Publications

Abstract - This paper addresses the problem of creating facial expression of mixed emotions in a perceptually valid way. The research has been done in the context of a “game-like” health and education applications aimed at studying social competency and facial expression awareness in autistic children as well as native language learning, but the results can be applied to many other applications such as games with need for dynamic facial expressions or tools for automating the creation of facial animations. Most existing methods for creating facial expressions of mixed emotions use operations like averaging to create the combined effect of two universal emotions. Such methods may be mathematically justifiable but are not necessarily valid from a perceptual point of view. The research reported here starts by user experiments aiming at understanding how people combine facial actions to express mixed emotions, and how the viewers perceive a set of facial actions in terms of underlying emotions. Using the results of these experiments and a three-dimensional emotion model, we associate facial actions to dimensions and regions in the emotion space, and create a facial expression based on the location of the mixed emotion in the three-dimensional space. We call these regionalized facial actions “facial expression units.

Abstract - Power Point Presentation: http://www.sfu.ca/~jboileau/cat-games/ppt/
Additional Images: http://www.sfu.ca/~jboileau/cat-games
Video of new dice: http://www.sfu.ca/~jboileau/cat-games/video.html

Abstract - Human movement in general and dance in particular can be represented in a number of ways. The first is with a film or video of a performance. The problem with this is that the 2D images cannot completely communicate the movement in 3D. An abstract and conceptually complete approach is to use notation and several notation systems are being used to create archival scores. But notation systems are complex - few can read notation and even fewer can write it. The two remaining approaches - motion capture and 3D animation produce similar results - an animation in 3D that is easy to perceive. Motion capture uses instrumentation and computation to derive the movement whereas animation is produced by an animator playing a role parallel to that of a notator. This talk will compare, contrast and illustrate these approaches. Specifically, the talk will assess the LabanWriter system for creating and editing Labanotation scores, the DanceForms system for dance animation, the LabanDancer system for translating Labanotation to animation and the DanRepos repository for organizing motion clips from mocap and animation. Research priorities for the future will be discussed including the need for a meta representation to link notation, animation and motion capture.

Abstract - In this paper, we describe a modular multi-dimensional parameter space for real-time face game-based animation. Faces are our most expressive communication tools. Therefore a synthetic facial creation and animation system should have its own tailored authoring environment rather than using general purpose tools from image, 2D and 3D animation. This environment would take advantage of a knowledge space of faces types, expressions, and behavior, encoding known facial knowledge and meaning into a comprehensive, intuitive facial language and set of user tools. Since faces and face expression work on so many cognitive levels, we propose a multi-dimension parameter space called FaceSpace as the basic face model, and a comprehensive authoring environment based on this model. We describe the underlying mechanisms of our environment, and also demonstrate its early game applications and content process.

Abstract - Web browsers do not have a standard method of creating/delivering 3D content. The Canvas 3D add-on for Firefox 3, which will become part of the browser in a future release, allows the delivery of 3D content via the canvas element. However, 3D is a complex problem. This paper proposes a library built on top of the Canvas 3D that will help simplify the creation of 3D content within the browser.

Abstract - There has been a recent surge of novel interface devices available for home gaming systems. With the rise in popularity of games like Guitar Hero and consoles such as Nintendo’s Wii comes new opportunities for game design at the interface level. In this paper we propose three interrelated dimensions for the analysis of embodied and gestural game interface hardware devices. We demonstrate how gestural and embodied interactions can be understood as ludic, kinesthetic and narrative experiences. We ground this discussion in a close analysis of the interface affordances of the game Rock Band and demonstrate how these three dimensions allow us to understand more clearly the place of the interface in the design and the experience of games.

Abstract - Virtual/mixed reality 3D models of real-world environments can be used to run behavioural and other experiments with real human subjects, replacing the traditional approach where studies are conducted in physical environments. Use of the virtual/mixed reality environments can minimize problems related to feasibility, experimental control, ethics and cost, but care must be taken to ensure that the environments are immersive and create “suspension of disbelief”. In this position paper the issues involved are discussed and illustrated by a 3D virtual model of an urban environment that is being used to study the role of fear in pedestrian navigation.

Abstract - In order to study how built urban environments influence human behaviour we can create 3D virtual/mixed reality models of the real-world environments and run experiments with real human subjects in these environments. This gives the experimenter much more control over the environment and eliminates the risks that may exist in a physical environment. On the other hand, care must be taken to ensure that the virtual/mixed reality environment is sufficiently immersive to ensure “suspension of disbelief”. In this position paper we discuss the issues involved and describe a 3D virtual model of an urban environment that is being used to study the role of fear in a pedestrian navigation model.

Abstract - Strong human personality models exist but are not easy implemented within current gaming systems. The main stumbling block to utilizing classical personality models to drive real time game characters is a hierarchy, standards-based methodology that ties low level 3D movements to semantic gestures, through to emotion and time based personality sequences. Personality is the combination of qualities and traits that makes us unique. Good game character personality models allow for more natural and believable non player character scenarios hence increasing player engagement. In this paper we overview our multidimensional hierarchical approach to modeling known human personality systems into a customizable and parameterized facial character system. We describe well established psychological personality models and detail our XML based facial animation language for scripting such systems.