Rui Filipe Antunes

Generative choreography: animating in real-time dancing avatars

In this paper we introduce a novel approach to dance choreographies in virtual worlds. We present a dance performed by avatars in a virtual world, where a computational ecosystem provides a mechanism driving the actions and movements of the avatars. First, we discuss the background and motivations, and describe the performance. Then, we describe the technical aspects of the algorithm driving the choreographic movements. Finally we discuss its critical aspects and contextualize the work with regards to dance practice and evolutionary art history. In the process of this discussion, we emphasize the advantages of the AI model of computational ecosystems for the animation of non-player-characters.

Real-Time Behavioral Animation of Humanoid Non-Player Characters with a Computational Ecosystem

A novel approach to a decentralized autonomous model of agency for general purpose Non-Player Characters (NPCs) is presented: Computational Ecosystems as a model of AI. We describe the technology used to animate a population of gregarious humanoid characters in the virtual world Where is Lourenco Marques? an ethnographic artistic work characterized as a virtual world inhabited by a population of NPCs interacting autonomously among themselves as well as with an audience of outsiders (human observers). First, we present the background and motivations for the project. Then, we describe the technical details about the algorithm that was developed to generate the movements and behaviors of a population of NPC ‘storytellers’. Finally, we layout some of the critical aspects of this particular implementation and contextualize the work with regards to a wider usage in virtual worlds.

On writing and reading artistic computational ecosystems

We study the use of the generative systems known as computational ecosystems to convey artistic and narrative aims. These are virtual worlds running on computers, composed of agents that trade units of energy and emulate cycles of life and behaviors adapted from biological life forms. In this article we propose a conceptual framework in order to understand these systems, which are involved in processes of authorship and interpretation that this investigation analyzes in order to identify critical instruments for artistic exploration. We formulate a model of narrative that we call system stories (after Mitchell Whitelaw), characterized by the dynamic network of material and conceptual processes that define these artefacts. They account for narrative constellations with multiple agencies from which meaning and messages emerge. Finally, we present three case studies to explore the potential of this model within an artistic and generative domain, arguing that this understanding expands and enriches the palette of the language of these systems.

Computational Ecosystems in Evolutionary Art, and Their Potential for the Future of Virtual Worlds

In this chapter we look in detail at digital artworks which employ a technique from Artificial Life (ALife) called Computational Ecosystems (CEs). These are systems where digital agents are organized in a hierarchical structure (of a food chain) and trade symbolic units (energy and biomass) as a way of promoting community dynamics. We analyze a set of forty (40) CEs communicating works created in the past two decades. We classify these according to an adapted taxonomy. Then, we proceed to a study of cumulative analysis to delineate common patterns and characteristics that can help analyse this area of creativity and knowledge. We conclude discussing the diversity and heterogeneity of the practice and then suggest how CEs, in the context of virtual worlds, could be used as powerful generative multimedia tools, helpful in building bio-mimicking ecosystems as well as in the animation of non-player characters (NPCs) with human-like behaviors.

From Self-Portraits to Medieval Simulations: Computational Artificial Ecosystems as Multi-Contextual Authoring Tools

In this paper, we examine virtual ecosystems as general-purpose authoring tools for heterogeneity and spontaneity, and discuss the use of such systems as animation drivers in a variety of contexts: from artistic abstract work, to dance choreographies, or even in the simulation of historical spaces. First, we present the background, motivation and summary for the project. Then, we discuss the use of these systems in the artworks Senhora da Graça, xTNZ, Where is Lourenço Marques?, in the dance choreography, Vishnus Dance of Life and Death, and in the simulation of the population of the medieval village of Mértola. This emphasizes how an artistic practice informs a movement of transition, taking us from the use of artefacts that mostly rely on their traditionally associated eco-narratives to functional tool generators of diversity and heterogeneity. Finally, we close the article to contend that these systems function as utilitarian authoring tools for multi-contextual purposes.

Bio-Inspired Virtual Populations: Adaptive Behavior with Affective Feedback

In this paper, we Secdescribe an agency model for generative populations of humanoid characters, based upon temporal variation of affective states. We have built on an existing agent framework from Sequeira et al. [18], and adapted it to be susceptible to temperamental and emotive states in the context of cooperative and non-cooperative interactions based on trading activity. More specifically, this model operates within two existing frameworks: a) intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning, structured upon affective appraisals in the relationship of the agents with their environment [20,18]; b) a multi-temporal representation of individual psychology, common in the field of affective computing, structuring individual psychology as a tripartite relationship: emotions-moods-personality [8,16]. Results show a populations of agents that express their individuality and autonomy with a high level of heterogeneous and spontaneous behaviors, while simultaneously adapting and overcoming their perceptual limitations.

An Ecosystem Based Model for Real-Time Generative Animation of Humanoid Non-Player Characters

In this paper a novel approach to a decentralized autonomous model of agency for general purpose Non-Player Characters (NPCs) is presented: the AI model of Computational Ecosystems. We describe the technology used to animate a population of gregarious humanoid avatars in a virtual world. This artistic work is an ethnographic project where a population of NPCs inhabit the virtual world and interact autonomously among themselves as well as with an audience of outsiders (human observers). First, we present the background, motivation and summary for the project. Then, we describe the algorithm that was developed to generate the movements and behaviors of the population of NPC “story-tellers”. Finally, we discuss some of the critical aspects of this implementation and contextualize the work with regards to a wider usage in computer games and virtual worlds.