Using Ascension Technology’s MotionStar Wireless tracker and Mocap animation software, Ms. AIAS was brought to life by Spectrum Studios, who co-produced the show with Virtual Ventures. Actress Mary Ann Daniel performed the voice and body of the character from a motion capture stage one floor below the show stage at the Biltmore Bowl Theater in Los Angeles.

Live performance animation lets humans interact with animated characters in real-time. During the Awards Show, Short exchanged opening banter with Ms. AIAS, who appeared on big screens on each side of the main theater stage. Throughout the show, they announced award winners and continued their comedic exchange. To do this, Daniel received a complete audio and video feed from cameras on the theater stage. She could then respond, relying on MotionStar to track and transmit the motion data of her movements to a host computer where they were mapped onto the character.

Dave Blackburn, president of Virtual Ventures conceived of the project. Mr. Blackburn said:: "Producing a fully functional, real-time engaging virtual character that can entertain a live audience is probably the most difficult entertainment application in all of computer graphics. If your audience has the discerning eye of the worldwide gaming industry, the task becomes even more daunting."

Jim Charne, president of the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences also said "The first time I saw the technology behind Ms. AIAS, I knew I wanted to have it in the Academy's Award show. One of my goals in producing the Interactive Achievement Awards has been to incorporate interactive technology - the element that makes our games unique - into the annual presentation. Ms. AIAS gave the Academy a wonderful way to do so that was integral to the show."

Brian Rausch and Kevin Henson of Spectrum Studios were responsible for the design and performance of Ms. AIAS. Rausch, performance animation supervisor for Spectrum Studios, used Softimage to create Ms. AIAS. In preparation for the show, the Ascension system and the character were up and running for two straight 9-10 hour days. "And there wasn’t a glitch," reported Rausch. "During the show we had 6 full monitors, huge production cases—so much metal around, and she held up very well on stage." The integrated portable real-time stage consisted of a MotionStar Wireless system and FiLMBOX running on an Intergraph ZXI workstation with Windows NT.

The audience of over 1000 was comprised of the leaders in the electronic gaming industry. Ms. AIAS’s job was to keep the show moving at a fast pace and to keep the audience laughing throughout. Jeffry Weicher, Awards Show producer said, "They could have used her at the Oscars!"

Ascension Technology, based in Burlington, Vermont, manufactures magnetic, optical and inertial motion tracking devices. Ascension’s trackers have been used in numerous live performance animations including those at the Super Bowl, New York Stock Exchange and Television Azteca’s World Cup broadcast.

Contact us learn how a live virtual character can engage your audience at your next presentation.