Believability, Measures Believability, Measures and The Uncanny Valleyand The Uncanny Valley

Patrick KennyPatrick Kenny

"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense.”--Tom Clancy

Pixar’s One Man Band - 2007

Full Spectrum Warrior Ten Hammers - Pandemic

SASO – Negotiations -ICT

Anna Nova – Virtual New reporterKurzweil’s Ramona Question answering Bot

Ben’s Game – Cancer understanding game

Unreal Game Characters 1998 and 2005

Aslan - Narnia

The Incredibles - Pixar

ElectronicArt’s Fight Night Round 3

Crysis Game Character 2007

EA’s Far Cry 2 Engine

"When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it's because he's so human; and that is the secret of his popularity."

--Walt Disney

Goals of the WorkshopGoals of the Workshop

Investigate the attributes that make up a Investigate the attributes that make up a believable virtual characterbelievable virtual character

Are their ways to measure the Are their ways to measure the effectiveness of these believability effectiveness of these believability attributesattributes

Workshop GoalsWorkshop Goals

How to characterize the attributes that How to characterize the attributes that would be most desirable for a virtual would be most desirable for a virtual character to have in a training, learning, character to have in a training, learning, entertainment environmententertainment environment

Can tests be developed to measure the Can tests be developed to measure the effectiveness of the believable attributes effectiveness of the believable attributes for virtual characters in these for virtual characters in these environmentsenvironments

BelievabilityBelievability

Believability does not always imply Believability does not always imply realismrealismDoesn’t imply effectiveness eitherDoesn’t imply effectiveness eitherDef: Appearance of truth or Def: Appearance of truth or authenticityauthenticity

The more realistic you get the more The more realistic you get the more you fall into the Uncanny Valleyyou fall into the Uncanny Valley

Bugs BunnyBugs Bunny"The design of the central character in Pac-Man was purely artistic, it was inspired by a pizza with one slice removed."

--Toru Iwatani

Naruto and Japanese Anime StyleNaruto and Japanese Anime Style

Believe IT!

The Uncanny ValleyThe Uncanny Valley

Masahiro Mori – Masahiro Mori – Japanese RoboticistJapanese Roboticist

Describes emotional Describes emotional responses of humans responses of humans plotted against human plotted against human like qualities of robot like qualities of robot appearance and motionappearance and motion

Some people question Some people question it’s scientific validityit’s scientific validity

Also a lot has changed Also a lot has changed since the 70’ssince the 70’s

How could you not like this guy?How could you not like this guy?

RoboticsRobotics

Robot VideosRobot Videos Kismet

Calm

Interest

Angry

Happy

Sad

Surprise

Disgust

Cynthia Breazeal - MIT

Robots in the ValleyRobots in the Valley"Thank you marketing division of the Sirius

Cybernetica Corporation, 'Let's build robots with

Genuine People Personalities' they said. So they tried it out with me. I'm

a personality prototype. You can tell can't you?" --Marvin the Paranoid

Android, Hitch Hikers Guide to the

Galaxy

Break down the Valley into many Break down the Valley into many valley’s of Believability Attributesvalley’s of Believability AttributesVoice: Computer Generated --- Real, Voice: Computer Generated --- Real, CartoonCartoon

Facial ExpressionsFacial Expressions

Social InteractionSocial Interaction

Body LanguageBody Language

Cognition and EmotionCognition and Emotion

Image qualityImage quality

Other attributes that effect the Other attributes that effect the believabilitybelievability

EnvironmentEnvironmentEnjoymentEnjoymentTask accomplishmentTask accomplishmentInteractivityInteractivityEngagementEngagementConfidenceConfidenceApplicationApplication

GameGame MovieMovie TrainingTraining LearningLearning

Understanding ComicsUnderstanding Comics

Half-Life

Tetris

1. Psychonauts 10.Katamari Damacy 19. Half Life 2: Lost Coast

2. XIII 11.Kameo 20.Evil Genius

3. Killer7 12.Gregory Horror Show 21.Unity

4. The Sims 13. Grabbed by the Ghoulies 22. Mojib Ribbon

5. Megaman X7 14. Rez 23. Auto Modellista

6. Worms 3D 15. Tetris 24. Beyond Good and Evil

7. Sudeki 16. Geometry Wars 2 25. Okami

8. Spellforce – The Order of Dawn 17. Gotcha Force 26. Animal Crossing

9. Maximo vs. The Army of Zin 18. Zork 17. Vib Ribbon

Computer Games GenresComputer Games Genres

Threefold ModelThreefold Model

GenreGenre GoalGoal‘‘God’ God’ GamesGames

Control city, park as it Control city, park as it developsdevelops

StrategyStrategy Build civilizations Build civilizations against computer against computer playerplayer

SimulationSimulation low-fidelity/skill version low-fidelity/skill version of real world of real world experienceexperience

SportsSports Play your favorite sportPlay your favorite sport

ActionAction Fight your way through Fight your way through to target.to target.

Role-Role-PlayingPlaying

Go on Quests, build up Go on Quests, build up characterscharacters

AdventureAdventure Explore cool worlds, tell Explore cool worlds, tell a storya story

DramatistCreate satisfying storylines

SimulationistResolve events based on

game world considerations

The Sims

SimCity

Age Of Empire

GamistSolve fair challenges

Flight Simulators

Baldur’sGate

Quake

Owen DemersOwen Demers Digital Texturing & PaintingDigital Texturing & Painting

Artistic output into 6 categories of varying sizes Artistic output into 6 categories of varying sizes

RealisticRealistic – imitates the real world as a photograph does – imitates the real world as a photograph doesHyper-RealHyper-Real – deeper than reality; expresses the world – deeper than reality; expresses the world like a microscope does like a microscope does StylizedStylized – a consistent personal interpretative journey – a consistent personal interpretative journeySimplifiedSimplified – only communicates the most important – only communicates the most important elements elements GraphicGraphic – a stark, bold style void of shadows and details – a stark, bold style void of shadows and details FantasticFantastic – diverging from reality and boldly going to – diverging from reality and boldly going to any otherworldly place the imagination can take youany otherworldly place the imagination can take you

Stylization is …To represent or design according to a style or stylistic pattern rather than according to nature or tradition.

