[wgb14]

Hi all,

I think it woud made an interesting contributon to this forum a list with the avatar engines on the market today. Please feel free to add to it

Real-Time engines

1) Haptek - www.haptek.com. The full suite of tools is the range of 7,0000-10,000 USD

2) Charamel - http://www.charamel.de/. A german avatar company, with very realsitic characters but also very expensive tools. A very interesting product of this company, is the Charavirld that allows actual actors to controls Virtual characters in real-time. They ask 10,000 Euros for their main development platform along with the player. However, for research purposes they offer a 6 month demo license for only 300 Euros

3) QEDSOFT - http://www.qedsoft.com/index.php. A french company with a very interesting real-time 3D engine. Although I am not sure, their tools must be again very expensive.

Real-time but without a real-time web player

1) DA Group - http://www.dagroupplc.com/. The creators of Ananova. The company offers a range of real-time content creation tools but there is no player for real-time delivery.

2) Codebaby - http://www.codebaby.com/. A canadian company offering 3D characters through flash.

3) Cantoche - http://www.cantoche.com/. A french company with cartoon-like avatars again relying onto flash for content delivery.

4) VCom - http://www.vcom3d.com/index.php?id=home. An amazing technology for 3D character creations again using flash for content delivery

5) IMS Interactive - http://www.ims3d.com/ The company uses shockwave 3D for content delivery


Real_time but without any kind of web player

1) Ogre3D- www.ogre3d.com. An open Source real-time 3D engine but without any kind of web player for content delivery

2) Visage - http://www.visagetechnologies.com/news.html. A Swidish company with an interesting technology but without a web player for content delivery

3) Virtuoz- http://www.virtuoz.com/en/. Another French company

4)SimGraphics - http://www.simg.com/index.html. A California company using a Wizard-Of-Oz aporoach for brining 3D characters to life

Non real-time engines (Psedo 3D)

 
1) Guile 3D - www.guile3d.com. Recently the company created Denish a 3D photorealistic character with amazing visuals. There is no information for any kind of Web player for content delivery

2) Media Semantics - http://www.mediasemantics.com/. A very interesting and cheap technology using XML for character control and flash for content delivery

3) Gizmoz - http://www.gizmoz.com/. A photorealistic technology using flash for content delivery

4) http://www.karigirl.com.  A virtual girlfriend

Face animation only

1) Crazytalk - http://www.reallusion.com/crazytalk/. A face-only creating tool using mainly flash for content delivery

2) http://www.lifemi.com/. Another face-only company using flash for web-content delivery

3) FaceFX-http://www.oc3ent.com/. A face-only tool mainly used for game development

Avatar communities

1) SecondLife http://secondlife.com/ Everyone knows secondlife

2) http://www.imvu.com/. Very similar to secondlife with far more amazing graphics

3)Google Lively - http://www.lively.com/html/landing.html. A rather unsuccesfull attempt of google to mimic secondlife

4) Soon Startrek online - http://www.startrekonline.com/

5) Entropia Universe. Mainly for Sci-Fi funs http://www.entropiauniverse.com/index.var

6) ActiveWorlds - http://www.activeworlds.com/

7) Kaneva - https://www.kaneva.com

The new Amsterdam - https://www.kaneva.com

Character Languages

Several attempts have been made to standarize avatar creation. Currently there are two major trends, one in Japan and the other in the Western World

1) Behaviour Markup language - http://wiki.mindmakers.org/projects:bml:main

2) Multimodal Presentation Markup Language 3D (MPML3D) - http://research.nii.ac.jp/~prendinger/MPML3D/MPML3D.html

Is there anythign else that I am missing? Please feel free to add


I think, it is clear from the above, that the avatar market is growing rapidly, forming two major trends in avatar creation and delivery. From the one hand, Second-Life is becoming a major platform for both users, and commercial/research-orineted activities. The platform, although lacking several of the features of the old real-time engines (e.g,, Haptek) is gaining popularity day by day, mainly becuase it is free. It is my belief, that soon, Second life will expand to the traditional media market and eventually take over where the old players currently excel (e.g., advertisment, tv,etc). From the other, research projects that require a more multimodal and natural communication (e.g., vision, emotion recognition, etc), will either conitnue to rely on the old players of the market for their work or to the new upcoming open-source 3D engines (OGRE3D).

