Performance driven Digital Humans
ALICE is our new ecosystem for the development and control of Digital Humans. sample & hold have teamed up with our sister company A New Design to automate and simplify the 3D scanning pipeline with the aim of delivery high end digital doubles in an affordable and efficient delivery. Over two years in development, but we think worth the wait, our custom built head and body photogrammetry systems combined with A New Design’s processing technology make for a cutting edge product.
how does it work?
This is an end to end solution converting your talent into a digital double that can be driven by a performance in real-time or offline render. In a capture session we 3D scan up to 82 individual expressions or FACS - the 3D scans are best in class and include simultaneous diffuse and specular texture information. The full resolution of this data is feed through A New Design’s procedural processing pipeline and then optimised for both render and real time output. We deliver a full Maya or Unreal scene ready to slide into your current project workflow be this a next generation game, AR commercial or high end film production.
what can i do with the data?
Creating a life like digital double is hard. 3D Scanning helps a lot but still the transition from a highly detailed static object into a fluid, believable performance is far from simple. In theory the idea of recording 3D geometry over time to generate a so called 4D capture is good, however the practicalities of capturing, processing and then doing something useful with this data is nigh on impossible for anyone but the largest production facilities. We prefer the idea of flexibility and the concept that technology can be instrumental to the creative process, not just a passive eye. Think of ALICE as a starting point enabling -
CREATIVE CONTROL - give your director the ability to work with a lifelike digital performance during an important motion capture session.
GREATER EFFICIENCY - very little time with major sports star, but you still want extensive dialogue in the game? Easy.
FLEXIBILITY - creating a commercial in 5 different languages is much easier when 3D scanning, character creation and preparation for motion capture is seamlessly integrated by one vendor.
CUTTING EDGE - VR and AR experiences are exploding but the production time and budget is always tight, ALICE returns your digital doubles already optimised for real time environments.
why use ALICE?
Some of the main issues facing our clients when attempting high end facial animation is time, cost and complexity. With ALICE we aim to solve these problems whilst continuing to improve the level of detail in the product which we are delivering.
- We continue with our ethos that RAW data is the best data. We always strive to create intelligent solutions which do not hinder the creative process; our 3D scans are not manipulated or sculpted before delivery unless requested. We give you a data set that works and which you will not need to reverse engineer - instead valuable time can be used to perfect your creative vision.
- We deliver a production ready digital character rig that is ready for hand animation or motion capture in a matter of weeks rather than months.
- Our innovative solution includes blended colour flow and difference maps for enhanced levels of realism all within the budget of real time processing
WHAT WE DELIVER
Single Neutral Head scans - we scan and process a single expression capture and deliver a clean, animation ready model.
Expression or FACS sets - we scan, process and deliver a full data set of expressions all consistently cleaned, wrapped and ready for rigging.
Reduced data set ALICE digital human - Animation ready character built from a reduced pose set of 13 scans. This data is combined with blend shapes from a library to create a full data set. Proprietary 'Uber Rig' with robust face solver using over 500 blend shapes and 9 bones. Delivered as a Maya scene ready for Unreal implementation.
Full data set ALICE digital human - Animation ready character built using our complete pose set of 81 scans. The full resolution of this data is fed through a procedural processing pipeline and then optimised for both render and real time output. Proprietary 'Uber Rig' with robust face solver using over 500 blend shapes and 9 bones with dynamic normal and diffuse maps triggered by blend-shape activation (beta). Delivered as a Maya scene ready for Unreal implementation.
Single ‘A Frame’ Body Scans - we scan and process a neutral, non-clothed body scan and deliver a clean, animation ready model utilising our custom base mesh and optimised UV layout.