Not long ago, Andy Wood, CEO of an English company called Cubic Motion, was meeting in Los Angeles to showcase his technologies to some software houses.
To show Cubic Motion's capabilities, the team had presented a video starring a character created by the graphic team, a sort of human-animal hybrid.
We really liked the scene, and when it was time to drop the ace, magic happened: the character suddenly turned to the camera and began speaking live to those present.
What had happened?
It wasn't a fully recorded scene. After a pre-established preamble, the character was “guided” in real time by a performer who was on the other side of the world, in Manchester.
The effect was incredible. A video game character as realistic as a person and guided in real time through the network. Something like this would have taken weeks, and to do a few recorded minutes, rather than real time, until some time ago.
“I've never seen a reaction like that,” Wood said, recalling the episode. “There was amazement everywhere in the room. Someone was holding my arm trying to express surprise and disbelief at what he was seeing."
A total turnaround
To understand the importance of this, we need to take a step back and understand how motion capture currently works. The actors who "guide" the characters are recorded much earlier: their suits are covered in dozens of small LEDs that allow movements to be captured. They are called markers. Once all sorts of movements have been recorded, the animators literally “connect” the dots until they have created something that has the appearance of realistic movement.
Cubic Motion's approach is radically different. The company has developed a technology that does away with markers and instantly translates movements into renders at 60 frames per second. All this is possible thanks to complex algorithms machine learning. For example, a face is broken down into several parts, and the system converts only the parts that actually move in real time, without recalculating everything. This process also guarantees unprecedented detail.
“There is no one in the world who can image a face with the method and detail of Cubic Motion,” he proudly states Wood.
The Gollum Goal
For those unfamiliar with the character (and I wonder who), Gollum in Peter Jackson's award-winning “Lord of the Rings” film trilogy was the first CGI product to offer a tangible, emotional presence equal to that of a flesh-and-blood actor.
At Cubic Motion they never made a secret of having Gollum as the touchstone of their work, but they ended up outclassing him.
When Andy Serkis played Gollum he had to wear a suit with lots of markers on his face. It was a huge job, but with limitations. You can't put markers on your eyes, for example. You can't track the language, and more. With a wide range of expressions it required enormous work from technicians and animators to fill in the gaps.
None of this happens with Cubic Motion.
The dream team
Cubic Motion is at the top of a highly respectable production "team". It includes leading computer and video game companies such as Epic Games, Tencent, 3Lateral and Vicon, which have provided everything from high-definition scanners to graphics engines.
But Cubic Motion's contribution is fundamental. His contribution brought together hitherto separate technologies.
“If you can capture the essence of a person and transfer it to a digital character you have produced a true double”. The quality of detail and the ability to grasp any expressive nuance will definitely change the rules of the game.
How will it be used?
It's not just a question of cost and time: Cubic Motion opens up a world in which the image of all of us will be digitized and will occupy virtual environments with an unprecedented level of detail. The perception of our figure will be omnipresent and will break down the boundaries of time and space.
Virtual appointments with a doctor for consultations and requests? Whatever the distance, they will be possible. Interacting in the same workplace by occupying a virtual office together while you are each in your city, in your country? Idem. Doing gymnastics in a virtual gym, having for personal trainers the already weightless version of ourselves that encourages us to become like her. Much more than a promise. The very image of the future that shows us how to reach it.
And do we want to talk about virtual assistants? A VR version of Alexa or Google Home with the appearance of a dear friend who helps us with daily chores. The applications are endless.
Cubic Motion technology is far, far away from everyday consumption: the company's machines and software cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. However, Cubic Motion has envisioned a class of products that are more accessible for mass use. Recently, for example, it launched Persona, its helmet for facial capture, which can also be used under license by other companies.
As writer William Gibson said: the future is already here, only that it has not yet been distributed evenly.
