The other day, I showed you guys what I thought was some really impressive computer generated facial animation. Then, the guys over at Image Metrics sent me a video clip of their latest CG creation, Emily, and I was bowled over.
Emily is a truly monumental achievement, recreating every nuance of human facial expression, even though what you’re actually looking at is the face of a digital actor. Created through a partnership with USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), the team’s primary objective was to create a completely convincing, animated computer-generated face, and I think they succeeded.
Using ICT’s special scanning system that can capture facial details down to the individual pore, the face of actress Emily O’Brien was transformed into a digital representation of herself, which could then be entirely machine-manipulated. A special spherical lighting rig captured O’Brien in 35 reference facial poses using a pair of high resolution digital cameras. The facial maps were then converted into 3D data using Image Metrics’ proprietary markerless motion capture technology.
Image Metrics then generated a new animation sequence and precisely superimposed it onto the live actress’ head. As you can see from the video below, you’d be really hard-pressed to tell the difference between digital Emily and real-world Emily.
Amazing, no? Be sure to check out some of Image Metrics’ other CGI projects, which include work on Grand Theft Auto IV, Devil May Cry 4, and a most excellent Gnarls Barkley video featuring a anthropomorphic singing heart.
Written by technabob on August 20th, 2008 with no comments.
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I love robot art when it’s done right. That is to say when it is visually interesting and not just the same old thing. These awesome CGI images by Andre Kutscherauer are certainly awesome. Some of the works have titles like Brute Force, Selfillumination and Dandelion of Screws, and once you have a look, you can’t help but be very impressed.
Unlike most things these days, the work actually makes you think. More then that, it makes you think outside of the box. If you don’t believe me, go have a look at the artist’s site. This stuff is awesome. Where else can you see robots plugging themselves in?
[ak3d] VIA [Gizmodo]
Written by Conner Flynn on April 13th, 2008 with comments disabled.
Read more articles on 3D and Andre Kutscherauer and Robots and art and cgi and robot.
Filed under: Peripherals
Tinkerers, schemers, makers and DIY-buffs: grab your ball-peen hammer and heaviest piggy bank, because you’re about to need a loan. A company called Desktop Factory is going to make your 3D-printing dreams a serious reality with the introduction of its 125ci 3D printer, a $4,995 hunk of concept-plastic magic which could possibly represent a paradigmatic shift for the state of three-dimensional printing for the masses. The DF crew calls the pricing “disruptively lower than the nearest competitive offering,” and we’re inclined to agree, as most 3D printers crest easily over the $10,000 mark. The printer takes up a paltry 25 x 20 x 20-inch space, and weighs about 90-pounds, while the maximum size of printed objects is 5 x 5 x 5-inches, and Desktop Factory says per-cubic-inch printing costs will hover somewhere around $1. One of these beautiful babies could be all yours, just put down your $495 reserve fee, and then go to work on that string of robberies you’ve been planning.
[Via TG Daily]
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Office Depot Featured Gadget: Xbox 360 Platinum System Packs the power to bring games to life!
Written by Joshua Topolsky on September 14th, 2007 with no comments.
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