Geekfoolery

I ran across a website in my bookmarks the other day and was reminded once again of how cool it is. The site is called Sodaplay, and it allows you to build and animate bizarre wireframe sculptures. You control a handful of parameters: whether to use rigid or fixed sticks, how strong the gravity is, and with a handful of dots and connectors, almost like 2-D tinkertoys, you can build sculptures that walk or wiggle or bounce.

The Sodaplay site has an area called the Sodaconstructor where you build your critters, and there is also the Sodazoo where you can play with critters that other people have created. The more anal-retentive among you can read the directions if you like, but the real fun is just getting into the Sodaconstructor and clicking around and building stuff. Soon you’ll figure out that some lines are rigid, and some lines are like muscles that expand and contract. Make a triangle with one rigid side and two muscles, and the shape will move. You can adjust the phase of the movement with a very intuitive slider on the left side, and if you do it right, you will have a leg.

The challenge is to build your first “walker” … it looks simple, but getting four legs to move in the proper sequence takes a little practice. And half the fun is the fact that in moments of frustration you can can pick your critter up and just shake the bejeesus out of it and see how tangled it gets.The Zoo has some really amazing creations of great complexity. Large centipedes and wheels that move with lifelike fluidity are some of the more impressive creations. If you create something you’re proud of, Sodaplay has a way to submit it for inclusion in the Sodazoo.

What’s great about Sodaplay is that the Sodapeople are working on a version 2.0, although at the moment, the site is just a mockup. Sodaplay 2.0 encompasses some new features and the ability to customize the interface and extend its behavior. They are also going to introduce Sodacities, described as a new application for drawing maps and exploring their meaning.

Not only have I had a great time playing with this site, but my kids were both instantly taken with it. The real value of Sodaplay, I believe, it that is a great site for blowing a few hours when you should be working. Who wants to see another Powerpoint, anyway?

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