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CONCLUSION.



                    My original aims for this project included a low polygon character.  The idea behind this being that further knowledge and research could be gained from studying how exaggeration translates to lower detail models.  This idea was abandoned simply because I was achieving too much with the high detail model.  It was quickly becoming apparent to me that once the initial hurdle of working out how to animate it was achieved, including setup and execution, the animations could be realized with little difficulty.  I believe this to be a strong testament to the power and flexibility of the way in which I achieved my new goals.
                    This project was a complete learning curve from start to finish.  I had never attempted any kind of facial animation before this project.  I believe that I have been completely successful in achieving what I intended.  From my experimentation into the subject I have compiled a list of tips for good facial animation.
 

  1.  Study the subject you are animating.  Make sure a mirror or some other form of reference is always at hand.
  2.  Know your biology.  The research into the musculature of the human face proved invaluable to me when visualizing how muscles interact at a low level.
  3.  Do not under-estimate the role of the neck in facial animation.  If the head is ever static for a prolonged period of time it shatters the illusion that you are trying to achieve.  Any movement no matter how subtle or un-noticeable helps to create realism.
  4.  Visuals before dialogue.  Always make sure that when keys are being laid down, they always come in two to three frames before the dialogue.  I still am not quite sure why this phenomenon exists.  If you time the animation to the dialogue on the same keys it will NOT look right.
  5.  Create the least amount of morph-targets to get the job done.  It is surprising the amount of morph-shapes required to do even complex facial animation.  For my project there were only three for all of the dialogue.  The least you have to manage the better it is to concentrate on animating.
  6.  Don't use the extreme poses without build up.  When the initial extreme morph-targets are created do not use them to animate with.  The face will become a mass of shifting forms, resulting in far too much for the viewer to read at once.
  7. Study the subject you are animating.  I realize that I am repeating myself but it proved to be the single most useful aid in the whole process.


                    The final product is still nowhere near 'perfect'.  The eyes never really looked 'alive' to me.  I still am not quite sure what I was missing on the subject.  The animations could still use further tweaking.  The lesson I learned here is to make sure you leave it alone, before errors occur.  As far as the face shapes and expressions, I feel I have achieved a good level of realism.  The expressions were the most successful aspect of the whole project, I believe this to be based entirely on the research into the muscle system.  If the initial foundation of muscle shapes are correct then half of the work is done for you.  I realized this very early on, and was pleased that I had put so much time into getting it right.
                    Overall I am very pleased with the final outcome.  This project has been a major challenge, one which I believe I have risen to.  Given more time I would like to develop each animation further, both with more dialogue and sophistication of expression.  I have developed a keen interest into this subject, one which I aim to take further.