IMAGE METRICS ACQUIRES CHARACTER-FX
Character-FX is an integrated facial rigging tool-set created by Riggs for Autodesk Maya and 3DS Max. The technology helps to create character facial rigs using a proprietary automated weighting transfer system that rapidly shifts a character's facial motion for very life-like movements. It can be applied to any character, at any quality level, whether based on joints, blend-shapes, or a combination. This technology has been used in a wide range of production environments and has proven its broad applicability to a variety of project needs.
Image Metrics (www.imagemetric.com) plans to integrate Character-FX technology into its Faceware animation suite. The integration will cost effectively provide Image Metrics customers with characters that can be animated to a higher level of believability, in a fraction of the time required for traditional avatar creation methods.
Image Metrics and Character-FX technology was used together to create the animation behind the photoreal recreation of the late, legendary basketball coach John Wooden in a recent NCAA commercial that initially aired during the National College Basketball Championships in March.
"The Character-FX rigging process was designed to create a highly flexible character model, in a way that fits with any production environment," says Riggs. "As Image Metrics' unique animation technology is the perfect platform for animating Character-FX avatars quickly and believably, the integration of Character-FX with Image Metrics' performance-based animation software will produce characters whose expressions and movement resonate with audiences and gamers."