IEEE Spectrum

Graphics specialists are close to developing interactive and photo-realistically lifelike digital humans that will transform acting, entertainment, and computer games. Experts say over the next decade computer-game characters will become indistinguishable from filmed humans, and a convergence of movies and games will result in new forms of entertainment. The entertainment industry hopes to seamlessly blend real and virtual worlds so that if people can imagine something, they will be able to actually see it. Filmmakers already use computer-generated humans, but doing so currently requires enormous amounts of computing resources. Five minutes of film requires 7,200 frames, based on the standard rate of 24 frames per second, making realistic digital doubles currently unfeasible for video-game creators. To read further, please visit http://spectrum.ieee.org/computing/software/digital-actors-go-beyond-the-uncanny-valley.