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Emily Lifelike Animation Sets New Standard
Emily is an animated character, created with a technique that captures the smallest details of facial expression. Each of the dozens of minor movements was given a "control system" by animators at Image Metrics; the system analyses facial movements at the level of individual pixels in a video.
"The subtlety of the timing of eye movements is a big one. People also have a natural asymmetry - for instance, in the muscles in the side of their face. Those types of imperfections aren't that significant but they are what makes people look real."
Take a look at this video of Emily; can you tell that this is not a short film of a real person?
"Ninety per cent of the work is convincing people that the eyes are real," Mike Starkenburg, chief operating officer of Image Metrics, said.
(Image Metrics: Emily sets lifelike animation standard video)
This technique is so realistic; are we close to being able to replace human actors in movies with animated characters? Animations briefly replace real people in movies like Spiderman; the characters are shown at a distance because this degree of lifelike animation has been unavailable.
If it works, this technique could give rise to the synthespian:
"Idoru," Yamazaki said... "'Idol-singer.' She is Rei Toei. She is a personality-construct, a congeries of software agents, the creation of information-designers. She is akin to what I believe they call a 'synthespian,' in Hollywood."
(Read more about Gibson's synthespian)
Via Times Online.
Scroll down for more stories in the same category. (Story submitted 8/19/2008)
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Related News Stories - (" Virtual Person ")
Anna Indiana AI Singer-Songwriter
'She is a personality-construct, a congeries of software agents' - William Gibson, 1984
Metaverse Hardware - Run And Flail Like A Maniac, Or Lie Quietly?
'Holodeck 4 was waiting to be programmed...' - David Gerrold, 1987.
Virtual Co-Embodyment - Two People Control One Virtual Body
'...we were supposed to be forming five unit composites first.' - Robert Sheckley, 1995.
Sorry, Futurists! Tamagotchi Kids, Virtual Children Already Predicted By SF Writer in 2008
'Little Linda, a Headspace baby, was four years old now... ' - Stephen Baxter, 2008.
Technovelgy (that's tech-novel-gee!) is devoted to the creative science inventions and ideas of sf authors. Look for the Invention Category that interests you, the Glossary, the Invention Timeline, or see what's New.
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