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Leading facial animation provider offers free trial

Image Metrics to give 30 seconds of animation to prospective gaming clients

Leading facial animation technology firm Image Metrics has introduced a trial program in which it will provide a 30 second demo animation to companies for free.

The trial is open to game and film studios interested in finding out more about Image Metrics' technology and services.

Studios can choose the content they want animating, and the company will provide results in the form of a QuickTime video, 2D expression sheets and software scene files that can be easily integrated into studios' production pipelines.

"Facial animation can be expensive and time consuming using traditional methods, making it difficult for many studios to achieve their desired level of realism with their production budgets," said Brian Waddle, executive vice president.

"In addition, many studios on a deadline are naturally cautious about adopting new technology into their pipelines while working on a project.

"We want potential customers to experience how easy it is to integrate and see how they can save money while improving their pipeline and ultimately consistently getting better quality animation."

Image Metrics facial animation software and services range from facial animation for videogame characters to photo-realistic digital doubles for film and television. The company offers several different quality level results to meet a studio's desired level of realism and believability from their digital characters.

The firm, which has a UK base in Manchester, has worked on numerous games, including Assassin's Creed II, NBA 2K10, Grand Theft Auto IV and Unreal Tournament 3.