CG facial animation has passed beyond the Uncanny Valley...

[Darren Dirt]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLiX5d3rC6o
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYgLFt5wfP4

the face on the woman in this video is completely computer generated

Animation by Image Metrics
http://www.image-metrics.com

I like this one comment...

You'll never be rid of people. It takes a team to animate one character usually. Whereas all you need is one actor to do the same kinds of actions. It will always be cheaper to shoot a real person than animate one from scratch. However, this will be the first real step to create digital "celebrities." Something Square wanted to do with Dr. Aki Ross from "Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within." A single digital actor in numerous films. A lot cheaper than a Tom Cruise or Angelina Jolie!

[Darren Dirt]

same company, but here's a much better "before vs. after" demo so you see why the technology is so groundbreaking...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JgJLXClKq40

amazing! So you mean now we can just use some stored imagery of Britney Spears, and hire a low-paid actor to act out lines in front of a camera, and then insert the CG version of her into scenes of my favorite CBS but-now-not-so-much sitcoms!



PS: Grand Theft Auto fans might find this article interesting/surprising.

Previous methods for animating faces have involved putting dots on a face and observing the way the dots move, but Image Metrics analyses facial movements at the level of individual pixels in a video, meaning that the subtlest variations - such as the way the skin creases around the eyes, can be tracked...

[Darren Dirt]

Rockstar games helping us to finally say "goodbye" to uncanny valley? Not quite the advanced tech of the above links, but THIS -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCZi_CnkIUA -- is in an actual upcoming game!


(imagine combining this with glasses-free 3D)

[Mr. Analog]

Rockstar games helping us to finally say "goodbye" to uncanny valley? Not quite the advanced tech of the above links, but THIS -- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lCZi_CnkIUA -- is in an actual upcoming game!


(imagine combining this with glasses-free 3D)

The uncanny valley will lie in the game's technical requirements, I just started playing Mass Effect yesterday and was immediately put off by the jittery video in parts (known issue apparently, might just jump to 2). If LA Noir is gonna be as system raping as say... Mafia II then all this realistic facial scanning (scaning, really!?) will be nice but not where the valley begins (this time at least).

I have high hopes for Noir but I dunno, something doesn't quite sit right with what I've seen so far and I can't quite pick it out.

Anyways, I'll probably still get it when it comes out.

Mr. "Forget it Jake, it's Chinatown..." Analog

[Lazybones]

Mass Effect 2 improves greatly over Mass Effect 1 that respect, at least on the 360... The preview teasers for Mass Effect 3 blow Mass Effect 2 away.

[Mr. Analog]

Mass Effect 2 improves greatly over Mass Effect 1 that respect, at least on the 360... The preview teasers for Mass Effect 3 blow Mass Effect 2 away.

Yeah, I was quite surprised actually to see such low-res textures and choppy video from a 2008 game, Bioshock, Orange Box and Fallout 3 spoiled me that year haha

Also, re-reading I guess there is no planned PC release for LA Noire? Kinda blows...

[Darren Dirt]

http://boingboing.net/2011/11/16/tom-the-dancing-bug-billy-da.html

found via http://www.cartoonbrew.com/comics/tom-the-dancing-bug-on-mo-cap.html (!)

[Mr. Analog]

Just a side note, the motion capture in LA Noire is stunning. The characters aren't meant to be 100% realistic and it works brilliantly well.

There were moments where I felt like I actually was watching a film.

The only thing that showed through a little bit was that some minor characters were often played by the same actor. They would redo the face but what gave them away were there subtle movements/mannerisms. Even just the way someone tilted their head when they talked was enough to make the connection.

It's an incredible experience to behold.

[Darren Dirt]

It's an incredible experience to behold.

Yeah I've heard that, so many people have posted hilarious (often sociopathic*) LAN videos on YT (*i.e. trying to run over people, being a complete ass when interrogating, etc.) that it's easy to overlook how good the game actually is (not to mention ground-breaking/pioneering).






ROFL: "If you knock someone over, stand on top of them immediately . They have to be in the middle of an intersection. After 15 seconds of standing on them, a large pool of blood will pool out of them. Phelps will then declare the area a crime scene." -http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zl88i1TDU6Q

[Mr. Analog]

Ignoring the stupid stuff people find to do in ANY sandbox game, this one is a step above in terms of cinematic quality.

It tells a great story while you have fun, it could have been so much more however with the dire working conditions at Bondi and all the BS that followed the 7 years it was in development hell I'm pretty happy with the result. My one wish was that Rockstar had stepped in earlier.

As well this is one of those games where you aren't going to get the full experience by watching a "Let's Play", you really have to have your thinking cap on sometimes to get everything figured out, it is fully possible to book someone on misleading information and then the only person you have to blame for sending a potentially innocent man up the river is yourself.