VHD: a system for directing real-time virtual actors

Abstract

In this paper, we present a new system dedicated to the real-time production ofmultimedia products and TV shows involving multiple virtual actors and presenters. This system, named VHD (Virtual Human Director), may also be used for character animation on high-level systems and interactionwithWebbased applications. The user can create virtual stories by directing all actions in real time. It is similar to a movie producer directing actors during filming but with more control given to the director in the sense that everything is decided and controlled by the same person. To make this complicated task possible, in a useable way, we based the interaction on the high-level control of the virtual actor.