Photoreal and Other 3D Characters Destined for the Web Now Feature Built-In Lip-Synching Support, Thanks to Automatic Sync Technologies

Pulse, the leader in “smart media” technologies for the Web, has incorporated the ProductionSync and InstantSync technologies from California-based Automatic Sync Technologies in Pulse Animation Studio™ 5.03, available now. The ProductionSync™ and InstantSync™ functionality has been integrated such that interactive 3D characters created in, or imported into, Pulse 5.03 instantly include full lip-synchronization functionality. Information entered via captured audio is processed by the ProductionSync and InstantSync components, which then automatically drive the character’s lips to realistically deliver the information, as follows:

• ProductionSync is used in the Pulse Creator module as an off-line animation tool. Speech is converted into animation as a production step that an animator can then enhance with expressions, gestures and other behaviors.
  
  
• InstantSync is used in the Pulse Player to animate a face in real-time in response to the speech, which can either be downloaded or streamed to the player via streaming audio.
  

“Realistic-looking and -sounding characters, whether human, animal or completely alien, will increasingly deliver the information consumers receive on the Web,” said Mark Yahiro, president of Pulse. “From training and customer service/support to entertainment and commerce, online environments populated by virtual characters continue to proliferate. It’s critical that those characters maintain a sense of realism that only the highest-quality lip-synching technology can ensure, and Automatic Sync Technologies gives us that.”


About Automatic Sync Technologies

Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, Automatic Sync Technologies is a leading provider of automated audio synchronization and searching tools and software for a wide range of multimedia production applications in gaming, animation, online training and electronic communication. Using leading-edge speech processing and pattern identification technology, Automatic Sync Technologies provides clients with improved production quality and shorter production cycle times through the creation of synchronized multimedia content. Automatic Sync Technologies can be contacted at www.automaticsync.com

About Pulse

Based in San Francisco, Pulse is a privately funded provider of solutions for creating and experiencing smart media on the Internet. Pulse provides dynamic solutions for the enterprise by integrating 3D animation and interactive audio into online learning, training, CRM, medical visualization/instruction, and other forms of online communication. With investments from Softbank, AOL/TimeWarner, Autodesk and El Dorado Ventures, Pulse was named a Red Herring Top 50 Private Company. The company's growing client base and strategic partner list includes Apple, AMD, Anheuser Busch, Mattel, Volvo, Intel, Microsoft, RealNetworks, MTV, Motorola, The Jim Henson Company, Electronic Arts, NBC and AOL/Time Warner. Pulse is located at 654 Mission Street, San Francisco, CA 94105, (415) 348-4000, or www.pulse3d.com.

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For more information on Pulse, contact Garth Chouteau: garth@pulse3d.com / 415-348-4027

The PULSE logo, Pulse Animation Studio, and PULSE ENTERTAINMENT are trademarks of Pulse Entertainment, Inc. All other trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective owners, without intent to infringe.

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