Whatever happens one thing is for sure. In 5-10 years VH with full AI capabilities (in limited domains) will be all around us. Second-life proved that there are other methods, than overpirced products for an avatar company to survive, and take the market forward. The other companies will either adapt or eventually die.   



 

[Freddy]

Superb 

Yes I agree SecondLife did prove there is another way that doesn't involve charging us thousands of dollars to take part...I still don't like it though lol.  But a good point.

I did find a few people on the Ogre forums talking about making a webplayer, so it is definately being discussed.

Hmm, Blender had a standalone player, but I am not sure if it is still being supported.  Been a while since I did anything with Blender, I will have to go and take a look again.  It probably isn't realtime and may not fit in your list.

I think the list is great, I couldn't think of any others for the moment.  This list could also become something on the WIKI too.

Good stuff 

[wgb14]

Thanks Fredy. I hope other members will find the list usefull too. If you would like to create a new cateogry in the list in order to add Blender please feel free to it. I will try to upload it on the WIKI as soon as possible

[Art]

Even though I read this thread last year I came back to it because it is a good resource for me and other desiring a pretty comprehensive listing of things graphical!

I view this listing in light of the forthcoming Zabaware / Ogre character selections release of a new UltraHal.

After some wading through the muck, I also just posted a fairly decent site listing over 50 sources of things graphical, musical, facial, landscape, fractal, anime/manga, editors, designing, cad and character software. Some is open source and totally free while some others are trial ware and timed ware and commercial. But the choices are there.

I posted some time ago, almost a challenge for someone to post a character's head that not only came close to those of Haptek but actually surpassed it using the OGRE 3D engine. There have been no takers to date. Hmmm.

No offense but of the characters I've seen I would gladly stick to the Haptek ones (as much as it pains me to ever say/type this). Kind of like a animal chewing off it's arm to escape a trap!

Perhaps it's still a bit early to tell and yet a lot of people seem anxious to embrace something new, better, more realistic and editable as if to create something their own. Let's hope Ogre lets us do this and at least get rid of those awful boot legs!!!

[Maviarab]

Art, watch this space, working on it as we speak (amongst getting concorde to fly properly in FSX and battering Empire Total War hehe.

Currently working on something though so will let you know when its ready for pre release And...Haptek....pfft...haptek shmaptek is all I can say

[GT40]

Yes, Art. Nobody will miss those stupid boots and that horrible nose.

And a lot of other things (but everyone has his taste)...

[Freddy]

I'm thinking of getting this into the WIKI - will probably be next week sometime.  Also, Art you were referring to a list you made - is it one you posted here ?  Thanks.

[Art]

Yes, Freddy, same list. I thought about it but didn't want to double / cross post (same article two differrent places).

Looks bad when Mods get away with it but members can't.

Feel free to do with it as you will.

[Freddy]

I don't suppose you know where you put it ?

[Art]

Yes, as a matter of fact....

Well OK...like so many things of late, I didn't remember where...


BUT...



I did manage to find it for you at:
http://aidreams.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=2749.0


Of all the things I've lost, I miss my mind the most.

[Freddy]

Aha, yes now I remember too, many thanks 

[Freddy]

Finally got around to adding the first list by wgb14 to the WIKI :

http://aidreams.co.uk/aiwiki/index.php?title=Avatar_engines

Was thinking SitePal could go on there too ?

[Art]

Yes, we've quite a listing going. Can't wait to see what's left once the dust settles.

Oh yes...wgb14, Under Guile3D...one of his latest creations is Denise...not Denish.

Ordinarily I wouldn't harp on spelling as we all make those obvious typing errors from
time to time but this is a proper name so I thought it fitting to mention.

Otherwise a great job you've done in compiling the original listing!

[Freddy]

Oh yes...wgb14, Under Guile3D...one of his latest creations is Denise...not Denish.

Sorted - thanks

[wgb14]

Thanks fredy for sorting it out.... The list is good, but there is an element missing... the avatar engine used in milo project.... perhaps the best one I've seen in my life.... If anyone has any information about it please please add it to the list...........