PAUL LACROIX 

Creative Technologist / Engineer / Media Artist

Categories:    My picks  Artworks  Interactive installations  Projection Mapping  Other  All

April 2023: Skull mesh reconstruction (medical field)
Undisclosed client
Consultant / Software Engineer

This project focused on developing a specialized software solution for reconstructing skull meshes in the medical field. Besides the physical limitations of the scanner (only a limited area of the skull can be captured in each scan), the software aligned and merged the multiple partial scans. This proved challenging at times, particularly because of the patient's head movements during the scans.
Artist

'Path of Noise (r, theta, phi)' received the Festival Platform Award Geo-Cosmos category at the Japan Media Arts Festival.
In this artwork, particles are moving along the surface of a sphere and are tracing curves along their passage. The movement of the particles is a symbolization of the randomness of one's life and its chaotic path.
The content is generative, in other words, different patterns and colors appear for each iteration.

A quite challenging aspect of this project was using a sphere-shaped screen (6-meter-diameter). Because there is no border, there is neither a beginning nor an end. The particles can move in all directions and loop around the sphere.

Although it is generative content, I also wanted to tell a story. The artwork is composed of several parts in which I tried to put different moods. Recent years have been difficult for many people around the world. I wanted to express some hope and bring some comfort into the heart of the viewers. That's the reason for using cherry blossoms.
March 2021: Installation of a 22 multi-screen solution at 19M Chanel in Paris
Dalbin Studio / Parallel Architecture
Engineer

Though the system was initially conceived in order to play multiple video contents synchronized over multiple computers, a very special requirement for this installation was on the contrary the videos to be played randomly and avoid any impression of looping.
December 2020: Talk at Motion Plus Design World / Japanese Edition
Motion Plus Design
Speaker

A Story About Face And Body Projection Mapping

During this speech, I talk about the experiences and inspirations that led me to my work on face projection mapping and body projection mapping.
Integrality of the speech in multiple languages
September 2020: Multiple camera stitching in real-time
Undisclosed client
System developper/Calibrated system expert

Development of an application capable of synthesizing a 12K wide camera equivalent by combining three 4K cameras. A precision-focused calibration system, tailored for sports scenarios, ensures impeccable visual outcomes as it deftly stitches images side-by-side, presenting a seamless and visually correct result. The system operates at a swift 60 frames per second, delivering high-resolution panoramic views perfectly suited for competitive sports coverage and other live events.

Expanding its horizons beyond sports, this technology finds adaptable utility in the realms of live stage performances and outdoor landscapes, where it confers remarkable visual clarity and detail.
October 2020: Generative art - Vector field virtual sculpture
NGC
Artist

At the occasion of the moving of their headquarters to Toyosu, the company NGC asked me to create a variation of one of my content so it can be placed in their lobby.

Displayed on 4 curved screens, the content evolves and changes perpetually. Colors and shapes, as well as camera work are generated randomly in real-time.
February 2020: Interactive hologram
IBM Japan / Panasonic / TypeZero
Technical director / Software developper

  • Software development

  • Developped as a front end demo for the AI interface Watson, this hologram interacts and provides information to customers visiting the head quarters of IBM Japan.
    March 2019: Experience Room (Art Installation) at Rolls Royce Motor Cars Shanghai
    Paul Lacroix / Dalbin
    Technical Director

  • Design of the technical solution and installation
  • 30 screens (5x3x2) for a total resolution of 19200x3240 pixels
  • Video
    September 2014: Installation of a 2D media server at Osaka Castle Park
    Indy associates / Sharp
  • Installation of original media server synchronizating video on multiple computers
  • 27 screens (9x3) for a total resolution of 11520x2160 pixels (3x4K)
  • Adjustment of the system to handle multiple audio tracks
  • July 2014: Simulation Program for Yokohama Dockyard Garden Projection Mapping (compatible with Oculus Rift)
    P.I.C.S. - http://www.pics.tokyo
  • Simulation in first-person view of projection mapping event (used for content check or presentation)
  • Support of Oculus Rift virtual reality headset when available
  • March 2014: Development of a 2D media server at Haneda International Airport
    Indy associates
    System Developper

  • Development of an original media server synchronizating video on multiple computers
  • Tools for data preparation and network synchronization
  • 36 screens (12x3) for a total resolution of 16392x2304
  • Technical support for interactive content on multiple screens
  • 2013: Nuke plugin for realistic brush contours from 3D animation videos
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    August 2011: Consultant for optimizing the project management workflow on the TV series Transformers
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    June 2011: Nuke cutout filter with temporal stability used in the TV serie Tron Uprising
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    March 2011: Nuke plugin for automatic normal map generation from handmade celluloid used in the TV serie Tron Uprising
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    2010: Realistic brush animation software
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
  • Real time drawing capture
  • Stroke path edition
  • Progressive stroke drawing
  • Object animation with spline interpolation
  • Real-time preview and high quality rendering
  • User interface developed using Qt
  • 2009: Real time fluid manipulation software used within introduction videos of a video game
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
  • Fluid and particle simulation
  • Real time drawing, edition and visualization
  • Importation of camera data from MAYA
  • User interface developed using MFC
  • 2008: Work on a real-time video compositing embedded system for karaoke
    Widget Inc.
  • Development of an ActiveX Control performing camera capture, compositing and recording to MPEG-2 file
  • Creation of customized DirectShow filters
  • Programming of software adjusting automatically the volume amplitude of audio data (robust approach)
  • Evaluation of several video compression formats for optimal display on mobile phone
  • Programming of software/hardware/network diagnostic software
  • Prototyping of a new interface connecting two devices in order to decrease the system cost
  • 2008: Volume rendering of brain sequences for the new version of the animation movie Ghost In The Shell 2.0
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    Ghost in the Shell 2.0 Trailer
    2007: Development of a real-time task management Web application used for organizing the tasks of more than one hundred employees
    Polygon Pictures Inc. - http://www.ppi.co.jp
    This application was used in the context of the American TV series My Friends Tigger and Pooh
    2006: Software research and development
    Voxelan
  • Digital measurements on 3D models
  • Scan anonymization
  • Scan stitching
  • Documentation, demonstration and training related with the software
  • Upgrade of the company 's website
  • Research and evaluation of methods especially in the following fields:
  • Processing of images and depth maps (Digital Elevation Model)
  • Scanner calibration, correction of the lens distortion
  • Mesh operations (polygonization, merging, simplification, comparison, positioning...)
  • Use of various data structures for optimization (octree, kd-tree...)
  • 2004: Development of visualization and processing software for volume images
    Pierre Fabre - http://www.pierre-fabre.com
  • Reading volume data from DICOM files
  • Volume data processing
  • Programming of a volume rendering engine (real-time mode with texture stack approach, high quality mode with ray casting algorithm)
  • Polygonization of vascular network
  • Participation in the authoring of a software development normalization document
  • Software training
  • 2003: Development of control software for a 3D scanner used in dermatology
    Pierre Fabre - http://www.pierre-fabre.com
  • Calibration of a vision system
  • Construction of 3D mesh from profilometer data
  • Color correction
  • Projection/merging of 2D textures on the 3D mesh
  • Research about mesh construction algorithms, publication of an article