Lip sync problem

SimSaw · Wed 22/12/2004 13:17:19

Chris, you wrote about a pamela application that we could download and sync our games, but the link doesn't work.

And as far as I know the program should sync the voice. But I want it another way: First there should be created the speech animation for each sentence and then I should speak on the lip movements to make it sync. For that there would be required a software/feature with that I can record sounds and see the lip movements at the same time.

Could there be arranged a solution for the first and second problem?

Pumaman · Wed 22/12/2004 14:35:39

You're right, the pamela website seems to have disappeared. Unfortunately, I don't know of any alternate website; if anyone does know where it is now based, let me know.

As for doing the sync process the other way round, could you not simply run your game and thus see the lip movements, whilst recording into your audio editor?

strazer · Wed 22/12/2004 14:39:18

http://www-personal.monash.edu.au/~myless/catnap/pamela/

Pumaman · Wed 22/12/2004 14:50:24

Nice find, strazer -- I'll update the link in the manual.

SimSaw · Thu 23/12/2004 14:42:10

Thanks for the correct link!

For my problem with sync I'd like to say that if I do what you said I have an 'assynchronasation' because I don't know when to cut my sound. I need something that starts the animation just when the recording has begun.
I could try to record AVI files and speak on the lips and then cut out correctly the needed wav files, but this is very big work and causes BIG AVI files, so I don't know.

I also wanted to tell you two things: When a translation is used for a game there should be the possibiliies to change the lip sync set ups or to switch them of (by script maybe). Another point is that if the player changes the game speed the animation is assync to the voice files. So could there be something like a check feature that keeps them sync?

Pumaman · Thu 23/12/2004 18:20:29

Quote from: SimSaw on Thu 23/12/2004 14:42:10
I need something that starts the animation just when the recording has begun.
I could try to record AVI files and speak on the lips and then cut out correctly the needed wav files, but this is very big work and causes BIG AVI files, so I don't know.

Ok, I understand what you're asking for, but realistically it's a lot of work for what is a very rarely used (if at all) feature; so I'm not sure I can justify the time to do it.

Quote
I also wanted to tell you two things: When a translation is used for a game there should be the possibiliies to change the lip sync set ups or to switch them of (by script maybe).

As the lip sync is linked to the speech files, if a translation is in use the speech won't play, so neither will the lip sync.

Quote
Another point is that if the player changes the game speed the animation is assync to the voice files. So could there be something like a check feature that keeps them sync?

This should not be the case, the game speed doesn't factor into the lip sync speed.

SimSaw · Thu 30/12/2004 13:34:36

I don't understand why you add such a complex feature like Pamela (and it's only for Sierra-style, so nothing for me using LucasArts-speech) and not a simple feature as I want it:
You make a file called like ego1.anm and you enter the images and the correspondending time where they should be displayed. It should be possible to choose how long it should be displayed or the start and end time of the speech where this image should be displayed. Can't that be arranged?

I noticed that lip sync does not work in speech only mode. That's a pitty.

Why no lip sync for translations? You just need different set-ups. So there should be a possibility to change lip sync options by script (so we could handle it by IfTranslation... and so on).

Rui 'Trovatore' Pires · Thu 30/12/2004 13:41:00

QuoteWhy no lip sync for translations?

Look, do THIS for translations: have several voice packs, yes? Anyway, if you have translations, you'll NEED different voice packs.

And THERE you go. Each pack should have it's own lip-synched file, yes? Not too hard.

Yes, this is a work around. Why? Because, as CJ already said,

Quoteif a translation is in use the speech won't play

Anyway, I've got a question - I tried Pamela, but got confused over it, couldn't really understand. SO I'd like to ask one of 2 things:

1) Could someone more experienced make a good tutorial? The one included didn't do much for me. Or maybe link us to an existing one? That would even be good on the manual.

2) Failing that, just tell me this - does Pamela need files created by some other application? I got 100% confused over that while I was trying the tutorial it came with.

Snarky · Thu 30/12/2004 16:56:25

Quote from: Pumaman on Thu 23/12/2004 18:20:29
As the lip sync is linked to the speech files, if a translation is in use the speech won't play, so neither will the lip sync.

If a translation is in use, speech won't play? Hmmm...

Might not some people want to play a game with the speech in the original language, but with translated text? That way it would be like a subtitled foreign movie, which would arguably be better than no speech at all (and potentially really good for people who're learning a language).