Move over MotionScan; new lip synch tech aims to revolutionize motion capture
Now, U.K.-based startupSpeech Graphics wants to revolutionize audio-driven animation through new software that uniquely predicts how the muscles of the human face move to produce sounds.
The new lip synching technology uses just audio input to automatically make a 3D character speak. Since it uses a universal physics model, the company says it will work across all languages, saving game development time and resources.
An award-winning team from the University of Edinburgh’s School of Informatics and the Centre for Speech Technology Research, Speech Graphics co-founders Michael Berger and Dr. Gregor Hofer have a combined 20 years of experience in speech technology and animation. They say they created their new software in response to the rising quantity and cost of spoken dialogue in today’s story-driven video games, such as BioWare’s recently released massively multiplayer online role-playing game Star Wars: The Old Republic (SW:TOR). SW:TOR, which contains 260,000 lines of voiced dialogue in three languages, reportedly cost nearly $200 million to develop. ...
See the full story here: http://venturebeat.com/2012/02/09/lip-synch-tech-to-revolutionize-motion-capture/
Speech Graphics Multilingual Voice-Driven Lip Sync from Gregor Hofer on Vimeo.
Google Heads Up Display Glasses: Sightings Rumored, Arrival Soon?
[Philip Lelyveld comment: Vuzix had made glasses like this for a year. Google's main differentiators will be marketing power and integration with a data stream.]
Google-obsessed blog 9to5google.com has posted that they've received some secret information from deep within the Internet giant's inner sanctum regarding the development of their most futuristic product to date: Head's Up Display (HUD) glasses. ...
The display will, however, provide up-to-date information based on the wearer's preferences, location and Google's database of information. This means that the glasses will most likely connect to the Internet and have built-in GPS, and possibly connect directly with your smartphone. ...
The NY Times interviewed Michael Liebhold, a senior researcher who specializes in the development of wearable computers at the Institute for the Future in Palo Alto, Calif., who predicted that a new generation of technology currently being developed by Silicon Valley will begin to blur the line between reality and the virtual world. He thinks glasses (and eventually contact lenses) with built in screens will become the norm in the next ten years. ...
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Sony’s 3D Library lets Aussies borrow products free of charge
Sony's push for three dimensional entertainment has inspired it to launch a series of product-loaning machines in the land of Oz. These "3D Library" kiosks, as the manufacturer is simply dubbing 'em, will let Aussies checkout a variety of Sony's 3D-capable products at no cost and for up to three days. Folks itching to create some 3D content for free can choose from the Handycam HDR-TD10, NEX C3 and Bloggiecameras. And, as if hardware wasn't enough, you'll be surprised to hear the company's also throwing in its own flicks and PlayStation games as part of its loaner campaign. The program is underway now, so all you Australians willing to take Sony up on its offer can hit up the PR below to find the nearest freeloading location.
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Cineplex Entertainment to Add 100 RealD 3D Systems
[Philip Lelyveld comment: I post stories like this intermittently just so you know that the 3D theatrical rollout continues.]
Cineplex is adding 100 3D capable systems to its chain of theatres across Canada
There's currently about 400 3D systems from RealD installed across Cineplex' circuit, and with the new installations, some 40 per cent of the circuit will be 3D capable. ...
Cineplex is the largest motion picture exhibitor in Canada and owns, leases or has a joint- venture interest in 130 theatres with 1,352 screens serving approximately 70 million guests annually. Headquartered in Toronto, the company operates the following top tier brands: Cineplex Odeon, Galaxy, Famous Players, Colossus, Coliseum, SilverCity, Cinema City and Scotiabank Theatres. ...
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Manifold Clock: A 3D timepiece for math geeks
The Manifold Clock from Studio Ve doesn't require special glasses. It didn't take a crew of 300 and a Hollywood budget to create. It's 3D in its purest form: real life.
The Manifold Clock doesn't just tell time with flat hands, it expresses it with ever-changing shapes created by a flexible sheet of Tyvek attached between the hands. Every minute looks slightly different.
There's some delightful mathematical geekiness behind all of this. The design uses the concept of Riemann surfaces.
If you're a math nerd, you probably already know all about Riemann surfaces. Others can brush up with the Kickstarter video below.
A $45 pledge will get you a Manifold Clock with a few different colors to choose from. A jumbo-size clock is also available for $100. If you love the concept, but don't want to sacrifice wall space, a $1 pledge gets you the screen saver version for your computer.
The Manifold Clock has already topped its $15,000 Kickstarter goal. That means that math classrooms and geek abodes will be sporting the beautifully nerdy clocks soon after they ship in the spring.
Watch the video at the original post here.
Vizio’s Widescreen 3D TV: Plenty of Features
Vizio has unveiled a 58-inch 3D widescreen HDTV with a 21:9 aspect ratio -- far more than the standard 16:9 ratio HDTVs use. Users can set the TV to upscale 16:9 content to fill the screen. ...
The sale price for this set will start at US$3,500 -- that includes four pairs of 3D glasses. Vizio did not indicate when it will be available on the market, but it may be as soon as March, in time for the NCAA March Madness basketball tournaments, according to USA Today. ...
Screen resolution will be 2560x1080, and the device will use Vizio's Theater 3D, which is the same passive 3D technology used at multiplex cinemas. It will run both 2D and 3D content.
The TV has built-in WiFi and Bluetooth capability. ...
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Edible exhibition features 3D-printed food, glowing sushi and an inflatable stomach
A giant inflatable stomach, 3D-printed food made from ground-up insects, and bioluminescent sushi are some of the pieces on show at the Edible exhibition at Dublin's Science Gallery, which launches this week.
The idea that eating insects could provide a solution to global food shortages is explored in Insects au Gratin, which explores the idea of grinding up insects and turning them into 3D-printed food items. On display in the Science Gallery will be documentation of the process of converting insects into more palatable foods using rapid prototyping techniques.
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Sky Arts increases its 3D coverage of Isle of Wight Festival
Sky Arts is increasing its 3D coverage of the Isle of Wight Festival, broadcasting live for six hours a day throughout the festival on Sky Arts and Sky 3D.
As the Festival’s broadcast partner, Sky Arts and Sky 3D will cover the biggest acts, headlines and longer sets from the main stage, big top and garden stage, together with live acts and backstage gossip from Sky’s onsite studio. Last year the festival was the first summer festival in the world to be broadcast live in 3D on Sky 3D. ..
This year’s festival features:
Friday: Tom Petty Heartbreakers, Elbow, Example, Noah & The Whale and Feeder.
Saturday: Pearl Jam, Biffy Clyro, Tinie Tempah, Jessie J, Labrinth and Madness.
Sunday: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds, The Vaccines, Band of Skulls and Joan Armatrading.
More than 75,000 people are expected to attend. ...
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