Image Metrics show off their latest version.

You will not believe your eyes from this moment on.

byXboxOZ360

©2008 Grant Smythe:

We can usually pick the difference in various animations used for computer images, but as technology advances, so does the ability to fool the human eye. What was once termed The Uncanny Valley by the graphics industry is perhaps drawing to a close. Image Metrics latest version shows just how real something can be.

Click for full sized view then check the video out.

Only for the fact we’ve already clued you up on the fact, it would be hard, actually, almost impossible to pick up the fact that Emily is in fact “not real”. The entire footage is done with computer drive proprietary software, no “real” people or situation is involved in the scene, other than the pre-production assets used to capture the scene and the actress.

•• Latest release version of Image Metrics which will be used in Codemasters Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising. Note the HUGE difference in quality and life like features and animation between the current version, and the one below which is less than a year old. The Uncanny Valley is almost no-existent in the later one.<

Earlier version of Image Metrics:

Their first attempts did look great, but you could pick that there was a distinct difference in facial tone and movements. However, this iterations leaves very little to the imagination, and has you ask yourself, what IS real out there. And is the news and items we see on the net and TV actually real, or has it been doctored to appear real  . . .

Codemasters and Image Metrics have teamed up to use the software in their upcoming title Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising.

“Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising will take players closer to war then they’ve ever come before,” said Brant Nicholas, Senior Producer, Codemasters Studios. “To achieve that end, we turned to Image Metrics’ facial animation solutions because of their unique ability to perfectly capture the range of emotions that soldiers experience in combat.”

“With Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, Codemasters has set out to capture the gritty reality and human drama of warfare,” said Mike Starkenburg, Image Metrics’ chief operating officer. “We’re honored that Codemasters has chosen our facial animation technology to help achieve that realism and to further immerse players in the gameplay experience.”

Now with this level of detail within a game, it will make games like Bad Company, which was bloody great actually, appear to be animated cartoons in comparison. I’ve been looking at previews of Operation Flashpoint 2: Dragon Rising, and it looks every bit as real as you can get for a video game, and then some.

With this level of detail, and the use of just camera software, developers can now use far less memory and assets than ever before, allowing even more detailed information, persistent destruction and gameplay to be placed on single DVD9 disc. Many gamers say that “DVD9 is dead, long live Blu-Ray” – “you can’t store shitte on DVD9′s any more, Blu-Ray rules” . . . . . bahh . .

If you could see (well you do actually) what developers are stuffing into a standard DVD9 now, when 1 -2 yrs ago they said it was impossible (ie PGR4 and Bad Company) you’ll start to wonder what else they can fit onto a single disc.

So expect more of this type of imaging in games from now on.

Alternative source: ThreeSpeech.

©2008 Grant Smythe: