Source/TF2 Facial Animation
polycounter lvl 19
I have no idea about the tech or whether this is just a really well animated short, but this is the best facial animation I've ever seen in a game.
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/788/788389p1.html
At the very least they have a very nice animation rig.
http://ve3d.ign.com/articles/788/788389p1.html
At the very least they have a very nice animation rig.
Replies
I love it... so much.
I never really played the first TF game, but I'm really looking forward to the second one!
-caseyjones
But god, I love how this game looks, and feels
the russian brute voice made me lol however
actually source has a very versatile face system. I believe all the expressions and phonemes for lip syncing are done with blended morph targets.
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This is some new technology that they are adding into the engine with TF2.
And yes, that is an awesome short, probably the best real-time animation I've ever seen. Valve's eyes shader is the best I've seen in any game too. It's what adds so much believability to their characters and animations. This goes to show what a talented animator can do with it. Very nice stuff.
This is some new technology that they are adding into the engine with TF2.
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um, it's always existed.
Face animation tech isn't anythnig new nor practical for gameplay, anyway. TF2 is just going to play the same as before, just with a new engine smell gimmick. The novelty will die and everyone will go back to TFC (if they have it)
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"The novelty will die and everyone will go back to TFC (if they have it) "
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That made me lol.
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"Face animation tech isn't anythnig new..."
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no but intuitive tools that are more user friendly than a 3Dapp + rig setup is what makes the facial animation different, and new.
Also, they've updated the facial technology since HL2's release (which is what I believe e_x was touching on) something most companies ship and forget.
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"TF2 is just going to play the same as before"
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Really? Even though only 2 of the batch of maps being release will feature CTF style of gameplay - and even those 2 maps (2forts and well) are getting major gameplay overhauls with the way they're laid out.
As well, they're introducing an all new gameplay mechanic where the layouts within the map change randomly as a team captures a control point. And also updating older maps with more streamlined mechanics than what would be found in TFC.
I was a HUGE fan of Team-Fortress (Quakeworld), TFC and am looking forward to TF2. Will it be the same thing? Sure, class based objective multi-player - the vaguest description all three releases will share. However, TF2 will be far from the experience you had playing either of those games. lol, "new engine smell gimmick". Right.
steady, and the music reminds me more of NOLF than the Venture Bros.
personally i thought the "Meet the Heavy" is the sharpest thing Valve has ever released--the timing, animation, and voice acting come together as primo entertainment. i agree with spacemonkey--though Steam is designed such that they don't even have to deal with traditional outlet, i see shorts like these working very successfully as commercials. at least on channels like G4 at any rate.
TF2 is looking interesting with semi-randomized map features and map scaling to accomodate different player loads--everyone who played BF2 knows that makes a huge difference. And certainly it will be nice to play a fun, cartoony style game like TF2, with more and more games falling into the semi-realistic modern warfare category. which is funny, since of course that was the style that TF2 was originally gunning for, and since then they've gone with something completely away from current trends, which is possibly the best move they could make.
edit: CRY SOME MORE!
Remember Psychonauts? Awesome game, awesome style, but it just didn't do well in the market.
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It all depends on marketting. Of course the fact that TF gets bundled with Halflife2 et al on xbox360 will help boost sales, as will the fact that it comes with episode 2 and portals on pc.
I think the fact that valve arent trying to make it a standalone game shows some concern over commercial viability. However that might also be because its a team orientated game and doesnt have a single player afaik.
It would be interesting to see the game sold in the same way that Pixar sells its products, I think these vinquettes would certainly be the way to go but I doubt we'll see this pimped on tv - which is a shame. It would be really interesting to see if a standalone game, made in this style could make itself a commercial succes.
crazy machinima here I come
You do have to wonder how useful that fancy face rig is going to be in a multiplayer only game, particularly one as fast paced as Team Fortress, but I guess if it makes for Machinema of this calibre then I shan't complain.
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WHO CARES its face tech it makes it obviously the best most timeless game ever !
The game will include animations used with this new technology to show what the updates are capable of. Will it make or break THIS game? No, probably not.
