SONG – “portalS Of Next Generation, Simulation and data visualisation for virtual worlds, multi-user platforms, and intelligent agents”

SONG – “portalS Of Next Generation, Simulation and data visualisation for virtual worlds, multi-user platforms, and intelligent agents”

Period: January 2000 - January 2001 Type: European Research Status: Completed

Overview

Portal is a new term, synonymous with access point to resources and services on the Web. Typical services offered by portals include directory of resources, search facility, news, e-mail, phone, map information, and sometimes a community forum. These services generally rely on point-and-click on structured information like characters, still pictures or 2D graphics. The project intends to investigate, develop and standardise the building blocks for the next generation of portals. These building blocks include existing Web technologies, but also 3D computer graphics elements as in computer games, intelligent agents embodied in realistic avatars, new user-friendly interfaces and real-time audio-visual communications. The project will demonstrate how these new technologies integrated in a sample e-commerce application, allow an easier and more natural access to resources and services.

MIRALab’s contribution

MIRALab’s main task in the project is divided into three main parts.

  1. Content Creation where plugin development for standard 3D modelling software will be done to create MPEG4 compatible faces and bodies and facial animation sequences.
  2. Real Time Animation where MPEG4 faces will be animated in real time on the platform developed in the course of the project.
  3. Agent Behaviour where agent specific facial expressions will be generated as bank of MPEG4 Facial Animation Parameters. All these tasks will be carried out according to the specification designed by all the partners and finally integration with the tools developed by other partners will be done.

Partners

Blaxxun Interactive AG
Germany
www.blaxxun.de

CSELT
Italy
www.telecomitalialab.com

Ecole Polytechnique Féderale de Lausanne, Virtual Reality Laboratory (VRLab)
Switzerland
vrlab.epfl.ch

Enst Bretagne
France
www.enst-bretagne.fr

GMD Forschungszentrum Informationstechnik GmbH
Germany
www.gmd.de

Imperial College
Great Britain
www.ic.ac.uk

INRIA
France
www.inria.fr

MIRALab, University of Geneva
Switzerland
www.miralab.ch

Siemens
Germany
www.siemens.com

T-Systems Nova
Germany
www.t-systems.com

Telenor AS
Norway
www.telenor.no

Universität Stuttgart
Germany
www.uni-stuttgart.de