Jay Busch and Mike Seymour – Wikihuman

Wikihuman members on making Digital Mike

Recorded live at V-Ray Days @ SIGGRAPH 2017, this podcast unites host Chris with previous guests, and Wikihuman members, Mike Seymour (FXGuide) and Jay Busch (Google). If you attended SIGGRAPH, you’ll know that the virtual representation of Mike – aka Meet Mike – was a star of the convention, and this podcast delves into the trials and tribulations of his creation.

Along the way, the team talks about the immense amount of research and design which has gone into this avatar, such as Lightstage facial scanning, Disney Research’s on eyeballs in Zurich, and the motion capture tech. They also talk about the future of Digital Mike in the Wikihuman project, and how tech such as deep learning and muscle simulations could help him evolve further.

It’s an engrossing discussion and one which highlights the passion the project has stirred in the guests, their colleagues, and the CG industry — even between competing companies.

Links:

The Wikihuman website >

Mike Seymour’s FXGuide piece on Meet Mike >