The University of Salford is to host the world’s first course in Artificial Intelligence-supported character animation.
Based around the new physics-based software, Cascadeur, it means game and movie developers can create realistic characters of almost any type, without using motion capture technology.
“We are delighted to have teamed up with University of Salford to launch this first Cascadeur course. The truth is, especially for beginners, getting started in the art of character animation can be technically challenging and sometimes even frustrating,” explained Nekki Business Development Director, Tom Borovskis.
“Cascadeur now remedies this: our physical AI tools enable students to concentrate fully on the creative side of their studies, even without previous experience with animation. This leads to a motivating sense of achievement and more joy in learning!”
The software was developed by Banzai Games and distributed by software publisher Nekki. The University has been given exclusive access for its students to use and test the software.
“For new students, the process of animating with Cascadeur is already showing promising results, significantly stronger posing and weighted body movements. The Cascadeur workflow helps to reduce the complexity of the animation process whilst providing faster and physically accurate results,” explained Animation Lecturer, Jonathon Byrne.
“By transferring their existing animation knowledge of animation principles, students can express their ideas more quickly, which helps to boost their confidence and efficacy, allowing them to focus on the animation rather than getting tangled up in the technical aspects.”
