Candle Vigil

A flame is as complex as it is simple.  What I did like about a candle lights behavior is the dimming of a weak ember and the burst of a flame kissed with oxygen.

Once I found a way to emulate that, I went on to experiment with diffusion and different materials.

 I found a bottle discarded on the table and filled it varying amounts of fluid, adding some salt to give it a cloudiness.  It was a fun idea, but didn't really give the result I wanted.

I went back to my giant spool of fiber optic, and decided to twist it around into a spiral.  It gave a unique way to separate the light, similar to what other's in class did turning the acrylic tubes, but I lost the fiber optic "path" because the light would bend so much it wouldn't reach the other end of the string.  Which kind of defeated the perk of using it.  But wouldn't it be cool it create crackling sparks and embers from a flame?  That'd be some intense candle.

I went back to my tried and true paper diffused method.  I have a lot of paper materials laying around from past projects so I always love to re-use the leftovers.

The height of the tube allowed the colors to fade away nicely and it cut the sharp lines created from the LEDs beaming.  Also it hid the on/off of certain LEDs pretty well.  Where it was fun programing different light loops, I had more fun constructing elaborate diffusers because you get the benefit of an appealing structure, while also controlling the light in a unique way that is hard to replicate through code (but I wouldn't say impossible).  I think a good balance of both is needed, but I will also lean heavier on the diffusion, just because I really enjoy it.