Designers of interactive 3D software for live visuals, Derivative teamed up with PRADA and architectural visionaries Herzog & de Meuron to launch Hypersurface, a live animated architectural element in the new PRADA Tokyo Epicenter store.
The new PRADA building utilizes Derivative's powerful Academy Award winning visual effects technology for creating animated architectural surfaces. The sunrise and sunset, moon cycle and time of year guide the phases of HyperSurface's programmed behavior.
Each of the PRADA building's five HyperSurface projections is customized to the shape of the surface it projects upon and the in-store lighting environment. The daytime appearance is designed for in-store viewing, while it transitions through sunset to a nighttime design for viewing from outside the store.
HyperSurface is authored in TouchDesigner, Derivative's complete content-editing tool for the creation of visual synthesizers. In contrast with playing fixed video loops, the synthesizers are played by TouchMixer on graphics-enhanced PCs to generate constantly changing imagery.
Because of the immediacy of TouchDesigner, it enables a great deal of on-site revision and refinement of the artwork. Herzog & de Meuron were able to evolve the impression of the artwork in the context of the rest of the building right up to opening date, making for a more integrated look. For the architect, Touch makes live visuals easier to design, produce and perfect