Procedural Animation of Conversational Gestures for Virtual Humans

安大略省的两所学院和魁北克省的两所学院正在合作共同创建一个原型，开源系统解决方案，用于虚拟人类（VHs）中对话手势的程序动画。由谢里登学院的屏幕工业研究和培训中心（SIRT）、达勒姆学院的商业解决方案人工智能应用研究中心（AI Hub）和混合现实捕获工作室（MRC）、csamgep de Matane的csamgep de rivi<e:1> -du- loup的Le Living Lab en innovation ouverte （LLio）和csamgep de rivi挽留中心（CDRIN）领导的研究团队将进行双语、跨部门研究和开发侧重于程序动画工作流程，该流程结合了先进的数据驱动分析，并利用人工智能（AI）和机器学习（ML），以实现复杂VH运动的自动化和程序生成，包括手、肢体、身体运动。来自加拿大各机构的研究人员和学生将与SpinVFX、育碧、Transitional Forms、ReImagine AI、AMD Canada等领先公司合作，采用以人为本的设计方法进行研究和开发。加拿大公司目前正在使用或正在开发自己的虚拟人管道，主要用于电影和电视制作，以及互动游戏和娱乐的实时制作。随着消费者对娱乐中越来越真实、可信和互动的VH的期望，以及VH在培训、模拟、医疗保健等系统中的使用频率越来越高，应用研究和开发需要针对程序生成的挑战，以提高VH动作的智能，同时减少制作令人信服的VH动画所需的时间。通过改进现有VH解决方案以更好地捕捉客户需求，将VH解决方案扩展到新的细分市场，以及通过新产品和服务进行颠覆性创新，研究将为公司提供显著的竞争优势。一个开源的手势数据库将为提高加拿大动画的艺术水平提供有效的资源。公司将能够通过集成开源系统来改进现有的系统、流程和产品，并进一步开发和/或开发项目成果的专有应用程序。

Two Ontario colleges and two Quebec cégeps are collaborating on co-creation of a prototype, open-source systems solution for the procedural animation of conversation gestures in Virtual Humans (VHs). Led by Sheridan College's Screen Industries Research and Training Centre (SIRT), Durham College's Hub for Applied Research in Artificial Intelligence for Business Solutions (AI Hub) and Mixed Reality Capture Studio (MRC), Cégep de Matane's Centre de développement et de recherche en intelligence numérique (CDRIN) and the Cégep de Rivière-du-Loup's Le Living Lab en innovation ouverte (LLio), the research team will conduct dual-language, cross-sectoral research and development focused on procedural animation workflows that incorporate advanced, data-driven analysis and leverage Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to allow for automation and procedural generation of complex VH movements, including hand, limb, body movement. A diverse group of researchers and students from Canadian institutions will conduct research and development using a human-centered design approach in collaboration with leading companies, including SpinVFX, Ubisoft, Transitional Forms, ReImagine AI, AMD Canada, etc. Canadian companies currently employ, or are in the process of developing, their own Virtual Humans pipelines, primarily for film & television productions, and realtime productions for interactive games and entertainment. As consumers expect increasingly realistic, believable, and interactive VHs within entertainment, and VHs are used more frequently within systems for training, simulation, healthcare, etc., applied research and development is needed to target the challenges of procedural generation to improve the intelligence of VH actions while reducing the amount of time needed to convincingly animate VHs. Research will provide companies with a significant competitive advantage by refining existing VH solutions to better capture customers needs, expanding VH solutions into new market segments, and by creating disruptive innovation with new products and services. An open-source gesture database will offer an effective resource to raise the state-of-the art for animation in Canada. Companies will be able to improve existing systems, processes, and products by integrating the open-source system and further develop and/or develop proprietary applications of the projects outcomes.