Speech Graphics raises $7M for lip-synced facial animation
Summary
It enables animated characters in games and other applications to move their mouths properly in real time when uttering spoken words. Rapport has embraced the rapid evolution of the metaverse, the universe of virtual worlds that are all interconnected, like in novels such as Snow Crash and Ready Player One. Speech Graphics was founded on the idea of bringing realistic facial animation to video games using proprietary technology, Hofer said. The first game to use it was Monolith’s Middle-earth: Shadow of Mordor title, where the orc warrior faces and mouth movements matched the words that they spoke. “We started working with game developers and that gave us more data and it let us create a version of our technology that runs in real time,” Hofer said.