MPEG-4,Streaming VRML,Facial Animation in VRML

* MPEG-4 is an ISO/IEC standard being developed by MPEG(Moving Picture Experts Group).

* MPEG-4 is building on the proven success of three fields:digital television,interactive graphics applications(Synthetic content) and the World Wide Web(distribution and access to content) and will provide the standardized technological elements enabling the integration of the production,distribution and content access paradigms of the three fields.


* The VRML Streaming Channel Protocol(VSCP) Working Group is working to define a standard protocol for the streaming of arbitrary data including audio/video into a VRML environment.A key application example using this proposed protocol could be the streaming of a 1/2 hour cartoon show complete with animation,synchronized sound track and A/V effects over a standard 28.8 modem connection to a VRML browser.


Our Area of interest : MPEG-4's relationship with the current VRML Working Groups - Streaming VRML Working Group and Facial Animation Working Group



Facial Animation in VRML and MPEG-4

Facial Animation is an issue which is being dealt by the Humanoid Animation Working Group.This WG's aim is to standardize the humanoids being developed for VRML worlds.This standard will allow humanoids created using authoring tools from one vendor to be animated using tools from another. VRML humanoids can be animated using keyframing, inverse kinematics, performance animation systems and other techniques.This WG is developing a set of nodes like segments,joints which replicate real-life actions like movement of forearm,hand and foot and joints like elbow,wrist and ankle using Key-Frame animations.To achieve near-realism in this area,they are interested in providing real-life facial animation characteristics for all the humanoids.MPEG-4's specifications provides certain details on Face Animation.To quote from the MPEG-4 proposal "The Face Animation part of the standard allow sending parameters that calibrate and animate synthetic faces.These models themselves are not standardized by MPEG-4,only the parameters are.Feature point positions and orientations are specified to animate the face definition meshes.Details on VISEMES or visual lip configurations equivalent to speech phonemes is provided.


Speculations regarding MPEG-4/Streaming VRML

* One of the possible applications of MPEG-4(from the Applications Document of MPEG-4) is Collaborative Scene Visualization.To quote from the MPEG-4 Applications Document - "One of the typical Collaborative Scene Visualization applications is Collaborative Interior Design.A group of designers, producers/vendors, and clients develop, evaluate, or modify a design together while being seated at different locations and connected via an appropriate communication link. For instance, a client wants to buy furniture for his newly rented office. The client transfers to a designer and to a producer/vendor a video stream of his empty office.(This could be done by incorporating MPEG-4 technology along with VRML through Java or as decided by the Streaming VRML Working Group)The designer and the producer/vendor then insert virtual objects representing furniture into the video scene. The virtual objects can be conveniently manipulated, e.g., different placements, changing of size or color, etc. are possible.(All these could be achieved using EAI along with VRML).


The above paragraph is entirely at speculation level.The Streaming VRML Working Group comprising of representatives from Silicon Graphics,Sony Corp,Naval PostGraduate School are working to arrive at a final solution regarding the constitution of Streaming VRML and its possible relationship with MPEG-4.So this space will be regularly updated.


Relevant Links

MPEG-4 HomePage.

List of MPEG-4 Applications

VRML Streaming Channel WG Home Page

VRML Humanoid Animation Home Page


People

Rodger Lea,Sony Corp - Chairman of VRML Streaming Channel WG

Mark Pesce - Co-author of VRML Specifications,demonstrated "Bliss" Streaming VRML demo at SIGGRAPH'97

Don Brutzman - Chairman of DIS-JAVA-VRML WG

Bernie Roehl - Chairman of Humanoid Animation WG

Eric Petajan - Currently authoring the Facial Animation part of the MPEG-4 proposal.He is the link between the MPEG-4 community and the Humanoid Animation WG .


This page is maintained by Balaji Natarajan