Softimage Unveils Face Robot Software; Revolutionary new technology delivers realistic, lifelike facial animation for high-end film, post and games projects.LOS ANGELES Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. -- Avid Technology "Avid" redirects here. For the "Advancement Via Individual Determination" educational program, see AVID. Avid Technology, Inc NASDAQ: AVID is an American company specializing in video and audio production technology; specifically, digital non-linear media editing (NLE) , Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on : AVID) today announced that its Softimage subsidiary has unveiled SOFTIMAGE(R)|FACE ROBOT(TM) - 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 Robot software is the coded commands that tell a mechanical device (known as a robot) what tasks to perform and control its actions. Robot software is used to perform tasks and automate tasks to be performed. Programming robots is a non-trivial task. 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 facial expression, n the use of the facial muscles to communicate or to convey mood. . 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 sculpt v. sculpt·ed, sculpt·ing, sculpts v.tr. 1. To sculpture (an object). 2. To shape, mold, or fashion especially with artistry or precision: 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 sculpting Cosmetic surgery The surgical reshaping of a tissue. See Deep tissue sculpting, Facial 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(R) and Maya(R) 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 A technology developed at the Turing Institute, Glasgow, Scotland for creating 3D models. Using two cameras to obtain stereo images, C3D turns subjects into 3D models in AutoCAD, 3D Studio and virtual reality formats for Internet use. 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 Animating a graphics object by creating smooth transitions between various keyframes. and motion capture. It uses a powerful retargeting algorithm that transfers animation and motion capture across faces and offers high-level tuning controls. More information, videos and background details on the technology are available at www.softimage.com/ About Softimage Co. Softimage Co., a subsidiary of Avid Technology, Inc. delivers innovative, artist-friendly character creation and effects tools to animators and digital artists in the film, broadcast, post-production and games industries. Its flagship product A primary product of a company, which is typically why the company was founded and/or what made it well known. For example, MS-DOS, Windows and the Microsoft Office suite have been flagship products of Microsoft. CorelDRAW is a flagship product of Corel Corporation. , SOFTIMAGE|XSI XSI - X/Open System Interface (R) - the industry's only non-destructive digital character production software - frees character animators and digital artists to create compelling animated 3D content and effects - from major motion pictures to CG features and commercials, to video games See video game console. . For more information about Softimage, please visit www.softimage.com. About Avid Technology, Inc. Avid Technology, Inc. is the world leader in digital nonlinear media creation, management, and distribution solutions, enabling film, video, audio, animation, games, and broadcast professionals to work more efficiently, productively, and creatively. For more information about the company's Oscar(R), Grammy(R), and Emmy(R) award-winning products and services, please visit: www.avid.com. (C) 2006 Avid Technology, Inc. All rights reserved. Product features, specifications, system requirements To be used efficiently, all computer software needs certain hardware components or other software resources to be present on a computer system. These pre-requisites are known as (computer) system requirements and are often used as a guideline as opposed to an absolute rule. , and availability are subject to change without notice. All prices are USMSRP for the U.S. and Canada only and are subject to change without notice. Contact your local Avid office or reseller for prices outside the U.S. and Canada. Avid, Digidesign, Film Composer, Pro Tools, FACE ROBOT, SOFTIMAGE and XSI are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Avid Technology, Inc. or its subsidiaries in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. and/or other countries. Avid received an Oscar statuette representing the 1998 Scientific and Technical Award for the concept, design, and engineering of the Avid(R) Film Composer(R) system for motion picture editing. Digidesign, Avid's audio division, received an Oscar statuette representing the 2003 Scientific and Technical Award for the design, development, and implementation of its Pro Tools(R) digital audio workstation A digital audio workstation (DAW) is a system designed to record, edit and play back digital audio. A key feature of DAWs is the ability to freely manipulate recorded sounds, much like a word processor manipulates typed words. . Oscar is a trademark and service mark of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. Emmy is a registered trademark of ATAS/NATAS. Grammy is a trademark of the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences The National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences, Inc. is known variously as The Recording Academy or NARAS. Established in 1957, The Recording Academy is a U.S. , Inc. All other trademarks contained herein are the property of their respective owners. |
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