Marketing AR Course for Youth

We have a cool new course we're forming, and want to market as an online offering and license it to youth camps!We have a fun way for youth (or anyone) to learn how to develop cool Augmented Reality for Snapchat Lenses using only free tools and resources, and an easy process (we've taught grade 10s to do it in a few hours and they had a blast). We're hoping we can turn this into the start of a whole series of courses on developing digital interactive media for youth.Banging Rocks is a tiny company that does Virtual and Augmented Reality for positive impact with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts. As a for-profit company we're at a unique intersection point of the arts, academia, industry and not-for-profit worlds.

VR Gallery Exhibit

Positions Available: 1Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual and Augmented Reality for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.The Project: VR Gallery ExhibitWe are creating a Unity-based recreation of the Domus Terrae exhibit, featured at the United Nations' Geneva headquarters in 2018.This project involves putting the finishing touches on the project - optimizing, adding small but key components such as a proper credit area, and various other tasks.The StudentThe student selected should have a strong background with Unity, be familiar with modeling and working with Unity-based lighting, user interaction design, and optimization. An interest in art and migration are an asset.

Market Expansion Research

We are ready to take our business to the next level. Banging Rocks has a superb track record with running Word Press & Mediawiki based sites for clientele in the legal domain, but our client base is extremely limited and we have yet to do any marketing or outreach! Our company requires assistance assessing our customer landscape outside of our current client list. We're hoping to identify likely prospects, and develop a solid marketing approach to help bring in more clients.To consider: which markets align with our current one? What additional services might we offer to make ourselves more competitive? Who should we be connecting with and how to generate more business?

AR Development

Positions Available: 1Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual and Augmented Reality for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.The Project: AR DevelopmentWe are currently working on a Lens Studio project that requires modeling, texturing, and motion-capture based animation.This Riipen project centres on the development of a series of simple, low-poly models, texturing them, and animating a character via Plask-rendered motion capture. Work done in this Riipen project will permit the implementation of key gameplay mechanics from the software development team.The StudentThe student selected should have a strong background in 3D modelling, with experience creating low-poly meshes that are compatible with Unity. Access to 3D modelling software programs, and a computer capable of running them is a requirement for this position. The ideal candidate has familiarity with motion capture, Lens Studio, and model optimization.

A Wall Opens: Technical Art Software Engineer

Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual Reality for a positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.A Wall OpensA Wall Opens is the first installment in a series of 3 room puzzle game/escape room virtual reality experiences. Built-in Unity and designed for the Oculus Quest headset, the game is played in first person through a series of kinetic puzzles, letters, portals and magical objects. Each game tells the story of generations of womxn within a “haunting house” rather than a haunted house: a place that, through its objects, is a living character in their memories. Creation of thematically and stylistically consistent objects is of vital importance.This Riipen project centres specifically on the creation of a Python software tool, to generate mathematical drawings with transparent backgrounds, and to facilitate the conversion of existing graphical images into pngs with transparent backgrounds. These transparent pngs can then be used in sprite sheets to create novel 2D/3D animations. A portion of the Python software tool will be released in an open-source format, to allow use by other artists and to help grow the XR digital art community. Work done in this Riipen project will permit the development of a novel animation pipeline for XR art with a distinctive style, for this project and possible future projects. The ProjectThis project centers on designing programmatic art and developing the technical backend of an animation pipeline straddling the 2D-3D divide. The successful applicant will work with the Art Director to write a “plug and play” simple to use standalone Python program to convert provided graphics files into the required format, with applied graphical transformations. A command-line script version of the Python code will be prepared by the applicant for release as an open-source script. The successful applicant will also produce a set of mathematically generated line art designs, for use in a novel animation style. Deliverables are limited to a simple GUI program, the open-source Python script, and one set of line art images (totaling no more than 20 images). The StudentThe student selected should have a strong background in Unity, computer graphics and Python coding. Experience generating programmatic art is a requirement. Intermediate Photoshop experience (or ability to rapidly learn) is a requirement in order to manipulate processed and provided images into sprite sheets. Access to two separate computers capable of running intensive graphical rendering programs, running Windows 10 and macOS operating systems respectively is a requirement for this position. The ideal candidate has familiarity with 2D and 3D animation. C# coding and experience integrating Python scripts directly into Unity is an asset but not a requirement. Resources & FilesThe student will have access to the Banging Rocks community, including 4 VR designers and developers.

Academic Partner Research

Positions available: One or Two teams, no team size limit.Our CompanyBanging Rocks uses Emerging Media for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts, and ties to several local academic organizations.Academic Emerging Media ProspectingBanging Rocks is seeking potential academic partners. We are looking for University based academic open labs and other open initiatives specializing in VR, AR, AI and other emerging media. Our hope is to create a network of academic partners whose open sourced works can be be fit to various applications by Banging Rocks.This Riipen project centers on researching labs of this sort, and compiling a report on the best prospects internationally for this sort of collaboration.The ProjectBanging Rocks will provide examples of a couple of suitable organizations and discuss why they are a good fit and the basic plan for developing a network of collaborators.Project deliverables would include both a report and any recommendations, analysis and insights the student team comes up with.The StudentThe students should have an entrepreneurial mindset, be good at research and presentation, and curious about innovative business models

