The Imaginarium: Goal-oriented Real-time Intelligent Performance Retargeting

这个为期两年的项目将研究和开发处理和重新定位演员表演的新方法，将其富有表现力和智能地转移到数字化身中，以便实时审查。这将以适合故事片、电视剧和AAA级游戏的质量和准确性水平完成，并可能溢出到全息显示、现场娱乐和定制数字内容等新兴领域。由此产生的用于实时智能表演重定向和观看的软件工具和管道将提高对演员和导演的反馈质量，简化视觉效果管道，提高质量并降低制作成本。越来越多的大型电影依靠表演捕捉技术来驱动电脑生成的人物或化身，它们的票房回报率高于平均水平。游戏开发商也在寻求全面的性能捕捉，将面部和身体结合起来，达到比传统供应商所能提供的更高的标准。英国在视觉后期制作和效果方面处于世界领先地位，2008年的产业价值超过7亿英镑；英国的电子游戏产业是欧洲最大的，开发部门贡献了大约10亿英镑的GDP和9000个高技能工作岗位。该项目将使用现有的第三方捕获设备，专注于开发自动化方法和智能解决方案，为类人和动物化身提供生物机械上可信的结果。这些技术将在真实世界的生产条件下，在Imaginarium位于伊灵的专用行为捕捉工作室进行测试。结果将被开发为新的性能捕获服务，由TheImaginarium提供，并通过IP许可给第三方专业软件开发商。TheImaginarium是欧洲唯一一家专门提供全方位服务的表演捕捉工作室。

The two-year project will research and develop new ways of processing and retargeting anactor’s performance, transferring it expressively and intelligently to a digital avatar so that itcan be reviewed in real time. This will be done at a level of quality and accuracy that issuitable for feature movie, TV drama and AAA games, with potential spillover to emergingfields such as holographic display, live entertainment and customised digital content. Theresulting software tools and pipeline for real-time intelligent performance retargeting andviewing will increase the quality of feedback to actors and directors, streamline the visualeffects pipeline, increase quality and reduce production costs.An increasing number of major films rely on performance capture technology to drivecomputer generated figures or avatars, and their return at the box office is above average.Games developers are also seeking full performance capture, combining face and body, to a higher standard than the traditional providers are able to deliver. The UK is a world leader in visual postproduction and effects, with an industry worth over £700 million in 2008; UK video games industry is the largest in Europe and the development sector contributes approximately £1 billion to GDP and 9,000 highly skilled jobs.The project will use existing third-party capture devices, concentrating on the development of automated methods and intelligent solutions that give bio-mechanically plausible results on humanoid and animal avatars alike. Technologies will be tested in The Imaginarium’s dedicated performance capture studio at Ealing, under real-world production conditions.Results will be exploited as novel performance capture services, provided by TheImaginarium, and through IP licensing to third-party specialist software developers. TheImaginarium is the only dedicated full-service performance capture studio of its kind inEurope.