In Fall 2013 I started putting interactive diagrams into the on-line course notes for my computer graphics class. Then in early 2014 I began the Chalktalk project which lets me sketch shapes, which then transform into interactive graphical elements.
So I ended up being in two different programming worlds. One was for on-line course notes, build on top of a simple HTML canvas library. The other was for a much more sophisticated and advanced presentation system (Chalktalk), that ultimately has allowed our group to expand into 3D interaction with smart objects in virtual and mixed reality .
But I was never happy about this split. What I really wanted was a way to do both, without duplicating effort. Finally, on the very last day of this year, I am happy to report that I’ve succeeded.
Here is an example of on-line course notes that also double as content for Chalktalk. Every one of the interactive diagrams in this document can also be dropped right into Chalktalk, without changing a single line of code.
This means that I can use my fancy Chalktalk 3D sketch based mixed reality system to give lectures — or videos of lectures — or immersive 3D volumetric videos of lectures. Then exactly that same content can go into an on-line document, so that people can play with the ideas on their own.
As anyone who has programmed can tell you, it’s a lot easier to manage things if you can run the same code everywhere.
Happy New Year everyone!!!