However having this widely available to those who wish to
develop with the engine (professional or mod) is one of the reasons I like Valve as a 'developers company'.
spacemonkey: Did you ever give the 'No One Lives Forever' series a go? Or Evil Genius? Both had a similar cartoon/60's style to them with the high-tempo jazz soundtracks, comedy, and such. Very good games, NOLF being one of my favourite all time FPS's.
http://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Character_Facial_Animation_Shapekey_Set
TF2 looks great, Steam/source games supposedly run really well with WINE on Linux, and this MOD:
http://www.zombiemaster.org/
looks soooo awesome that I have to try it.
The look on his face when he's firing like mad near the end is tops.
Seems like it's shaping up to be a fun game
Maybes we will be able to name our weapons like in video, yes?
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In Soviet Russia, weapon names YOU!
I think the fact that valve arent trying to make it a standalone game shows some concern over commercial viability. However that might also be because its a team orientated game and doesnt have a single player afaik.
It would be interesting to see the game sold in the same way that Pixar sells its products, I think these vinquettes would certainly be the way to go but I doubt we'll see this pimped on tv - which is a shame. It would be really interesting to see if a standalone game, made in this style could make itself a commercial succes.
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Really enjoyed HL2 back then but still no fan of Steam or
this episode thingie, but HL2:Episode 2 i get for sure and
only for TF2 and Portal looks so much fun. Atm i wonder if
these little two "addons" are the mainselling point here.
I know many people who think the same.
YAOOOUUU
I posted a summary of the Gollum system a couple of years ago, but I can only search back one year, so I'm not sure how to find the link.
AMAZING TF2 video though. The facial animation is outstanding.
New gameplay video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEBGl_nA1Uk
You do have to wonder how useful that fancy face rig is going to be in a multiplayer only game, particularly one as fast paced as Team Fortress, but I guess if it makes for Machinema of this calibre then I shan't complain.
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Depends on how fast it is at parsing speech, I doubt it works in real time, but imagine if it did... I would spend hours just making my character talk, and if they modulated the voices so if you are playing the heavy weapons guy you talked like him, that would be a hoot too.
I've watched it 4 times, time to go back for a 5th
Valve gives the best facials to their licensees:)
all kidding aside.. I have never seen animation like that in a game. Valve ftw.
With that being said, as a fast paced multiplayer shooter fan, it usually takes me six months of playing before I even take notice of characters' faces in most games. Shoot and move. As fast as possible.
As excellent as that demo video was, what really gets me stoked is the knowledge that they are going to be updating the Source SDK when Team Fortress 2 comes out. For anyone who hasn't been following Source development, last October Valve made their SDK compatible with the Visual C++ Express compiler. That means...of course...that you can legally produce your own Source mods without purchasing any software aside from Half Life 2. I've already compiled a trial mod, and it worked without any issues. By including this compatibility, Valve has truly opened up the Source engine to everyone.
Before now, I hadn't dappled in Source very much, since I couldn't create my own mods. But I had played around with the tools a little. Face Poser is ALREADY the most effective in-game facial animation system available. Define the necessary vertex keys in the XSI mod-tool, and you're off to the races. I'm actually surprised that more of the forum regulars here haven't been importing their models into Half-Life 2.
I'm going to be attempting to produce my own little level soon, in order to experiment with a little machinima that's been in the back of my mind for a while. If it goes well, I'll try to post some tutorials on how to effectively get a basic Source mod going.
a friend of mine told me a while ago he accepted a job there (Blue Sky animator)- his site isnt updated, waiting to get a hold of him first :P
I'm only curious to how much of this was actually hand animated, because it's easily possible to create a rig for any game that supports morph targets that allows this much detail. he question is how much easie rvalve's tools make it to make something look this sweet (and why the fuck no feature animation studio thought of doing a system like this).
Apart from that an incredibly impressive animation, the solid direction and impressive camerawork (on top of a near cinemascope proportioned aspect ration) really made this shine. Again, I doubt we see much of the actual animation system shine here, but rather a very talented animator with some very solid tools.