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Animation Tool Puts You in the Game

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the what-fun-is-that dept.

Matthew Sparkes writes "A new technique could take a simple body scan and allow a user to upload it and use it as an avatar or game character. Previously an animator would have to create a skeleton inside the model and describe movement capabilities manually. In tests, an inexperienced user could produce the animations in less than 15 minutes."

25 of 110 comments (clear)

  1. Obligatory joke by ThinkingInBinary · · Score: 5, Funny

    /me makes the obligatory joke about how most Slashdot readers would probably not want a real body scan of them used as their avatar in games.

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    ttuttle is a rankmaniac
    1. Re:Obligatory joke by Jabbrwokk · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yeah, because then the next thing you know World of Warcraft servers will suddenly be overpopulated with dwarves.

    2. Re:Obligatory joke by Ayal.Rosenthal · · Score: 2, Funny

      I don't think its just Slashdot readers who wouldn't want their real body scanned for an avatar. I can imagine overweight people with slim avatars making fun of overweight people with overweight avatars because of the dual identity thing. What would be funny would be requiring good-looking people to use ugly folks' images and then get made fun of.

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      Social liberal, fiscal conservative, always sarcastic.
    3. Re:Obligatory joke by antifoidulus · · Score: 2, Funny

      Most of them will probably just make a character from their genitals.....

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      Monstar L
    4. Re:Obligatory joke by profplump · · Score: 2

      99.9% of the time people who are depressed have only one person to blame -- themselves. They could simply work every day at making changes to their lifestyle, relationships, and brain chemistry to be happy. It's not any less true than your fat line, but it's not an opinion most people would be proud to express.

      I'm not saying fat people shouldn't work to improve their situation, but failing to sympathize *at all* because it "their own fault" is a little extreme, particularly if they are working to improve their body.

      Moreover if someone is born fat to fat parents, and has been raised overfed and under-active since birth, is is really their fault that they aren't suddenly thin at 18? How early are people supposed to notice their parent's bad habits and break them, and how long do we give them to overcome 18 years of bad training and habits?

    5. Re:Obligatory joke by Walt+Dismal · · Score: 2, Funny

      When you get asked "Honey, do you think my avatar's ass looks too big?" NEVER say 'yes'.

    6. Re:Obligatory joke by popeye44 · · Score: 2, Funny

      Fat basement dwelling Geeks need not apply. Unless your mom says it's ok.

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      Inane Comments are Generously Disregarded
  2. The real question is... by Reason58 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    When will this technology be applied to pornography?

    1. Re:The real question is... by db32 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Who do you think paid for the research?

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      The only change I can believe in is what I find in my couch cushions.
  3. hmm by User+956 · · Score: 3, Funny

    A new technique could take a simple body scan and allow a user to upload it and use it as an avatar or game character. Previously an animator would have to create a skeleton inside the model and describe movement capabilities manually.

    This sounds like a complete Serkis.

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    The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
  4. "a simple body scan" by TodMinuit · · Score: 2, Insightful

    We've come a long way, haven't we?

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    I wonder if I use bold in my signature, people will notice my posts.
  5. Missing the point by Belgarath52 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If I had the figure of a muscle-bound warrior I'd be out partying at clubs and getting girls, not playing WoW. The point of online games is to experience a different reality.

    Next step: if you don't actually know how to fight, your character can't either.

    1. Re:Missing the point by BarrilPrime · · Score: 2, Insightful

      I don't see this really being the situation. Sure, you could upload your own person as an avatar, but that doesn't mean you cant modify it in some way. I'm sure if they decided to put in this capability, you would be able to modify attributes of your player model.

      Even if they didn't have this capability, there are many people in the world that would like to see themselves doing things they cannot or would not be able to do.

    2. Re:Missing the point by morgan_greywolf · · Score: 5, Funny

      In that game, spell-casters would be SO screwed. Speak for yourself. ;)

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      My blog
  6. Now my avatar can have a herniated disc! by myth_of_sisyphus · · Score: 5, Funny

    In accordance with my latest MRI.

    My avatar will bitch and moan and lay down a lot and take pills and flake on people and blame it on his back.

  7. Reverse the technology, make more money. by Radon360 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Something tells me that there would be more of a market for technology that makes people in real life look more like their avatar, instead.

    1. Re:Reverse the technology, make more money. by Reason58 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Something tells me that there would be more of a market for technology that makes people in real life look more like their avatar, instead. They already have this invention. It's called running shoes.
  8. Puts You in the Game? by openaddy · · Score: 2, Funny

    Not literally YOU, right..? Or is there a "simple" way of scanning yourself that I don't know about?

  9. Then lucky you!. . . Mario! by Skadet · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Mario Kart Arcade GP already scans just your face and slaps it on a character model, "putting YOU in the GAME!".

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    Sony ha
  10. Re:Character Hacks by Radon360 · · Score: 5, Funny

    In a similar vein, I was thinking that the next iteration of such development would calculate and assign strength, agility, stamina, etc. values for your scanned profile. Either it would encourage a movement towards improving physical fitness, or give birth to a black market for scans of people who are already physically fit.

  11. kiosks by Raccroc · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I've always wondered why we haven't had this type of thing in "photo booth" style kiosks in shopping malls and arcades. It always seemed to me that facial scans (and now 3d models) would be a great addon for both arcade and home based games.

    1. Charge people to get their face/body scanned at kiosk
    2. Place images on a data card (CC for arcade readers and/or console compatible device)
    3. Sell DEV Kits for adding scanned work into your digital programs
    4. Sell Consumer Editing Kits for editing images (more Rock, less Erkel)
    5. Profit

  12. Dude! by spun · · Score: 3, Funny

    Your back is never going to get better until you put down that boulder.

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    - None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license. -- John Milton
  13. Surprised it was so long before a pr0n remark by Bastard+of+Subhumani · · Score: 5, Funny
    So "go fuck yourself" will change from an insult to a plausible suggestion. Virtually plausible, anyway. Ewww!


    (Anyone else surprised it was so long before a pr0n related comment?)

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    Only three things are certain; death, taxes, and apocryphal quotations - Ben Franklin.
  14. Re:News Flash: NE Females disappear from WOW! by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You have no idea ... in fact, one of my characters is in WoW's Femme Fatale guild ...

    It's all pixels, boys.

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  15. Why not just use your Mii on your Wii? by WillAffleckUW · · Score: 2, Informative

    I mean, seriously, how detailed do you need your online character to be? Do you really want that extra 10 pounds of fat - being generous - or your geeky eyes or hair you inherited from your mom?

    Besides, they already do this in Japan.

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    -- Tigger warning: This post may contain tiggers! --