Realisations Inc. Montreal Gives Life to Texas Park with Nature and Interactive Technology

	Tree and table

After recently being part of the design team as content creators of the very urban See Forever Theatre of the visitor center at One World Trade Center in New York, Realisations Inc. Montreal recently took on a much more bucolic project at Oak Point Park Nature and Retreat Center in Plano, Texas.

Nestled lakeside within the state's largest park, the award winning Oak Point Park combines both nature and technology through the interactive displays designed and integrated by Realisations.

Realisations' one-of-a-kind interactive exhibit, fashioned like a giant oak tree, is where patrons and park guests can learn about Oak Point Park. The exhibit explores the park's history, the plants and animals that call Oak Point home, and the hydrological and geological features that make Oak Park unique and special.

A 14' wide table at the base of a tree represents a 3D relief map of the 800 acre Oak Point Park. Under Realisations' supervision the tree and the table were manufactured out of laminated wood. A CNC machine was later used to carve the actual features of the landscape into the table. Realisations created an aerial map of the park which serves as the basis for the visual graphic that is projected from above by two Christie DWU555-GS projectors onto the table's 3D surface. But, more than just static projections animate this table. Five objects are arranged along the edge of the table: a compass, a blown glass water drop, a sedimentary rock, a sculpted wooden flower, and an actual bobcat skull. As the visitor touches any one of the objects the motion detectors above trigger a projected menu of themes represented by graphic icons.

For example, the compass offers additional information as to the location of the park's gates, historic sites, lakes and ponds, trails, natural features and park improvements. When one of these six options is chosen by touching the graphic icon, the locations of that option are highlighted on the projected map. The other four objects each trigger a selection of several sub themes. The rock suggests three geological themes -- soil, rock, or strata. The bobcat skull suggests five fauna related themes -- insects, birds, reptiles and amphibians, mammals, and fish. When one of the themes is selected, a short scientific video is played next to the object. The voice-only audio for the video comes from the tree above through highly directional hyper sonic speakers manufactured by Turtle Beach Corp. ensuring that only the persons viewing that video hear the corresponding audio.

Roger Parent, president of Realisations Inc Montreal, stated; "The really exciting part of a project such as the Oak Point Park Nature and Retreat Center is to be able to ask the Park's geologist to go into the park and to select a representative rock of the geological formations and to turn that same rock into an interactive element of the display -- to make authentic objects speak to the visitors." He added, "We also enable the local exhibit and scientific staff to easily change the content presented without our need to be involved."

All five objects can be activated at the same time allowing multiple groups to explore the park's features simultaneously. To achieve this level of multi channel real time interactivity, Realisations uses its proprietary Sensei software. Sensei allows multiple input or trigger devices to activate a wide range of output sources of which video projection and audio are but just two. With the Sensei system, input trigger devices can take many shapes.

In the case of Oak Park, as the client requested an off-the shelf easily available technology, the Microsoft Kinect 2 sensors were used. Mounted in the tree above the table, the sensors are programmed in Sensei to overlay a detection field over the table. When a hand comes close enough to one of the five objects, an action is triggered. There are no electronics in or on the table or in any of the five objects. Additional virtual triggers are programmed in mid-air above the projected map allowing a visitor, for example, to move projected clouds out of the way with a swipe of their hand revealing the map under the clouds. Lastly, an astronomical clock is connected to a Sensei input in order to adjust the gamma and contrast settings of the projectors to provide a projection that is always highly visible.

The Realisations team not only designed and integrated the interactive and AV technology but they also edit all of the visual and audio content based on photos and videos provided to them by Oak Point Park, as well as the park's new logo. Realisations also installed an additional Christie projector that is used to promote upcoming events in the park. Using the Sensei software, they provide the park staff with a simple routine to upload new photos or videos into a file to update the projected content daily.

In order to better control the quality and uniqueness of the interactive experience and to ensure its real time multi-user application, Realisations designed Sensei so as to be able to take charge of the complete project. From the creation of the original audio and video content to the integration of the AV equipment to the programming of the gesture interface, Sensei is a solution tailored to meet the ever evolving expectations of visitors and audiences.

See link for a short video clip of the project: https://vimeo.com/146795618