In-game speech animation is about to get a whole lot better

primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' BoopinDetroit, MI Icrontian
edited February 2012 in Science & Tech
In-game speech animation is about to get a whole lot better

Comments

  • CantiCanti =/= smalltime http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y9K18CGEeiI&feature=related Icrontian
    Wow
  • csimoncsimon Acadiana Icrontian
    Amazing advancements since Bell Labs of the '80's.
  • AnnesAnnes Tripped Up by Libidos and Hubris Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    Oh boy.
  • BHHammyBHHammy Somewhere in Hell Icrontian
    Now THAT is impressive.

    If we can make L.A.-Noire-calibur facial animations far easier and cheaper to accomplish, it'll do wonders for the medium (at least as far as folks who take advantage of it properly).
  • UPSWeezerUPSWeezer Behind you... GENTLEMEN Icrontian
    :eyes:
  • MiracleManSMiracleManS Chambersburg, PA Icrontian
    I did notice that the faces are mostly stationary outside of the cheek/mouth. I wonder what kind of cost is incurred when you incorporate full facial expressions?

    Needless to say, this is still amazing.
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    This video is awesome without sound. It looks like a bunch of babbling, emotionless mannequins.
  • SnarkasmSnarkasm Madison, WI Icrontian
    The tech is awesome, but at the end of the article, what stuck with me was how much one of the guys from Speech Graphics looks like @mas0n, heh.
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    I wonder if they could work with linguistic experts and statisticians to develop databases that essentially mapped common facial expressions to common verbal expressions. For example .. you see something cute and say "awwww" .. your eyebrows lift and you make the "isn't that cute face"

    If they could automate that and create an API for it along with their lower jaw/mouth/tongue animations then I think they would be in serious business here.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    I wonder if they could work with linguistic experts and statisticians to develop databases that essentially mapped common facial expressions to common verbal expressions. For example .. you see something cute and say "awwww" .. your eyebrows lift and you make the "isn't that cute face"

    If they could automate that and create an API for it along with their lower jaw/mouth/tongue animations then I think they would be in serious business here.
    The man you would be looking for is Dr. Paul Eckman and his creation, FACS. TL;DR: he figured out the emotional significance of every facial expression and mapped it to the specific muscles involved.
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    Great, I contacted them re: Dr. Eckman and our suggestion. Perhaps something comes of it.
  • TushonTushon I'm scared, Coach Alexandria, VA Icrontian
    We could say, "I did that" and get a mention in the credits!
  • BandrikRyan Wilsey Elkhart, IN Icrontian
    Mind. Blown. It's not Pixar, but it sure as hell would be better than 90% of the games I've seen so far that still have "sock puppet" mouths.
  • Sledgehammer70Sledgehammer70 California Icrontian
    Just saying... EA has had tech like this for over 7 years.
  • chrisWhitechrisWhite Littleton, CO
    Sledge is right, while perhaps one of the more impressive contenders this is nothing new.
  • test
    test
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    Response:
    http://www.speech-graphics.com/automating-nonverbal-facial-animation/
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    If EA has had that tech for seven years, how come this looks way, way better than any game I've ever seen?
  • PirateNinjaPirateNinja Icrontian
    I also think there may be confusion about the key factor in this technology. It isn't just a "it looks so good" thing, it's the fact that the animation is generated by the audio recording itself and it still looks that good. There was no manual tuning or matching. I also question EA having anything like that.
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