[wgb14]

Hi all

Just found Spore and I am really amazed. In my opinion it is the first commercial example of the power of precedural animation. I truly don't think there is something preset in this game, everything appears to be generated at runtime. I am amazed!!!! So here is my question. It is obvious that traditional keyframing animation (in movies like Ratatouile) will eventually die, something which in my opinion will leave the market open for two major players, mocap and procedural animation. From the one hand, mocap places the human at the center of the animation equation and hence the generated motions are extremely realistic. However, mocap is impractical for generating variation, (let alone for unknown models like in Spore). Procedural animation from the other hand, removes the human from the equation and synthesizes the motion dynamically (based on sveral different variables). Bacause everything is computed at run-time, the motion variations are unlimited, but for various reasons (e.g., limited processing power) the motion is unatural. Which do you think will dominate the market in the years to come? Is it going to be mocap or precedural?

At the moment, Spore will inspire a whole new generation of games, but mocap will continue to dominate the movie industry, and in general where high-quality motion is required. In my opinion, I don't think that this (at least in our generation) will change. Mocap will continue to evolve and become available to more and more people, and procedural will become mainstream only in applications where a highly dynamic enviroment is required (games like Spore, scientific simulations, etc). Even if the motion synthesis algorithms will become so powerful in the near future to come closer to the the naturaleness of mocap, mocap will become so powerfull and innexpensive, that will be prohibitive for certain applications to use procedural.


But the battle has just begun and I am certain that it will be many years before, and if a winner will be annouced.           

 

[Freddy]

I don't know, but so far it has been mocap.  I think there will be a place for both techniques for a long time yet.  I got the Spore Creature Creator when it came out and it was pretty cool what it was capable of.  I think you are probably right, this will lead to a host of companies jumping on the band wagon.

There's also the technique where something learns to walk.  I have seen this used to figure out how dinosaurs would have walked.  I am not sure HOW it works but the way I see it is that the basic model is given limbs and I presume some goal.  Then the system figures out which method of movement makes best and most efficient use of the limbs.  So you can go from a dinosaur that falls in it's first step, right the way through to a fully balanced and walking beast.  Pretty cool too.

[wgb14]

Just finished playing spore (the first stage) and I am shocked. It is the most intelligent game that I have ever played. However, the use of precedural techniques is evident through out the game. The world, the creatures, etc luck of the beauty in detail that mocap and keyframing creates. But it is still amazing, if you think that an entire world is being rendered in real-time the moment you play the game. Haptek appears so primitive now.......

As for the learning how to walk, I am still a bit confused on the insights on each animation technique, and if someone in the forum can provide more information I would be really grateful. So far I am aware of the following:

1) Traditional keyframing and interpolation techniques. You create keyframes in time changing various paramaters and the computer fiull in the "in-between" keyframes

2) Porcedural. I know that procedural creates animation following some kind of procedure that takes into account variables like body of the mass, speed, etc. Can someone provide more insghts here?

3) Inverse kinematic: It is the process of determining the parameters of a jointed flexible object (a kinematic chain) in order to achieve a desired pose. Any mor einsights here?

4) Dynamic. Is this perhaps what you are talking about Fredy? Again any more insights here?

5) Mocap: Motion capture systems

Any other technique that I should know about?

[Freddy]

I can't think of anymore, but these ones would make good sections in the AI wiki I think, maybe in a section about AI interaction and environments.

[abilash81]

i think the animation has come to a great height and i think maya has much to be explored a more...... that has not yet used to its extent and to its maximum. so i think may a will sustain t=in tthis animation industry and no new technics will be accepted in the next few years, all the required items are in the software