Prototype Design: Interactive Remote Learning

Available Positions: 1 - 3Our CompanyBanging Rocks uses Emerging Media for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.Interactive Remote LearningOur founder is developing K-12 course material for use in remote learning. Based on the BC “New Curriculum”, this will include a combination of commercial off-the-shelf software and custom tools to deliver realtime, interactive and engaging content on a wide range of subjects.This Riipen project centers specifically on the design and initial prototyping for two test sessions, one astronomical the other biological.The ProjectWe will be incorporating both off the shelf tools (OBS, Teams, Lens Studio and others) and potentially custom created tools, and will be extending the tools made by the University of British Columbia’s “Digital Dream Play” team from the Emerging Media Lab for this purpose.Deliverables will include documentation, and co-creation of a simple prototype for one or two 45 minute sessions for primary school children. The student will have the option to help deliver a presentation to grade 3 and 5 classes.The StudentThe student selected should have a familiarity with STEM education, a proficiency with UI/UX considerations and be a fast learner on a range of technologies. The ability to clearly document processes and tools is also key.

Junior React Architect for "Group Works" App

Positions available: 1Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual Reality for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.Group Works: Junior React ArchitectGroup Works is an open source card deck for facilitators, giving a pattern language of facilitated process that helps make meetings and other events more meaningful, productive and connective.Banging Rocks is creating a React Native application that helps facilitators use the deck effectively for consultation, event planning, debriefing and more.The ProjectThis project pairs a junior developer with our senior developer to help us plan out implementation. Together, these two will help develop a team to create an MVP version of the software.The StudentThe student may be new to react, but should have a strong grounding in software development and design, experience in the field desired but not required. They should have an understanding of how to scope & define a project and its subcomponents, and how to frame them suitably for an agile team to deliver.The deliverables include:- Shared creation of a development plan and task list- Shared creation of job and project descriptions suitable for Riipen or other platforms so that we can assemble a suitable development team- Assistance in some preliminary development and prototyping.

A Wall Opens: 3D Modelling Proposal

Positions Available: 1Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual Reality for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.A Wall OpensA Wall Opens is the first installment in a series of 3 room puzzle game/escape room virtual reality experiences. Built in Unity and designed for the Oculus Quest headset, the game is played in first person through a series of kinetic puzzles, letters, portals and magical objects. Each game tells the story of generations of womxn within a “haunting house” rather than a haunted house: a place that, through its objects, is a living character in their memories. Creation of thematically and stylistically consistent objects is of vital importance.This Riipen project centres specifically on the creation of furniture and home decor objects. Work done in this Riipen project will permit the implementation of key gameplay mechanics from the software development team.The ProjectThis project centers on historical furniture and home decor spanning the twentieth century, with whimsical and surrealist elements. The successful applicant will research time-period appropriate furniture, and propose a design for a shelving unit to the Art Director. Upon design approval, the successful applicant will deliver one completed 3D model for the shelving unit and three additional pieces of room decor to the VR development team. Deliverables may be modified if the shelving unit design is complex and requires additional time. Models are not required to have finished textures.The StudentThe student selected should have a strong background in 3D modelling, with experience creating meshes that are compatible with Unity. Access to 3D modelling software programs, and a computer capable of running them is a requirement for this position.The ideal candidate has familiarity with historical furniture design and home decor spanning the twentieth century. Texturing skills are an asset but not a requirement.

Space Shanties: Research & Composition

Positions available:1Our CompanyBanging Rocks creates Virtual Reality for positive impact, with an emphasis on transdisciplinary arts.Space ShantiesSpace Shanties is an interdisciplinary exploration of what life on a Mars colony ship and colony would be like, centering on a musicological / performance based approach, with the extrapolation of historical trends in folk music interwoven into the narrative arc of Mars colonists as they apply, train, journey to and settle on Mars.The setting for Space Shanties is a series of Virtual Reality scenes depicting these phases of the journey, with the interactive, immersive VR environments serving as backdrop for the heart of the project: speculative folk music that extends real folk traditions into new circumstances and stories. Phase I of Space Shanties is the creation of a proof of concept: A pseudo-historical tour of a Mars Colony with musical interaction points throughout.Key to this project is “Speculative Folk Music” - this is “hard musicological sci-fi” - as accurate as possible a representation of how folk music evolves and of the context for its evolution that would be provided by a Martial colonization project. Details will be incorporated ranging from the likely back-stories of the crew to the background sounds and aural cues that would inform the sounds mirrored musically.As a colonization effort of this type would draw in a crew from around the world, it provides a great opportunity to explore a wide range of folk music traditions.This Riipen project centers specifically on fiddle music traditions.The ProjectThis project centers on the variations of fiddle tradition as found in Canadian folk music. The successful applicant will research at least two traditions of folk fiddle music - potentially including Ontario, Irish, Celtic, Maritime, Appalachian or other styles. This research will lead to composition of at least one piece of music in a selected style which will be included in a Virtual Reality experience. The successful applicant will also create one research paper on their findings and a small series of blog posts related to their work.The StudentThe student selected should have a strong background in music, with both a skill at fiddle playing and a knowledge and interest in its traditions. The ideal candidate would have a grounding in philosophy and an interest in science fiction, suitable to help them extrapolate from historical folk music into a Martian context.