Creative Coding: Immersive Art with openFrameworks
A course by Paul FerragutMultimedia Artist and Creative Technologist
A course by Paul Ferragut, Multimedia Artist and Creative Technologist
Learn the basics of C++ programming and creative coding to animate striking shapes and loops for immersive artistic installations
Coding goes far beyond programming languages and technology– it is also a medium of artistic self-expression. For Paul Ferragut, a multimedia artist and technologist, it’s allowed him to create immersive art installations with organizations like Aquarium of the Pacific in California and collaborate with companies like Facebook, Microsoft, and Intel.
In this online course, learn the fundamentals of openFrameworks, so you can create your own experiential art. Deepen your knowledge in C++ programming, and express yourself artistically in a wide variety of projects.
What will you learn in this online course?
17 lessons & 19 downloads
About Me
5 minutes, 59 seconds
Starting to Code
13 minutes, 53 seconds
Creative Coding and Interactions
9 minutes, 37 seconds
How to Install openFrameworks
12 minutes, 42 seconds
Loops
8 minutes, 4 seconds
Classes and Arrays
18 minutes, 14 seconds
What's included in this course?
Meet Paul Ferragut, a multimedia artist, creative technologist, and your teacher for this course. Hear about his creative background which led him into a profession that combined art with technology, as well as his influences and inspirations.
Get introduced to the concepts related to creative coding and openFrameworks. Learn how to combine these disciplines, and write your first application with simple geometrical shapes and colors.
Explore the basics of programming. First, get familiar with variables, which are the names assigned to data in memory. Next with functions, which are like the verbs in a sentence. And lastly, conditions, which are essential to controlling actions in your animations.
Afterward, Paul walks you through animating your forms, and teaches you to use loops. Understand how to work with classes, in combination with arrays, and program one for a particle system.
To wrap up the course, you’ll incorporate the interactivity with the webcam, plan your space, and set up to launch the video projection.
What is this course's project?
Develop a visual particle system that interacts with a webcam, to produce an art installation with projection.
Projects by course students
Who is this online course for?
This course is for anyone who wants to express themselves artistically with the C++ programming language in openFrameworks.
Requirements and materials
No prior experience is necessary.
All you need is a computer, either Windows or Mac, and a webcam. A video projector is used in the final project, but it is optional.
Reviews
- 1 year ago
Nice course! I discovered a lot of new things.
- 1 year ago
me encanta el curso y su explicación
- 1 year ago
Estoy muy emocionada con las posibilidades que este cursó abrió para mi, esta excelentemente explicado, es dinámico y super interesante.
- 1 year ago
Paul really makes learning programming a dynamic experience (specially if it requires teaching c++ even if it's just the basics like classes, etc. even for me because I've never wrote in code before until now). when combined with open frameworks and the possibilities this tool gives, it makes it a unique course and worth the time and effort to learn more :)
- 2 years ago
I really enjoyed this course and I loved discovering openFrameworks because of its interactive possibilities. It even motivated me to buy a projector.
Through personal artworks and the experiential studio he co-founded (Convivial), his work focuses on interdisciplinary collaborations to create disruptive experiences. His work bridges the physical and digital worlds to create stories and immersive experiences that emotionally engage with his audiences.
Content
- U1
Introduction
- About Me
- Influences
- U2
Discovering Creative Coding
- Creative Coding and Interactions
- How to Install openFrameworks
- Starting to Code
- U3
The Basics of Programming
- The Variables
- The Functions
- Conditional Statements
- U4
The Visuals
- Animations
- Loops
- Classes and Arrays
- Particle Systems 1
- Particle Systems 2
- U5
Interactivity
- Computer Vision and Interactivity 1
- Computer Vision and Interactivity 2
- Planning the Installation
- Projecting the Video
- FP
Final project
- Creative Coding: Immersive Art with openFrameworks
What to expect from a Domestika course
Learn at your own pace
Enjoy learning from home without a set schedule and with an easy-to-follow method. You set your own pace.
Learn from the best professionals
Learn valuable methods and techniques explained by top experts in the creative sector.
Meet expert teachers
Each expert teaches what they do best, with clear guidelines, true passion, and professional insight in every lesson.
Certificates
PLUSIf you're a Plus member, get a custom certificate signed by your teacher for every course. Share it on your portfolio, social media, or wherever you like.
Get front-row seats
Videos of the highest quality, so you don't miss a single detail. With unlimited access, you can watch them as many times as you need to perfect your technique.
Share knowledge and ideas
Ask questions, request feedback, or offer solutions. Share your learning experience with other students in the community who are as passionate about creativity as you are.
Connect with a global creative community
The community is home to millions of people from around the world who are curious and passionate about exploring and expressing their creativity.
Watch professionally produced courses
Domestika curates its teacher roster and produces every course in-house to ensure a high-quality online learning experience.
FAQs
You’ll learn to create interactive installations and generative artworks using OpenFrameworks, C++, and tools like computer vision, projection mapping, sensors, and 3D scanning. The course covers both technical coding skills and creative design for immersive art experiences.
This course is best for learners with some coding or digital art experience, as it covers intermediate concepts in OpenFrameworks, generative design, and mixed reality installations.
You’ll need a Windows computer, Visual Studio, OpenFrameworks, and optionally hardware like webcams, projectors, sensors, or an iPad for certain projects. The course provides setup instructions for all required tools.
You’ll follow step-by-step instructions to download Visual Studio, extract the OpenFrameworks zip file, and configure your development environment on Windows, getting you ready to start creative coding projects.
You’ll be able to create interactive installations, generative pattern artworks, projection mapping displays, perception-based art, and sensor-driven experiences using OpenFrameworks and C++.
Yes, the course teaches computer vision techniques, including background subtraction, blob detection, and webcam or Kinect input, to enable interactive art installations.
Absolutely. The course includes lessons on algorithmic and generative pattern creation, referencing pioneers like Vera Molnar, and shows how to code similar styles using OpenFrameworks.