Revolutionary DNA Sequencer Technology Gives Human Models
Their 'Life-Like' Appearance
NEW ORLEANS, July 24 /PRNewswire/ -- Reflex Systems Inc. -- a pioneer
developer of high-definition 3D human synthesis software for the entertainment
and technical content creation industry -- unveils the beta version of its
flagship Reflex|DRAMA(TM) software, and demonstrates the unique capabilities
of the product's revolutionary patent-pending Reflex|DNA(TM) technology at
Siggraph 2000. Reflex|DRAMA(TM) is an off-the-shelf, 3D software package for
modeling, animating and rendering realistic human characters. With
Reflex|DRAMA(TM), 3D content creators in visual effects, gaming, scientific
and medical industries now have a faster and easier way to develop, render and
animate 3D human models that depict an unprecedented degree of realism.
Reflex|DRAMA(TM)'s internal musculo-skeleton generation engine builds
successive layers of graphical human tissues -- bone, cartilage, tendons and
fat -- from scratch. By building human tissue models organically from the
"inside out," an accurate and dynamic representation of the human body, in
close-up detail, is made possible.
"Today, traditional approaches to modeling human characters still require
that the outside skin of the character be built first and then attached to
complex skeletal controls," said Jean Nicholson Prudent, President of Reflex
Systems, Inc. "Manipulating primitive geometric shapes and surfaces can take
a content creator up to 3 months to model and set up just one 3D human
character," Prudent continues. "In comparison, a Reflex|DRAMA(TM) character
can be built and be ready to animate in just 1 day."
Unlike current human modeling methods that treat human models as geometric
artifacts, Reflex|DRAMA(TM) uses a set of dynamic modeling operations that are
controlled using Reflex|DNA(TM) -- the company's patent-pending
technology for the design and description of 3D human beings. Like genetic
DNA, Reflex|DNA(TM) encapsulates the core definition of a human form so photo-
realistic models can be cloned or reproduced with an infinite number of
variations by simply manipulating the biological descriptions of the human
traits.
Character traits like muscles, skin texture and hair are customized by
specifying their Reflex|DNA(TM) sequence descriptions through a simple visual
interface. The description is fed into the musculo-skeleton generation engine
that then builds human characters as a succession of underlying tissue --
bone, cartilage, muscle, fat, skin. A 3D human model is generated from these
processed descriptions, eliminating the labor-intensive work of building
geometric structures or setting up complex mechanisms to control them. The
character is now ready to animate and render using Reflex|DRAMA(TM)'s
animation tools.
The Reflex|DNA(TM) sequencer modifies the way the musculo-skeleton engine
builds each human being giving them their "life-like" quality and
differentiators. For instance, Reflex|DNA(TM) may contain a sequence that
instructs the engine to make a bone bigger, smaller, add more fat, etc. The
engine applies the specific changes as it builds the layers. The end result
is a photo-realistic human character with different human traits.
Reflex|DNA(TM) sequences are reusable and require little storage space.
Reflex|DRAMA(TM) interfaces with motion capture tools and other animation
systems so that data can be exchanged and existing assets preserved.
With Reflex|DRAMA(TM), photo-realistic 3D human animation is no longer
relegated to resource-rich production houses. Film producers and broadcast
companies now have a viable way to reduce their production times and costs,
and increase their time to market. Reflex|DRAMA(TM) gives game developers the
tools they require to build photo-realistic characters quickly and cost-
effectively.
Availability
Reflex|DRAMA(TM) runs on a Windows NT(TM) workstation. The product is
scheduled to ship in Q1, 2001.
About Reflex Systems
Founded in 1996, Reflex Systems Inc. is a developer of high-resolution
human modeling, rendering and animation software products for the digital
content creation market. Reflex Systems is the first company to merge
concepts from bio-mechanics, genetics, symbolic programming, and 3D graphics
into a unified framework for human animation. Developed using these concepts,
and several years of intensive research and development, the company's Reflex
DRAMA(TM) human synthesis software is an economically viable solution for
producing photo-realistic 3D human animation with a significantly higher
degree of ease, speed and realism than previously possible.
Reflex Systems is a privately held corporation headquartered in Montreal,
Quebec. For more information about the Reflex Systems or its products,
contact the company at 4200 St-Laurent Blvd., Suite 901, Montreal, Quebec,
Canada, H2W 2R2, phone: (514) 985-0695, fax: (514) 985-0645, or visit the
company website at http://www.reflex3d.com. Booth #461 - Siggraph 2000
SOURCE Reflex Systems Inc.
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Related links:
http://www.reflex3d.com
CONTACT:
Liette Courchesne, V.P. Operations of Reflex
Systems Inc., 514-985-0695, or fax, 514-985-0645, or
liette@reflex3d.com; or Ann Lang of Verrecchia Group,
514-935-0166, ext. 148, or fax, 514-935-0162, or
ann@vergroup.com, for Reflex Systems Inc.
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