Avid Technology, announced that its Softimage subsidiary has unveiled
SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT ‘ the industry’s first software application
dedicated to the creation of believable facial animation for high-end
film, post and games productions. Designed for studios faced with
high-quality or high-volume facial animation requirements, Face Robot
software represents a technological breakthrough by enabling
professionals to animate a digital human face with higher quality
results and in less time than using traditional methods. In just six
easy steps, artists can generate emotive expressions that replicate
natural, organic movement of skin and soft tissue. The software works
with all major 3D applications and easily integrates into any studio
pipeline.
“Believable facial animation is arguably the hardest problem in
computer graphics today, and a huge challenge for 3D production,” said
Marc Stevens, vice president of Softimage. “Face Robot is an important
step for Softimage, building on our long-standing heritage of
innovation focused on revolutionizing the way 3D animators work. We are
very excited to deliver a new technology that truly empowers artists to
bring human characters to life with unprecedented quality and
efficiency.”
Currently, the most common methods for animating human faces are
complex, labor-intensive and time-consuming, typically requiring
artists to create a series of shapes for each facial expression. With
Face Robot software, artists save valuable production time by directly
manipulating various anatomical features such as the mouth, eyebrows
and jaw. With the ability to exercise precise control, Face Robot
offers the freedom to sculpt the nuances of an expression at any point
during the animation process. With the software’s unique soft-tissue
“solver,” Face Robot simulates how facial tissue slides and deforms
during the formation of expressions and includes a corrective sculpting
system for detailed art direction.
Michael Isner, manager of special projects at Softimage and leader of
the Face Robot development team, said, “The main objective behind
developing Face Robot is to maximize the life-like appearance of a face
while minimizing the difficulty of getting there. By working closely
with top animators in the industry, we delivered a tool that is
dedicated to enhancing the artistic approach to a 3D workflow. With a
streamlined production process focused solely on facial behavior, Face
Robot is poised to have a tremendous impact on the industry.”
With built-in support for importing and exporting of Autodesk 3ds Max
and Maya file formats, Face Robot software can be easily incorporated
into existing pipelines, offering further interoperability.
Key Features include:
  • Integrated facial soft tissue solver
  • Direct manipulation of face controls
  • Visual animation interface
  • Iterative performance refinement tools
  • Animation retargeting
  • SDK and multiple scripting languages
  • Point caching with all major 3D applications
  • .C3D Motion file import
  • Import and export Maya .mb &.fbx, 3ds Max .max, Point Oven .psc, and .lwo2
  • Reference HD footage of actors performing facial expression and phonemes
Pricing & Availability
SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT software is expected to be available in March 2006 for purchase in the following configurations:
– SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT Designer is available for $94,995 USMSRP, and is
a complete environment to prepare, solve and animate faces. Designer
includes the tools to define wrinkles and puffing, place tendons and
fine-tune the mouth. It also includes all of the functionality of a
seat of Animator. In a typical pipeline, a single seat of Designer is
used with several seats of Animator.
– SOFTIMAGE|FACE ROBOT Animator is available for $14,995 USMSRP.
Animator animates faces prepared using Designer. Animator is a hybrid
environment for both keyframe animation and motion capture. It uses a
powerful retargeting algorithm that transfers animation and motion
capture across faces and offers high-level tuning controls.
www.softimage.com