CompuServe Thread

Animation Vendor A Forum · Hash, Inc.

#Facial Animation

9 messages in this thread

#1510From: ASDGNov 3, 1994 1:35 AM

One of the tricks employed by the masters is to use a 3-D package to animate the gross motor movements in the human face and then to use Elastic Reality (a 2-D warping, morphing, animation, compositing, etc system) to do the really fine motor stuff. Essentially modellers try to get things as close as reasonable within their 3-D environment but don't sweat the last details there. Instead, the unique shape-to-shape interface that Elastic Reality offers is ideally suited for making tweaks. Perry (why, oh why can't I access the Elastic Reality section here?)

#1514From: Philip HruskaNov 3, 1994 3:27 AM

Are you Elastic Reality? Do you have a phone number? Offices in NYC? Thanks Much

#1542From: ASDGNov 3, 1994 9:40 PM

Our phone number is (608) 273 6585. We do not have offices in NYC, is there something we can help you with? Perry

#1516From: Mark ClarksonNov 3, 1994 3:54 AM

>Elastic Reality (a 2-D warping, morphing, animation, compositing, etc system)< Tell me more about this product and how I use it with my other modeling software. Is it a plug-in? A seperate program that reads DXFs, or what? Thanx, ..mark

#1543From: ASDGNov 3, 1994 9:44 PM

It (Elastic Reality) is a structured (shape-based) warping and morphing system which acts in 2-D. It isn't a 3-D package, a modeller, or a plug-in. You would use it to manipulate rendered 3-D elements to adjust fine details. Examples of using Elastic Reality in this way include the MGM Grand Hotel commercial (the fine details in the Lion's appearence) and in the talking animals in the television series Northern Exposure. Actually, in the Northern Exposure case, there was a live dog (but for the purposes of this discussion it doesn't matter where the 3-D thing came from…the concept is the same). So in summary: it would be used as a 2-D post-process operating upon the rendered (TGAs for example) frames. Perry

#1565From: Mark ClarksonNov 4, 1994 4:17 PM

>in the Northern Exposure case, there was a live dog< Was that the one in the cab? It was purty kewl. >not a plug-in< SIGH – I'm doing an article on plug-ins and was hoping I'd get to play around with ER. What's the PC/Windows release date, etc? What's the price? ..mark

#1545From: ASDGNov 3, 1994 9:47 PM

I just want to reiterate that Elastic Reality would be used to supplement a good 3-D package…not replace it. In other words, get as close as reasonably possible to what you want as a final result, and then tweak the details in Elastic Reality. Perry

#1568From: Steve/HASH, Inc.Nov 4, 1994 4:38 PM

Perry, glad to see your input here…. I want to agree the Elastic Reality is a wonderful tool for finishing 3D Animations… Steve, Hash Inc

#1594From: ASDGNov 5, 1994 11:46 PM

Thank you Steve…just wanted to make clear I wasn't suggesting that Elastic Reality is a replacement for 3-D systems, which it isn't. Thanks again for letting me interlope. Perry (who can see his own section now – yippie!)