[vimeo]http://vimeo.com/18839873[/vimeo]
The application is intellectual, but the results are truly stunning. Christopher Warnow has demonstrated a technique of procedurally painting light onto a scene by using a projector, distance sensor, and long-exposure camera. What you get is something that looks very cool and futuristic.
It works by utilizing the distance sensor to change the image that is being projected on the fly, and that, in turn, is rendered visible by the camera. It is almost exactly like a holographic animation that is captured with the long-exposed camera. At least, that is how I think it works. Regardless, the end result is an image that actually appears to be a futuristic holograph or computer-generated effect. Yet there is no special effects here — just amazing, on-the-fly ingenuity and creativity.