Image-Metrics-_-Performance.jpg [ 21.6 KiB | Viewed 422 times ]
An animation company has finally managed to create a computer-generated human that most watchers can't distinguish from a real person. Forget the clunky CG characters in most animated movies today — in a few years, you could be watching animated films that are almost indistinguishable from "live-action" ones.
The video actually uses a motion capture of a human actor to create a life-like animation. Image Metrics, whose animations were used in the Grand Theft Auto game, has developed a sure-fire way of making human faces look believable: apparently it's all about the eyes, and the little assymetries of the human face. There's a lot more fine control over the details in this new system, according to chief operating officer Mike Starkenburg:
Quote:
There's always been control systems for different facial movements, but say in the past you had a dial for controlling whether an eye was open or closed, and in one frame you set the eye at 3/4 open, the next 1/2 open etc. This is like achieving that degree of control with much finer movements... For instance, you could be controlling the movement in the top 3-4mm of the right side of the smile
My question is, how long is it before we're all having video chat with slightly idealized animations of our friends?
Shaf's take: Between this and the breakthroughs promised by James Cameron (on his film, Avatar), I'd say there's a good chance that all actors will eventually do at least one film in a motion capture suit.
Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2005 2:17 pm Posts: 11941 Location: Somewhere on the edge of reality
I have long heard that SAG (The Hollywood Actors Union) is not happy about the prospect of all thier Union Dues paying members just becoming voice talent.
_________________ "All civilizations become either spacefaring or extinct." -- Carl Sagan
While very impressive, I was able to distinguish some of the moves and mannerisms as CGI, however it might be true that I was able to do so because I was told up front and was looking for it....
But clearly, that is very impressive....
Just had another thought, I'm wondering how much the relatively poor quality of Youtube is actually helping the presentation out.
Might a substantially higher quality medium (i.e., typical HD) reveal more flaws and make the CGI more perceptable...
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