Lip sync questions

[Flash FROG]

I think that when you are doing the lip sync thing you need to load the sound into maya by dragging it from the desktop or just importing it into the time slider. Then you need to go into the animation preferences and change the playback speed to real time. Now when you play you will hear your sound and you can make a model lip sync to it.
For tutorials you can goto highend3d.com.

[Flash FROG]

I forgot you can also go into the maya help and search for sound. they have a good tutorial.

[magilla]

I can recommend Magpie Pro if you're after a third party lip-syncer program. It has some nice features and exports/imports nicely into maya using blendshapes. Very fast to lip-sync in and easy to tweak.


--magilla

[steveblake]

A good place to start is here
Keith Lango's
LipSync notes (http://www.keithlango.com/lipSync.html)

Also remember that good Lip Sync benefits from applying all the principles of full body character animation to the head and mouth.

You can actually learn a lot about animation, applying little 'rules' you learn animating the mouth to the rest of the body. It works both ways. (ie things like holds, snapping from one big shape to another then easing in /out slightly.)

Here's some more...
Carlo's links (http://www.carlosbaena.com/anim_material.html)

Good luck!

[Bri_Spencer]

Thanks a lot guys. I appreciate you all taking the time out to give me a hand.

[dmcgrath]

Also try:


10 Second Club (http://www.10secondclub.org/)

It is a yahoo group, and they also have plenty of talent and isnpiration.

[Wigaru Wiyamoto]

If you have the chance, lip sync with a character with no teeth or tongue at first. This will let you focus on jus the timing, you wont have to worry so much about phonems.

Having the mouth hit the shapes a frame or two before the actual sound can help, too.

[steveblake]

That's an interesting idea Wigaru.

Just recently I have tried posing the mouth with stepped keys and getting the timing right for the big broad shapes. Then going in and smoothing out the curves, so that one shape snaps quite noticably to the next then eases/ in out slightly.

Actually I'm now thinking of keeping the whole thing on stepped keys to get a nice crisp look.

Oh and here's some nice info from one of the industry's pros...

Bay Raitt Gollum facial animation tips:
1. Write out all your Lip-sync (it really helps to dope sheet and write out your phonemes there)
2. Don't hit every phoneme. Let them mush overe each other. The 'plosives' -the 'm's, the 'b's, the 'p's and the 'th#s - hold for an extra frame or two.
3. When youre done with everything, grab all of your key-frames and slide them two frames forward. Trust me. It works. You make the shape before the shound."

Actually just thought - Stef's added a few nice comments here (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20786)

[Wigaru Wiyamoto]

Yeah Bay's tips are really good. It can be easier to hit the shapes at the exact frame and then shift them all at once. The difference in sync can be suprising.

Same with the "mushyness." In once scene I'm doing my actor is talking VERY fast, at one point he says three words in the span of like 17 frames. If you tried to hit each shape at the exact frame his mouth will look like it'll flap right off. In situations like that you sort of have to figure out how all the shapes will blend together over time. I think Keith Lango describes lip syncing as painting as an impressionist, and I think that's a good metaphor. You're not trying to capture every minute detail, just the impression.

[Bri_Spencer]

Man, I love you guys. I asked 1 question and got about 10 replies. Thanks for helping me out.:buttrock:

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