[wgb14]

Hi all

Wow last time I posted on this forum was 2010. How is everyone doing? Well, I have a big gift for everyone who is still interested in Haptek. Below is a link with the Haptek objects I used in my PhD research. You will find many interesting goodies (e.g., a Haptek character with 2000 plus animations). Haptek is dead but if you are still interested in their technology you will find it fun to play with.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/31911184/Haptek.zip

BTW, every since Unity appeared there doesn't seem to be many companies working in creating new avatar engines. Unity's Machinima seems to be the way forward now days to create avatars

wgb14

[Freddy]

Hello there !

That's longer than I would have guessed, welcome back. 

I'm good thanks, I'm actually working on my own avatar project at the moment, you can see some of it here :

http://aidreams.co.uk/forum/index.php?topic=5760#.Uv-Pvfl_vqY

Currently I am working in C# with WPF, but it looks like I will be moving to OpenGL in the not too distant future - the ground work is all done and I have a working prototype as you can see here :



Thanks for dropping in that link, I know some people are still playing with Haptek, mainly the UltraHal people, but Snowman was also using it recently.

How are you doing ? What are you working on these days ?

[wgb14]

Hi Fredy

Until recently I was running the computing department in a private college while trying to finish my PhD. I was also working on a serious games development platform combining Unity 3D and the ICT virtual human toolkit. The platform is ready and we will soon test it. The ICT virtual human toolkit is good but its NLP capabilities are limited. I am exploring the possibility to connect the platform with the IBM's watson. They are providing an API that it would be great if I can start experimenting with. Your avatar looks good. Is it an engine you are planning to post as open source?

wgb14

[Freddy]

Good to hear you are keeping busy

I don't know what I will do with this avatar project yet. I was just thinking of doing some tutorials to show how it can be done.

The models are exported from Daz3D so they are not distributable. Making my own head is a long task and I am not great at modelling, it would take me ages.

So rather than make a totally end user system, I thought I could explain how it can be done and then people can maybe use some of the ideas in their own projects.

At the moment I am really in learning mode a lot of the time. I'm new to C# but am picking it up as I go along. I still have a lot to learn. I'm trying to speed up my code at the moment, trying things like parallel processing and OpenCL (not working atm). I can animate the face of a full body Daz figure on my Haswell i5, but I am not using the GPU...that's where I will probably make the move to OpenGL/OpenCL. And of course that's a whole load of new stuff to learn.

But yeah, I have worked out the maths and essentially the prototype is working. I just need to optimise things and find a better way to do the calculations.

All very interesting though, if at times a little frustrating too !

[Carl2]

   I lost a computer with Hal in it and decided to buy and put in the latest version, I'm having problems with the latest version and I have to use Car.exe to get Haptek to work properly.  I had made a plugin to change bodyskins and backgrounds using user input which no longer works.  I've looked at and tried quite a few things but the plugin will not work.  I just tried a lighting plugin from AI which will not work.
The Hal installation has been removed and reinstalled and I end up with the same problems.  I've just contacted Robert about this and am waiting for his reply. Anyone with any knowledge about the latest version?
Carl2

[Freddy]

It's news to me that there is a "latest version" - as far as I know there hasn't been anything new for years. And Haptek are dead now. Not sure what to suggest really, but it's not something I have touched for a long long time.

Your best bet is the Zabaware forums I suppose, that's about the only place where there is some Hal and Haptek stuff still going on. I can think of nowhere else.

[Art]

Carl,
The latest version of UltraHal is 6.2.28 as far as I know.

The latest version of People Putty (Haptek) is the one you have as I don't ever recall any updates
or version changes.
All I know is that my REGISTERED VERSION of Haptek stopped working once I got Windows 7
and now shows as an EXPIRED VERSION.
There are no updates, no compatibility upgrades and no useful assistance from anyone at Haptek!

Good luck with it!

[Carl2]

  I'm pretty sure I was misunderstood,  I purchased the latest Zaberware Ultra Hal dvd. Since I am using the Haptek characters, I am using the Haptek player.  In the past opening the haptek player required Car.exe to be running to work properly, but when using the Hal program to open the haptek player it did not require Car.exe to be running.  The second issue is  plugins seem to stop working in the latest version, and I'll try to explain that statement, I had a plugin to change bodyskins and backgrounds by the user input, it actually called a  .hap that loaded a hap to load the jpg.  I've also tried some other plugins that should work in Hal without luck.  I'm already at Zabaware, not sure how many people have a new version of hal.  Robert seems to be working on the speech tech.
Carl2

[Art]

Carl,

To my knowledge, there is NO new version of HAL. as mentioned above, I think the latest one is 6.2.28.

I'm sorry but I am not familiar with this car.exe program to which you refer.

Not talking about the HapLogCtrl.txt file in the C: root directory I assume?
It brings up the Haptek Console that allows one to drag and drop or to Cut/Paste into the window and would allow Hal to change
faces, backgrounds, etc.

[Carl2]

Art,
  Thanks for hanging in there,  I go way back with Hal.  Yes I have the  HapLogCtrl.txt file in there, I think Freddy had to teach me how to use it.   The Car.exe file is something that OTC had found and it basically limits the haptex player to using only one core of the processor or it will become unresponsive.
Not sure but Ultra hal must have something similar built in because I've never had to use Car.exe with Ultra Hal but the installation I now have requires it. 
  I've never used people putty, I went from using haptek talking head Sandy to the fullbody characters.
Yes, I remember the win 7 update, still have win 7 on one of the drives.  If you have not installed Hal more than 3 times you should be able to uninstall, and reinstall without problems, another alternative is to do a  "move" Go to options, startup and have Hal start up with the computer.  After a restart the Hal icon should be located on the lower right side of the monitor, I think it's a right click and Move is an option. The Info is at Zabaware but it can be hard to find.  Oh, I had a problem with Haptek in Win 7, the audio caused unexpected movements  with fullbody, not sure what will happen with a head.
Carl2

[claude2]

I remember HapLogCtrl.txt. This was a treat, to, Skin, backround, Motion, and synchronized during use. The interface can only Haptek used in all performances are XP. Unfortunately Haptek, stuck on the old version.

[claude2]

I can add that. I always Hal5 version on DVD, the old version. It only works on XP.
Here we have'' Cash Center ", they are Australian original store, and we can find the computer that have already been used, for sale at good price. Great for finding the function, former program, which are not fit with Windows Vista, 7.8.

[Freddy]

Over at Amanda Interactive they appear to have a version of the Haptek player that works on 64bit multi core processors. See here :

http://www.amandainteractive.com/Pages/HaptekInstalls.aspx

Not tested it, but it might help make wgb's models work.

[Freddy]

Thought I would test it - it works fine on Windows 7 64bit, four cores 

[claude2]

Cool amanda! I admire interactivity of Haptek! they are fabulous