uOttaHack 8 Intro

uOttaHack 8 mage

🌟 Inspiration

uOttaHack 8 is all about magic this year, so we wanted to add our own touch of it 🔮. With Ross Video being a leader in video production solutions, we decided to create a dynamic introduction-style visual that feels right at home in a live event setting.

🚀 What it does

Our project creates a short, dynamic visual sequence designed for live display:

Two mage characters enter the screen from opposite sides, and when they meet, the scene transitions into a bold reveal of the text ** “UOTTAHACK 8” **, appearing progressively at the center of the screen.

This creates an engaging smooth animation that feels like an intro sequence of a movie/TV show.

🛠️ How we built it

We designed the system with simplicity and clarity in mind:

A hardware-based video pipeline generates all visuals in real time.
Visual assets (characters and letters) are preloaded and rendered directly on screen.
Visual assets are created using a Python script that turns jpg files into hex files.
Smooth transitions between movement and reveal.
Careful scaling and positioning ensure the visuals remain crisp and centered.

🤔 Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was making the animation feel intentional and fun rather than mechanical. Small details, timing, spacing, and transitions, made a big difference in how polished the result felt.

🏆 Accomplishments that we're proud of

We’re proud to have created a visually engaging sequence using a minimal, hardware-first approach, achieving smooth transitions without relying on external software or GPUs. Despite being built at a very low level, the graphics feel playful and expressive. In the end, we delivered a clean, demo-ready visual well suited for live presentation.

🧠 What we learned

This project showed us that compelling visuals don’t always require complex tools. With thoughtful design and careful timing, even low-level systems like FPGAs can produce expressive and memorable results.

Along the way, we gained hands-on experience with how FPGAs work in practice and how designing at this level changes the way you think about timing, structure, and precision.