Heads with geometries for eyes and mouth
 

Are there any changes/updates to the "How to create custom heads for your Avatars" thread based on the newest version of Vizard?

I would like to adjust the eye contact an avatar makes with a user. I would like heads with geometries for the head, the mouth, and the two eyes.

bailenson has graciously given me some custom heads for my research. They can lip-sync and morph, but they are from 3dmenow 1.045. So their eyes cannot independently move. For now I can only move the head (geom_0) in different directions to move the eyes. When I open the heads I currently have in PeopleMaker, geom_0 is defined as the head and geom_1 is defined as the mouth portion of the head. When I open biohead_eyes.vzf in PeopleMaker, geom_0 is the left eye, geom_1 is the right eye, and geom_2 is the head (no mouth portion defined).

3DMeNow Professional 2 has an option to export the eyes as separate geometries from the head geometry. Do I need to purchase 3DMeNow Professional 2 and make heads from scratch?

Does any one have any heads with the eyes and mouth already exported as separate geometries?

Thanks so much,
Karla

bailenson suggested a texture solution.
I made the below arbitrary example (edited .jpg file attached) after following this thread:


I see now how different textures can be put on the avatars to look like the eyes are moving (if the .jpg on the head has eyes that are looking left/right/etc. from edits using image software like Paint/Photoshop/etc.).

If anyone has answers to may first post above, I welcome them.

Thanks,
Karla

Code:

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#March 14th, 2008
import viz
import vizinfo        #For info box
import viztask        #For wait time

viz.go()

#Add a female face
female = viz.add('female.cfg')
female.translate(0,0,2)
female.rotate(0,1,0,180)
female.state(1) #Neutral state of the female avatar
#To control the eyes, the name of the left and right eyes are geom_0 and geom_1
face = female.face('biohead_eyes.vzf')
l_eye = face.getchild('geom_0')
r_eye = face.getchild('geom_1')

#Add a male face
male1 = viz.add('male.cfg')
male1.translate(-0.65,0,2)
male1.rotate(0,1,0,180)
male1.state(1) #Neutral state of the female avatar
Mface1 = male1.face('biohead_talk.vzf')#Add a face to the avatar
texture1 = viz.add('bioexample_0.jpg')        #regular face, eyes front and center
texture2 = viz.add('bioexample_0_changeEyes.jpg') #modified face, 'eyes' to left


#We have control of the eyes we need to have them look at something.
#Add a ball that moves around.
ball = viz.add('ball.wrl')
ball.translate(0.5,1.7,1.5)
ball.scale(0.2,0.2,0.2)

#Simply create an infinite timer that updates the rotation of the eyes
#so that they are looking at the balls position.
def mytimer(num):
  pos = ball.get(viz.POSITION)
  r_eye.lookat(pos,0,viz.ABSOLUTE_WORLD)
  l_eye.lookat(pos,0,viz.ABSOLUTE_WORLD)
 
viz.callback(viz.TIMER_EVENT,mytimer)
viz.starttimer(0,0.01,viz.FOREVER)

def moveBall():
        yield viztask.waitTime(3)                #Wait 3 seconds
        ball.translate(-0.5,1.7,1.5)
        ball.scale(0.2,0.2,0.2)
        Mface1.texture(texture2)
        texture2.wrap(viz.WRAP_S,viz.REPEAT)
        texture2.wrap(viz.WRAP_T,viz.REPEAT)
        yield viztask.waitTime(3)                #Wait 3 seconds
        ball.translate(-0.5,1.5,1.5)
        ball.scale(0.2,0.2,0.2)
        Mface1.texture(texture1)
        texture1.wrap(viz.WRAP_S,viz.REPEAT)
        texture1.wrap(viz.WRAP_T,viz.REPEAT)
        yield viztask.waitTime(5)                #Wait 5 seconds
        ball.translate(0,1.5,1.25)
        ball.scale(0.2,0.2,0.2)
        Mface1.texture(texture2)
        texture2.wrap(viz.WRAP_S,viz.REPEAT)
        texture2.wrap(viz.WRAP_T,viz.REPEAT)
               
viztask.schedule( moveBall() )

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If you want the eyes to be separate objects then you have 3 options:

1) Use 3dmenow 2.0

2) Manually add the eye geometry to your model using tools like 3dsmax. This option will require you to be somewhat experienced with 3dsmax.

3) Use the face that comes with Vizard which has separate eye geometry. You would be able to apply different textures to it, but the geometry won't change though.