependent on not only 1. an internet connection but 2. there is a "cloud" i have to interact with to use my off-the-shelf machine.
I have hardware for a new machine, it will need zero internet and work off the grid with nothing but 110 (maybe 12v?) power.
I haven't spent the time to "put the pieces together" so to speak. It needs a UI that allows control over the execution of the plotter artwork. Stuff that pesky "cloud" sort of does, but separates me enough from that I need to make my own version that allows for necessary control.
I think if I was given the time and space to do the deep work necessary I could get a functional MVP working in 2-3 weeks. The constraints of life mean that I can only give it 30min to 1 hour spurts, and even then those are not consistent at all.
Photographing the artwork has also been a challenge for me. I finally bought a pre-made template that I like so hopefully I can get past all the emotional hangups with my past failures and just move forward with what I have instead of trying to "perfect" it all before launch.
I was a software dev on one floor of a building working on the platform, and on the floor below us there was a fleet of about 100 of these machines that were producing the notes. Edit: There was a team of folks that maintained and operated these machines. They didn't write the software but without them the API would not have been able to function.
I really enjoyed interacting with these folks when I could. I got to build some QA UIs for them, and I took a lot of satisfaction out of using my knowledge of the platform to make a nice and efficient tool for them. You don't get to talk directly to your users often and it was a very enjoyable project for that reason.
Anyway, for a holiday party, I thought it would be cooler than a photo booth if we could find a way to make the robots draw the people that operated them. "Yeah sure, that would be cool good luck!"
Well, I actually made it work. With grit, determination, duct tape and jQuery I created a UI for generating vector path data from bitmap images so my "robot" could draw them. I hung out in a room and operated the photo booth all night and it was really fun. Nobody at work actually cared in a meaningful way but it was an extremely satisfying project for more than its aesthetic value.
https://facetrace-party.vercel.app
https://www.robotdrawsyou.com
I've figured out multi-pen workflows to do things like maps and really cool repeating pattern geometric artwork, but the project is kind of stuck because my career has been a struggle. I have my own dedicated machine / hardware to free me from the tyranny of the cloud, but turns out the "I'm gonna build it myself" path takes longer than expected. Who would have known?
I love it so much. I can't give up on it, but it really needs more attention than I can dedicate to it. If you think this is cool and you'd like to commission some artwork please get in touch I'd really like to make this happen.