The way you mix colors in light is different from the way you mix colors in paint or other solids.
If you put all the paint colors together you get black or grey. If you put all the colors of light together you get white. (I vaguely recall doing a report on this in the 5th grade using three flashlights and some colored plastic.
So what does this mean for The Eureka Room? Well with walls of diffused LEDs, it means the more variation of colors I put next to each other, the less colorful they become. In fact, it doesn’t take long for them to start turning white.
The room definitely seems more dramatic with single colors mixed into darkness or full-on room filling solid color.
Obviously the projector screen can show all kinds of colors side by side no problem. But the LED limitation is something I need to consider when writing programs.
With all limitations there is a flipside. What advantages does having to work with a limited pallet have? For one thing, I can only refine within that pallet, which makes me get more creative and at the same time gives The Eureka Room a particular look and feel. (Already it seems like one color at a time is giving it certain personality). A free-for-all might never coalesce into a look-and-feel. What other advantages does it have? I’ll be exploring.