GeoUV and Texture Mapping

Texture mapping is an important process. It defines your models. It makes s a model appear as wood, marble, etc. It gives a dress or a couch a fabric texture, suede texture, etc.

According to Wikipedia,

"This process is akin to applying patterned paper to a plain white box."
- http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Texture_mapping

Texture mapping is important. It is one of the components that makes a model look realistic. Quite simply, the better the texture map, the more realistic the model.

This post is about GeoUV from Geometric Informatics, the company whom I am employed by. GeoUV is a plug-in for Maya and 3D Studio Max. GeoUV excels over other texture mappers by automating the mapping process while minimizing distortion. It increases the amount of memory used for each object, resulting in more efficient memory use and more realistic detail. It is available for Windows or Linux platforms, allowing you to work in your environment of choice.

Here are some examples from GeoUV. This first example illustrates how GeoUV creates a more realistic texture map.

The following images are a tree and its associated texture map.

This last image is of a teapot. I've included it for its beauty.

Click here for an evaluation version of GeoUV. This page also includes links to videos that act as GeoUV tutorials for both the Maya and 3dsMax versions.

Please keep the following in mind when you use the evaluation version.

The evaluation version has limited functionality. Meshes are limited to
triangles; quads are supported in the full version only. The evaluation version
displays the texture coordinates as a flat 3D mesh rather than as actual UV
values. However the full version displays the texture coordinates as actual UV
values.

Eliza and Avatars

One of the most popular programs in computer science is the Eliza program. This program simulates that you are talking to a person when in fact you are having a conversation with a computer program. Here is a link to a Web-based version of that program.

Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ELIZA) provides a nice history behind this program. Here is an excerpt:

“ELIZA is a computer program by Joseph Weizenbaum, designed in 1966, which parodied a Rogerian therapist, largely by rephrasing many of the patient's statements as questions and posing them to the patient. Thus, for example, the response to "My head hurts" might be "Why do you say your head hurts?" The response to "My mother hates me" might be "Who else in your family hates you?" ELIZA was named after Eliza Doolittle, a working-class character in George Bernard Shaw's play Pygmalion, who is taught to speak with an upper class accent.”

I think it would be great to add an avatar interface to this program. Try out the Web-based version previously mentioned and then imagine how the program would work with an avatar.

Avatars and Education

Avatars are excellent for online education. They provide the human interaction that is natural in classrooms and in the traditional learning environment.

I teach students online. Message boards, email, and instant messaging are great tools for writing. But what about voice communication! Posting a question on a message board is useful but many times asking the question is better. It is instant, direct, and uses the nuance of voice. Skype works well but avatars are better.

Avatars provide a face to the students and a face to the teacher. They provide the human element to online teaching.

Creating an Avatar

What do you want your avatar to say about you? Think about how you will use your avatar and who will see it. For example, I teach online. How do I want my online students to see me?

I tend to be casual. This is fine when students know me. What about new students or prospective new clients?

The best way to determine how you want your avatar to look is to use real world analogies. I may dress casual when I teach but would I dress the same way for a teaching interview? If I use one avatar for business it is best to be a bit conservative and create an avatar that is appropriate for all business situations.

People have many facets of life. You may want to create different avatars that represent these different facets. For example, you may be a lawyer by day and a jazz musician by night. In this case, create a corporate avatar for your online legal interactions and create a more hip avatar for your music discussions.

Online business mirrors the real world. When you create an avatar, think about how people would measure that appearance in that real world environment. That will help you determine the right avatar for your online professional interactions.

More About Avatars and Business

There are many ways to incorporate avatars into online business. Tech support could definitely benefit. Very few software or hardware customers read a tech support site’s FAQ or documentation. Personally, I don’t blame them. When something doesn’t work, I want to ask and find the solution.

An avatar can be your personal tech support consultant. Type your question and let the avatar tell you the answer. Once you hear the answer, the site can provide a button for you to click on if you want to read or print the instructions.

An avatar provides a human quality to just about any aspect of online communication.

Avatars and Business

Online businesses are beginning to use avatars. This rate of usage will increase over the next few years.

You go to Amazon to purchase some books. The beauty of traditional books stores is that they are ideal for browsing, looking for the unknown. An avatar at Amazon can provide this service. Ask the avatar, “What new mysteries are available?” and the avatar tells you the new mysteries that are in stock. You click on a button to view these recommendations or talk (type message) to the avatar to get more information, for example, “Tell me more about the Dead Dancers Have No Rhythm book.”

Avatars enhance online business by adding human qualities to online transactions. While eBay encourages their customers to use Skype to discuss a transaction, many people feel uncomfortable speaking with a stranger. Using an avatar, you communicate through the comfort of typing your message while your avatar does the talking. Avatars provide the face-to-face communication.

Avatars

People communicate in many ways. They write, speak, and they use facial and body language. People send email, write blogs, and express opinions in message forums.

An email address identifies the person who sent an email and a user name identifies a person in a forum. How do we identify a voice on the Internet? How do we place a face with a user name?

We use avatars to visually represent a person’s identity online. The avatar may be 2D, 3D, look like a cartoon, or be a high quality, realistic, 3D image that looks like the person it represents.

Avatars are important. Many online applications benefit when they use avatars. Many informational sites populate the Internet. Customers can learn from reading information. However, as people, we trust and validate information when we both hear it and see the person who is speaking that information. This is especially true for life-pertinent information, for example, medical, legal, or financial information.

The avatar must gain the customer’s trust. It is important that the avatar be as realistic as possible. The avatar must be high quality, have a high degree of realism, and must look like the person that is presenting the information. Would you trust medical, legal, or financial information from a cartoon talking head?

High quality and a high degree of realism increase the customer’s level of trust. When you look at the avatar while it is speaking, you need to feel comfortable. The facial expressions need to be serious and friendly. The eyes need to make direct contact with you. The character and emotions of the avatar need to fit the message the avatar is delivering.

An avatar that projects trust is a valuable asset to an online business.