TOOLS FOR BUILDING

Creating a population of avatars

Original techniques have been developed within eRENA to create realistic-looking virtual humans and to provide not just individuals but large crowds of distinct figures. Such crowds will be needed for many kinds of events and performances within electronic environments.

Individualised faces for the avatars can created for a small number of figures using photographs of humans. Automatic texture mapping fits the photographs onto a 3-D model. A much larger population can then be generated efficiently by cloning and combining these initial faces. Diverse body shapes for avatars can also be generated using similar methods. The completed avatars have been effectively used for a wide variety of real-time animations.

MIRALab, Geneva

More information:
Real-time visual simulation tools for animated populations
Mixed Reality Dance Performance

Concept and software:
Nadia Magnenat-Thalmann, Pierre Beylot, Stephane Carion a.o.