--Merriam–Webster Dictionary

Power of StylizationPower of Stylization

Graphics Selection:Graphics Selection:Image choice, light, color, renderingImage choice, light, color, rendering

Highlight desired qualities in imageHighlight desired qualities in image Direct attention to important informationDirect attention to important information Indicate incomplete, ambiguous, or contradictory Indicate incomplete, ambiguous, or contradictory

datadata Indicate levels of known detailIndicate levels of known detail

A simulation bears the same relationship to a game that a technical drawing bears to a painting.

A game is not merely a small simulation lacking the degree of detail that a simulation possesses; a game deliberately suppresses detail to accentuate the broader message that the designer wishes to present. Where a simulation is detailed a game is stylized.

Crawford, Chris, The Art of Computer Game

Design, 1982

Specific individual stylized to iconic representation

Drawing-McCloud 1993

Suspect Profile Gender AnyoneDescription

Stylized Movies and GamesStylized Movies and Games

CarsCarsThe IncrediblesThe IncrediblesTalking Animals onesTalking Animals onesA Scanner DarklyA Scanner Darkly

GamesGames XIIIXIII Viewtiful JoeViewtiful Joe Katamari DamacyKatamari Damacy Team Fortress 2Team Fortress 2 Sim CitySim City

Example Video

Measures of effectiveness Measures of effectiveness One way to measure the effectiveness of One way to measure the effectiveness of the believability is to break apart the the believability is to break apart the uncanny valleys and classify the attributes uncanny valleys and classify the attributes into stylization categoriesinto stylization categories

Matrix of Believable attributes in Matrix of Believable attributes in stylization levelsstylization levels

VoiceVoice

Facial ExpressionsFacial Expressions

Social InteractionSocial Interaction

Body LanguageBody Language

Cognition and EmotionCognition and Emotion

Image qualityImage quality

Bridge the ValleyBridge the Valley

Realism and BelievabilityRealism and BelievabilityWhere are we currently?Where are we currently?

Non-Real-Time Rendering and Non-Real-Time Rendering and GenerationGeneration

High End are Movies

Real-Time Rendering and Real-Time Rendering and GenerationGeneration

Other end are games

MoviesMovies

Pirates of the Caribbean 2

Polar Express

“Every Character in a story should have three dimensions: Physiology, Sociology and

Psychology.”-- Lajos Egri, Art of Dramatic Writing

Geico Gecko CommercialsGeico Gecko Commercials

Final Fantasy: Spirits Within

Lord of the Rings

NarniaNarniaASLAN COMBINES HIGH ARTISTRY (KEY ASLAN COMBINES HIGH ARTISTRY (KEY FRAME ANIMATION) WITHFRAME ANIMATION) WITHADVANCED TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT ADVANCED TECHNICAL ACHIEVEMENT (MUSCLE, RIG STRUCTURE, FUR (MUSCLE, RIG STRUCTURE, FUR DYNAMICS)DYNAMICS)Animation Rig controls: Animation Rig controls: 1851 controls, 742 in just the face alone1851 controls, 742 in just the face alone98 facial shapes 98 facial shapes 53 body shapes 53 body shapes

Fur and Hair: Fur and Hair: 3 versions of Aslan were built: normal, shorn, 3 versions of Aslan were built: normal, shorn, and golden and golden 7 hair pelt types 7 hair pelt types 5.2 million strands of hair 5.2 million strands of hair R&H technical animators used thousands of R&H technical animators used thousands of guide hairs to simulate the effect of physics on guide hairs to simulate the effect of physics on Aslan's mane. The guide hairs drove a high-Aslan's mane. The guide hairs drove a high-density pelt rendered as moving fur. density pelt rendered as moving fur.

Rendering:Rendering:13 hours a frame render 13 hours a frame render 1.6 million render hours = 200 years of 1.6 million render hours = 200 years of computer rendering time computer rendering time Lo res 21,884 polysLo res 21,884 polys

Example Video

Animatrix - Flight of the OsirisAnimatrix - Flight of the Osiris

Ex Video

Games are catching upGames are catching up

Tiger Woods 2007 - EA

Heavy Rain

Example Video

A feature in the game Half-Life 2 will be more virtual, compelling characters. We are going to see that the players will have fun living in a world with them. They react to you, they look at you, they respond to what you are doing. If you try to do something, they may tell you if it’s not a good idea- not in a triggered way, but in a

real way. So that it feels like they are people, rather than automatons.--Gabe Newell

(on the design of the up-coming Half-Life 2game)

Where do we go from here?Where do we go from here?

Only touched the surface of this fieldOnly touched the surface of this fieldCan borrow many ideas from movies, games, comicsCan borrow many ideas from movies, games, comics

Developing procedural (Cognitive) systems is more difficult Developing procedural (Cognitive) systems is more difficult then hand crafted ones – in different waysthen hand crafted ones – in different waysGetting it right is hard, it’s the little thingsGetting it right is hard, it’s the little things

Which parts of these ideas can we use to make more Which parts of these ideas can we use to make more effective and believable systemseffective and believable systemsHow can measure these attributes to help create effective How can measure these attributes to help create effective training, learning systems, movies and gamestraining, learning systems, movies and games

Questions?Questions?“Each problem that I solved

became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems.”

-- Rene Descartes