Computer Graphics World

February 2009 15 Viewpoint n n n n that indeed digital characters (with expressions) that have sincerity, intensity, and subtlety are possible. e aim, for my first crack at this digital world, was to create a realistic character with emotions. I tried not to cheat, and elected to create a young woman (because young women are more difficult than males or older people in that they have less wrinkles to hide the faults), to design her as a normal girl (no heavy makeup or incredibly long legs), to put her in an everyday situation (again, more difficult than fantasy situa- tions because we have more references), to shoot her in close-up and fully lit (no cheating in the dark), and to write a script that makes her go through a gamut of emotions in a short amount of time (not just a walk-on but a real performance). is was not gratuitous bravado. I was trying to see how far we could go in creating a believable human being. Making this short demo has afforded me the opportunity to go through the complete process of a major production (special effects excluded). Indeed, it is a demanding medium. I took many wrong turns, some due to my fledgling knowledge of the medium, and some forced on me by limited resources. But I learned a lot. I had the chance to study the current working methods (including some that were efficient and some that could still be improved). I learned the importance of a well-thought- out pipeline (the order in which things should be done), and defined in my mind which tools each artist and technician needs to do the best possible job: clear directives, appropriate visual documentation, efficient software, and enough computing power. And I now also know how important good groundwork is—little things like validating your main char- acters thoroughly before putting them into production. The Technology Debate If there is one thing that is evident to me, it is that quality will not come from better technology alone. Technology can give us better tools. Mainly, we need more immediate feedback in modeling, texturing, lighting, and animating, and, one day, hopefully, better, simpler, less obtrusive, more precise mocap. But the best technology in the world will not create more realis- tic human beings, more sincere emotions, more expressive move- ments, or more drama and intensity. Only skilled technicians and talented artists will do that. If we forget about digitally scanning movie stars and instead design our own characters, we will reap many advantages. We can choose the way our character looks. In movies, appearances matter. It is a great asset to have the character's look fit the script's requirements and then have the opportunity to cast a talented ac- tor for the part, regardless of his or her physical appearance. e business of creating human faces is fascinating. Faces have subtle and interesting variations. An infinite number of choices have to be made: variations in proportions, degrees of symmetry, expressive wrinkles, skin blemishes, and so forth. Creative choices and subtle departures from the boring Ken and Barbie look-alikes will give digital humans personality, drama, and charm. Before there is animation, though, there is rigging. It is the heart of expression, the way you infuse life, personality, and soul into a character. A character without good rigging will be an actor with- out talent. Good rigging will create the all-important charm of your character. You should devote all your attention, creativity, and care to make each muscle twitch reveals your character's personality. Which is the better choice, live actors or CG? Well, this one was clear to me from the start. If you are looking for hilarious carica- tures, go for animation. But if you are aiming at realistic characters with depth, only talented, expressive, and creative actors will do the job. ey will inject life and feelings into your characters in a way no animation ever can. Another important factor is that when a performance is ap- plied to a character that has a different morphology from your ac- tor, an interesting and complex "translation" has to be achieved. You must preserve the quality of the performance, but adapt it to the character's personality—an interesting challenge, and no mean feat! If I sound passionate about all this, it's because I am. I truly be- lieve that realistic digitally created movies will become a legitimate art form and an important part of the entertainment industry. is was my first stab at this type of undertaking. I believe it is a step in an interesting direction, and I would like to pursue this work further, and, hopefully, with the right partnership I will be able to do so. True, there are a few obstacles we must first overcome, and that includes telling a story that will connect with the specta- tor, and breaking the walls of indifference and incomprehension that surround digital movies. Yet, these are not insurmountable. e future for this great new medium is just beginning, and it indeed looks bright. n Kyra was an ideal test subject: It was difficult to hide modeling flaws with her young face.

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