Coded Creatures
By: FIBERCoded Creatures is an application created by MU and FIBER. It was developed especially for the online educational program MU Play&Learn and is part of FIBER’s series Coded Matter(s).
Coded Creatures is an online course in ‘Object Oriented Programming’. In 6 lessons you can learn the basic principles of the programming language Processing and design your own character. At the end of the course you can ‘release’ this character into the virtual environment created especially by artist Daan van Hasselt. So if you take part in Coded Creatures you will not only master creative programming, but also contribute to an artistic eco system. In these 6 lessons you will familiarise yourself with creative coding within a Processing environment.
The course teaches you a number of technical how-to’s and creative elements. A few of the technical skills include learning about syntax and structure of the Java programming language. The course also features an introduction to object-oriented programming, a principle that can be used to introduce structure and hierarchy in your programs. The contrast between the technical side and creating art may seem very big, but you will see that in practice the two worlds are very closely connected, and even overlap substantially. If you change a few numbers your application is sure to surprise you with some unexpected results.
Who is it for?
Coded Creatures was initially developed for new ‘makers’ who have some knowledge of software, coding and Processing. They could be graphic or interaction designers, or VJ’s and other image makers. The lessons are also intended for students in creative disciplines or teachers who want to learn coding to work on it themselves or with their students. But essentially anyone who is interested in any of these disciplines can use these lessons. It helps if you have written a line of code before, and have some basic insight into the way programming languages (such as Processing) and environments work. Also, you shouldn’t be afraid to try new things, like sinking your teeth into a piece of code.
