How labor intensive was the "yourself" link to make? Why couldn't, say, LA Noir have done so well? posted by cmoj at 12:58 PM on September 17, 2011
cmoj, I'm guessing it wasn't that hard to do. The wikipedia page on the software says it can motion capture from a Microsoft Kinect. posted by zarq at 1:04 PM on September 17, 2011
Good god, if the Kinect can read facial expressions well enough to animate a cartoony model's face to that level of expression...
...that's just so fucking cool I can barely stand it. We really are living in the cyberpunk future.
Also, if that's happening in real time, then Microsoft needs to hire whoever made that happen, NOW, and build it into the next Xbox update. Creating and animating your own cartoony avatar is a Kinect killer app if ever there was one.
(Also ha ha those kids are pretty funny.) posted by pts at 1:24 PM on September 17, 2011
those kids are hilarious - awesome! posted by facetious at 1:31 PM on September 17, 2011
Never have I so much enjoyed the Backstreet Boys than watching the 4-way splitscreen video. posted by Gordafarin at 1:32 PM on September 17, 2011
Oh my. That is way more fun than it has any right to be. posted by Mars Saxman at 2:09 PM on September 17, 2011 [2 favorites]
I would HIGHLY recommend reading the two top-rated comments in this link! posted by Wyatt at 2:29 PM on September 17, 2011
Why? Everything about them seems pretty standard for YouTube.
i have the weirdest boner right now goddamnfaggots 1 week ago
I think because of this video... Backstreet may actually be back. GoochRash 6 days ago posted by gman at 2:37 PM on September 17, 2011
Maybe my jaded cynicism is slipping, but I enjoyed that way more than I expected to. This is exactly why I need to let my guard down more often. Thanks. posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:01 PM on September 17, 2011 [1 favorite]
PAPA OOM MOW MOW (the SYNC link above) was especially fun. posted by Slack-a-gogo at 3:02 PM on September 17, 2011
I also saw that someone re-created the Bad Apple animation with this software. Watching them both side by side is pretty. posted by Kaleidolia at 5:00 PM on September 17, 2011
Their cover of Girlfriend (sans vocaloids) cracked me up. posted by zarq at 9:04 PM on September 17, 2011
I like the split-screen video with the Japanese anime, but I don't share the love of Moymoy Palaboy. There is no hell deep enough for these guys, in my opinion. Coke got them to be their celeb endorsers for one campaign, and they had this towering billboard along the highway that scared the shit out of my two year old. Fuck 'em. posted by micketymoc at 10:26 PM on September 17, 2011
You know, that mocap/facial recognition thing is really neat, but watching those splitscreen videos really drove home how much more expressive the actual human face is than any of the animations. posted by Hal Mumkin at 4:24 AM on September 18, 2011
This is the best thing in the history of ever! Thanks, zarq!
*waves at V.* posted by taz at 4:57 AM on September 18, 2011
If an average person could use a Kinect and MMD to bang out one of these quickly and easily, the addiction factor would be immense. Vocaloids lip-syncing to GWAR? Sign me up.
Now all I have to do is figure out how to drive that goddamned Backstreet Boys song out of my skull. posted by delfin at 8:17 AM on September 19, 2011
Here is a video of someone using the Kinect with the MMD software. It's pretty amazing.
One more MMD: Smooth Criminal. It's not a perfect sync with the live performance that the music comes from it, but I find it pretty impressive, nonetheless. posted by ashirys at 8:32 AM on September 19, 2011 [2 favorites]
Smooth Criminal. It's not a perfect sync with the live performance that the music comes from it, but I find it pretty impressive, nonetheless.
It should be noted that none of these characters are Vocaloids, either; they're from the cast of Touhou Project, a series of shooter games. Which I think underlines just how pervasive this fad is getting.
posted by cmoj at 12:58 PM on September 17, 2011