IndoorDragon

Expanding my production pipeline further, I’ve begun creating custom piano visualizations in Blender using the MIDI PianoMotionPro add-on. This process bridges the gap between my MuseScore transcriptions and 3D animation, allowing me to transform the MIDI data I’ve meticulously crafted into dynamic visual representations. Working with MIDI files in a 3D environment has deepened my understanding of how data drives animation—each note becomes a keyframe, each velocity value influences visual intensity, and timing information controls the choreography of virtual piano keys. This direct relationship between musical data and 3D motion mirrors the data-driven systems I build in Unity, where user input, sensor data, or game state information drives character animations, UI updates, and interactive behaviors.

The technical challenges of this workflow have been incredibly educational. I’ve learned to troubleshoot issues with MIDI import settings, understand how the add-on parses note data into Blender’s animation curves, and adjust timing offsets to ensure perfect synchronization between audio and visual elements. Blender’s node-based material system for creating custom key colors and lighting effects has taught me about procedural generation and parameterized design—concepts that translate directly to shader programming in Unity. Managing the performance demands of rendering complex 3D scenes with hundreds of animated objects has reinforced the importance of optimization, a critical skill when developing VR applications where frame rate is non-negotiable.

Most importantly, this process has solidified my understanding of asset pipelines and data flow between creative tools. The journey from musical performance to MuseScore notation to MIDI file to Blender animation to final rendered video is a complete production pipeline that requires careful file management, format compatibility awareness, and systematic problem-solving when any link in the chain breaks. This experience directly parallels VR development workflows where 3D models move from Blender to Unity, audio files are processed and implemented, and multiple systems must integrate seamlessly. Every visualization I create reinforces the interdisciplinary thinking required to build complex interactive experiences—understanding not just individual tools, but how they communicate and work together as a cohesive system.