Advanced tools for speech synchronized animation

Abstract

A random access animation user interface environment referred to as interFACE enabling a user to create and control animated lip-synchronized images or objects utilizing a personal computer for use in the users programs and products. A real-time random-access interface driver (RAVE) together with a descriptive authoring language (RAVEL) is used to provide synthesized actors ("synactors"). The synactors may represent real or imaginary persons or animated characters, objects or scenes. The synactors may be created and programmed to perform actions including speech which are not sequentially pre-stored records of previously enacted events. Furthermore, animation and sound synchronization may be produced automatically and in real-time. Sounds and visual images of a real or imaginary person or animated character associated with those sounds are input to a system and may be decomposed into constituent parts to produce fragmentary images and sounds. A set of characteristics is utilized to define a digital model of the motions and sounds of a particular synactor. The general purpose system is provided for random access and display of synactor images on a frame-by-frame basis, which is organized and synchronized with sound. Both synthetic speech and digitized recording may provide the speech for synactors.