[sldev] VWR-10311 Enabling lip sync by default

[Ron Blechner]

> We are still at the point where the 'uncanny valley' nature of the feature
> can make it unnerving, and that problem is unlikely to be easily solved soon
> in realtime with low CPU load.

This is a really interesting point, as avatars I've seen in world
range from clear to the left of the uncanny valley, right through it,
to acceptably beyond it to the right. It's a large part of the reason
my avatar is still using default skin texture, wears sunglasses, and
has cartoony hair. There's no easy answer to this issue, as even as
technology changes, people will still have a range of different avatar
looks. My reasonable guess, based from my experience with lipsync in
other virtual world platforms and games, is that lipsync alone does
not cause much of an issue with the "freaky factor" as one may call
it. I believe facial expressions are a much trickier issue in regards
to the uncanny valley. (That said, I still think its absolutely
essential for the future of virtual worlds that facial expressions get
a move on.)

I wonder, then, what sorts of evidence / research is needed? Maybe
this is a case where we all can just "do our homework" - there's
plenty of machinima on YouTube using Second Life and lipsync and
without it. And it's not difficult to find a variety of different
avatars - from cartoony to hyper-realistic - in which we can look at
how lipsync looks ourselves. Personally, I think doing this kind of
research will absolutely reinforce the idea of putting lipsync on by
default, but I'm certainly biased. :) ... I might also add that
non-human avatars have used Animation Overrider tools to replace the
typing and trigger prim-animations that move mouths. (Yes, I'm
referencing the furries!)

I'd also be interested to hear anyone's first-hand experiences where
the lipsync is unnerving; Philip, have you had that experience
yourself?

-Ron / Hiro

CTO, Involve, Inc
www.involve3d.com
SL: Hiro Pendragon