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Character Lip Sync and body control

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Character Lip Sync and body control

Looking for solution and software/hardware suggestions. Small budget, but that's not an absolute, just a desire......

We have the computers and storage equipment. We have video editing experience and have had minimal experience with 3d Max (many versions ago). We have key frame experience for graphic animation and keying experience for mixing green screen with humans. We have no 2d or 3d character animation experience.

Will develop 4-10 characters that will be used over a long period of time. Leaning towards 2d, but could use 3d. Characters will develop some human type attributes, and will be used to deliver a message or evoke a discussion about certain subject matter. Think of taking a Sunday comic strip and animating them in 5-10 minute pieces for ipod, internet streaming, and standard and HD video delivery.

Dialog will be recorded (generally 1-3 characters at a time) before the animation sequence needs to be created. Very little action required other than lip sync and normal body movements while talking.

I know the big boys can use sensors and control their characters that way. Wouldn't mind that, but I have no idea what the cost of entry level systems are.

Once characters are created, most of the work will be in getting the dialog and related movements into the characters.

When MSNBC first started out years ago, they had a tech cafe where Soledad O'Brien (CNN now) would go into a cafe and talk real time with a computer generated character and talk about computer issues.. Probably expensive technology back then, but maybe something not so expensive today? Would love to do this in real time and record or key the characters into a virtual studio or drawn backgrounds.

I'm guessing Maya, 3d Studio, Toon Boom, or Flash would all work. Do the 2d programs allow for sensors to input the data for lip syncing and other movements? Is Maya or 3d Studio just used for 3d?

To summarize, what's the best way to produce many hours of character based animation. Software only? Software with input from sensors? At what cost?

Thanks

How about Crazy Talk? It's not for animation purists, but it's impressive technology.

There is also Magpie.

Visit my website:

Claire O'Brien.com

You mention "many hours" of dialog animation. Whatever solution you choose, it will be a time-consuming and expensive process to generate that much footage at anything over a bare-bones quality level. You should know that going in.

"You mention "many hours" of dialog animation. Whatever solution you choose, it will be a time-consuming and expensive process to generate that much footage at anything over a bare-bones quality level. You should know that going in."

I presumed it was going to be somewhat if not very time consuming to create the animation sequences with dialog. From my research, I'm getting a variety of opinions on animation software in general, but not a lot on motion capture.

It was mentioned that MoCap solutions could run in the thousands. Can someone expand on that.

$2,000 + is expensive, but maybe not when one considers the hours of labor creating facial and lip movement for dialog as well as body movement. Since I'm clueless as to what goes into that, I'd appreciate some more advice. I'm not looking for action sequences, just walking and simple conversational body movement and lip sync.

Assuming one had a few characters created, how much would it cost to purchase a usable MoCap system and how much more work does it take to filter and clean up the data.

Thanks again..........

MoCap solutions, even low-end ones, are going to run in the thousands of dollars. In addition, MoCap data typically needs to be cleaned up to some degree.

Without MoCap, you can use 3D, it would be less work to set up in 2D though. I've lip-synced much dialogue in Flash. If you set it up right it can go smoothly, but it's a manual process.

There's a program called Magpie Pro that you might find useful.

I've been using this program for about 2 years and it's worked great for me:

http://www.lostmarble.com

Basically, it's CGI animation only flat 2D. You build the characters and then rig them so you can animate them. The exact same principals of CGI animation are present here, modeling, rigging, and animation. It also has camera controls and can create partical effects.