Chunity: Integrated Audiovisual Programming in Unity

Jack Atherton, and Ge Wang

Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression

Abstract:

Chunity is a programming environment for the design of interactive audiovisual games, instruments, and experiences. It embodies an audio-driven, sound-first approach that integrates audio programming and graphics programming in the same workflow, taking advantage of strongly-timed audio programming features of the ChucK programming language and the state-of-the-art real-time graphics engine found in Unity. We describe both the system and its intended workflow for the creation of expressive audiovisual works. Chunity was evaluated as the primary software platform in a computer music and design course, where students created a diverse assortment of interactive audiovisual software. We present results from the evaluation and discuss Chunity's usability, utility, and aesthetics as a way of working. Through these, we argue for Chunity as a unique and useful way to program sound, graphics, and interaction in tandem, giving users the flexibility to use a game engine to do much more than "just" make games.

Citation:

Jack Atherton, and Ge Wang. 2018. Chunity: Integrated Audiovisual Programming in Unity. Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression. DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.1302695

BibTeX Entry:

  @inproceedings{Atherton2018,
 abstract = {Chunity is a programming environment for the design of interactive audiovisual games, instruments, and experiences. It embodies an audio-driven, sound-first approach that integrates audio programming and graphics programming in the same workflow, taking advantage of strongly-timed audio programming features of the ChucK programming language and the state-of-the-art real-time graphics engine found in Unity. We describe both the system and its intended workflow for the creation of expressive audiovisual works. Chunity was evaluated as the primary software platform in a computer music and design course, where students created a diverse assortment of interactive audiovisual software. We present results from the evaluation and discuss Chunity's usability, utility, and aesthetics as a way of working. Through these, we argue for Chunity as a unique and useful way to program sound, graphics, and interaction in tandem, giving users the flexibility to use a game engine to do much more than "just" make games.},
 address = {Blacksburg, Virginia, USA},
 author = {Jack Atherton and Ge Wang},
 booktitle = {Proceedings of the International Conference on New Interfaces for Musical Expression},
 doi = {10.5281/zenodo.1302695},
 editor = {Luke Dahl, Douglas Bowman, Thomas Martin},
 isbn = {978-1-949373-99-8},
 issn = {2220-4806},
 month = {June},
 pages = {102--107},
 publisher = {Virginia Tech},
 title = {Chunity: Integrated Audiovisual Programming in Unity},
 url = {http://www.nime.org/proceedings/2018/nime2018_paper0024.pdf},
 year = {2018}
}