CCS new viseme test

[topdaryl]

What I want to do, is to test the new viseme with the new animation. Not the default ones.

So I go to Character tab to test a new animation with is new viseme.

I click on the pull down under animation and I choose an animation that has 1 frame with the option "enabling Speaking on each animation frame" ON.

Then I type something to say, but it wont get the animation that is selected under aninmations.

If I click on the play button, it plays the 1 frame animation and the return one because of the link.

So it seems that the software does not care witch animations as been choosen, it always takes the default Viseme.

Note that in the animation settings under Frame Viseme Group, I did not forget to choose the new viseme for the smile animation.

I even try save close and re-open. Nothing changed.

[Matt]

I'll check this out, we are going out of town on business for the next couple of days, so I won't be able to get to it until Friday probably.

[topdaryl]

Did you add the chance to check this out? I'm waiting this fixe to continue.

Thank you in advance.

[Matt]

Can you send me your ccs file so that I can see exactly what your trying to do, I'm having trouble understanding the problem.

[topdaryl]

Did you receive my CSS file ?

Basicly all I want to do is to test a viseme assign to a animation.

[Matt]

Sorry, I did get it but it was in my junk folder so I didn't see it.

Looks like your Smile1 Return animation (1 frame) has a duration of 1/100th of a second, therefore you won't see it use that new viseme group because it's only for a split second that those visemes are active.
Did you want it to pause on that frame for as long as it has to the play the voice? If so that would probably require some changes and it may be kinda complex.

[topdaryl]

Well, what is the way to use the new viseme with this animation ?

(I put 1/100 sec, because I dont want the viseme to wait to start.)

So I want him to smile (smile1) then talk with the apropriate viseme (smile1_talk), then stop smiling (smile1_return).

How CCS would do this ?

I am able to do this with Microsoft agent.

[topdaryl]

Ho and an other thing. I will not put the mouth on another image that represent the face. I will just make a complete image. I am now using only the image of the mouth because it is faster to use. But when I will be set with CCS, I will render all the head each time I make a viseme. So I think it will help you understand what I want to do if I tell you this.

[leseur sylvain]

Topdaryl said:
/*So I want him to smile (smile1) then talk with the apropriate viseme (smile1_talk), then stop smiling (smile1_return).
How CCS would do this ? */

Not sure, like for sound in .CCS... In fact we can't get away from it , sooner or later...

My Fanfan.CCS is finish. I'm disappointed, my file is not very good... I do my best but i'm very far of the Guile3D work...
Like usual i dream and wait for of the next new fantastic version with all a media player possibilities.... (Joke)
I polish up it and i'll send it.
Friendly
Sylvain

[topdaryl]

Are you talking about the look of your Character

[leseur sylvain]

All things, animations, phonèmes, lights, colours...
I thing it's the différence between a )professional
work like Guile3D do and an amateur like me...
But maybe tomorow i'll say the opposite
Friendly
Sylvain

[Matt]

Well, what is the way to use the new viseme with this animation ?

(I put 1/100 sec, because I dont want the viseme to wait to start.)

So I want him to smile (smile1) then talk with the apropriate viseme (smile1_talk), then stop smiling (smile1_return).

How CCS would do this ?

I am able to do this with Microsoft agent.

I don't think we can do this right now, I'm not sure how it works exactly in MS Agent, if you are at the end of an animation and there is a speak command I guess it pauses long enough on that animation to speak the text?

Is that how you expect it to work in CCS? If you make an Animation which has speak enabled should it always pause and finish speaking on the last frame or should it be an extra check-box that you have to click? "Pause on last frame for speaking" somthing like that? This hasn't yet been implemented because it's a kinda complex problem and I'm not sure how it should work.

Let me know any thoughts you have on this,
-Matt

BTW... looking forward to seeing that FanFan Character!

[topdaryl]

Well I thought that if I call for example an expression from verbot editor, like :-s1 for smile1, it would start with smile (smile1) so the animation shows the verbot smile, at the end of the maximum stretch of the smile (the last frame), it would call the apropriate visemes group (smile1_talk), in this smile1_talk there is only an image backgroud of the last frame of the last animation (smile1) so that if there is only the mouth in the visemes shoun next, it will still show the face in backgroud. For me, it does not apply since it will be all the face that is render for each viseme. So it talks with the viseme group done for this animation. Then it would call (smile1_return). Basicaly the same images of the smile1, but shown in reverse order, to get back to the first frame of the character. (neutral position).

I know it is not easy to understand. Probably I could show you with example if you do not understand. But if you can get to do it one time in Microsoft agent, it would be clear to you.

[Matt]

But if you can get to do it one time in Microsoft agent, it would be clear to you.

I have seen Merlin do this:
He speaks or does whatever and then plays an animation: play trumpet or whatever, he pulls out the trumpet, the sound plays "Doo-Do-Do-Doo!!!" and then basically he holds the last frame of the animation (where he's looking at you while still holding the trumpet), and I guess because he's been told to speak he'll wait to finish speaking on that last frame, then play the return animation of putting the trumpet away.

This is great, in one way it's a feature, that between animations the agent can speak, but I don't see an option for this in the MS Agent Character Editor, so I guess it just always works this way. On the other hand it's also a limitation, where the agent is only able to speak on the last animation frame, where with CCS if you want you can speak on each animation frame (basicaly animate and speak concurrently). So, what it still seems like to me if we want this feature of MS Agent, to pause on the last frame of the animation, and get the best of both world we'll need another check box that is basically that, "Pause on last frame of animation while speaking"

Does this make sense to you? That way you could just make a one frame animation (doesn't matter the duration, you'd probably just enter 1, for 1/100th of a second), and you just enable the new proposed check box "Pause while speaking" and call this "smile_speak" that you could use as the return animation of your smile animation.
Maybe I'm confused in what your trying to get to, in which case try to stear me in the right direction.

[topdaryl]

After reading what you just wrote, I realize that there would be probably a better way to do this. If I could just write in the verbot editor :-s1 for smile1 and that I could create a smile1 animation in CCS that would be compose of (example) 5 frame to smile, 1 frame that I could click in a check box to tell CCS that it is the place to stop and start talking (and use the viseme associated to this animation) then when finish talking he continue with 5 other frame that show the character going to the neutral position. That would be GREAT