CGI night elf causes screaming in uncanny valley
by Alexander Sliwinski 
{ May 4th 2007 at 11:00PM }
That sound you hear is the uncanny valley screaming out in terror. This latest completely CGI woman created by artist Max Kor blows our mind. Originally created to be a submission in a World of Warcraft contest, Kor says he didn't submit it because he couldn't finish the project in time -- something about details getting in the way. We can't imagine what he's talking about.
Kor says on his site, "When I begin personal projects, I have a habit of starting something not knowing exactly what it should look like, but still imagining some very small and unimportant details that definitely should be there. While it may be seen as very unprofessional, that's what makes it fun; exploring the possibilities along the way"
Kor says on his site, "When I begin personal projects, I have a habit of starting something not knowing exactly what it should look like, but still imagining some very small and unimportant details that definitely should be there. While it may be seen as very unprofessional, that's what makes it fun; exploring the possibilities along the way"
Yeah, unprofessional is the last thing we'd ever describe this as. Kor goes through the step-by-step process detailing the development of the night elf on the CGSociety website. We have to echo our sister-site WoWInsider in saying that if we didn't see how she was created (snapshots shown after the break), we'd swear it's a woman in make-up. Unbelievable work.
[Via WoWInsider]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
J. Vicuña @ May 4th 2007 11:08PM
That's not CG, that's a photo!... wait. That's not a photo. That's CG!...
...
My head hurts!!
What an amazing job. He could teach something to the guys that did "The Polar Express". That was creepy.
Traveller @ May 5th 2007 12:31AM
That looks so good..imagine a cg film with that calibur of cg..although then u may aswell use real actors :S
Joshua @ May 4th 2007 11:21PM
It looks like uncanny valley to me. Too bad?
Salty @ May 4th 2007 11:23PM
Wow, that is the most impressive cg I have ever seen.
Questworld @ May 4th 2007 11:23PM
Very few people can do such quality work and avoid the uncanny valley effect (so I wouldn't expect us reaching this level in videogames any time soon). Congrats. That said, still images is one thing, an animated one on the other hand is another challenge all together.
Grog @ May 4th 2007 11:23PM
Not only could I swear it was a woman in make-up, but all of the pictures past the 4th one look that way!
mrfong @ May 4th 2007 11:25PM
Uh, I belive the Uncanny Valley has been crossed here. But, as always, put it into motion and everything changes :(
Saul @ May 4th 2007 11:28PM
I call fake. Something in the how-to process doesn't quite match up.
Draco @ May 4th 2007 11:35PM
Why is it that the girls head moves in the picture? this isnt a 3d model.
typoink @ May 4th 2007 11:36PM
The "uncanny valley" is only meaningfully applicable to moving images. This picture may cross the threshhold of photorealistic CGI, but that's quite different.
The "uncanny valley" refers to the fact that when things are almost human looking, you notice the unhuman elements (notably clunky movements and delayed reactions) more than you notice the real parts.
enzo @ May 4th 2007 11:44PM
"Why is it that the girls head moves in the picture? this isnt a 3d model."
Because as a 3d model, the head can be moved in 3d space.
christ
Negativecool @ May 5th 2007 12:04AM
Anyone that doesn't give this man his due props is selling something.
That said, I don't think we can completely void this out of the uncanny valley until we see this "woman" in motion. Then will you get that eerie, uncomfortable, uncanny valley feeling.
bearattack79 @ May 5th 2007 12:05AM
Nice work.
hvnlysoldr @ May 5th 2007 12:25AM
I still feel something inhuman about that image. Until people know what their image is we can't replicate it.
Frank @ May 5th 2007 12:42AM
i want to second and third the thoughts up there reguarding the "uncanny valley" effect. a buddy of mine at work sent this to me today and i havent been this blown away with CGI since seeing eye movement test animation for final fantasy: spirits within. however the moment that model starts to move, problems WILL arise. modeling in CGI is one thing, rigging and then animating it are two totally different things.
still its really great work.
Hakobus @ May 5th 2007 2:58AM
You can easily find absolutely stunningly realistic cgi-humans on any 3D hobbyist forums. The problem isn't getting a still image to look real. But you step into the uncanny valley the moment you try to make the model move.
O_o @ May 5th 2007 3:25AM
@#16
http://www.amazon.co.uk/How-English-Works-Grammar-Practice/dp/0194314561
wackychan @ May 5th 2007 3:46AM
"7. I call fake. Something in the how-to process doesn't quite match up."
When it sounds to good to be true, it usually is. This guy used a model and then retraced his steps to make it seem like he made it.
I pull the BS flag, too bad so many believed.
Ironhide @ May 5th 2007 3:58AM
You guys can call fake all you want. It's real as in real cg. He showed a step by step process on how it was made and you still can't believe. Fortunately there are a few of us out there that work with 3d modelling programs for a living and know exactly what can be done. This is simply some of the most impressive cg I've seen in ages. She looks photorealistic and sure, if it were to move, the animator need be very good at what he does to make it work, but this is excellent work.
Ironhide @ May 5th 2007 4:11AM
http://features.cgsociety.org/stories/2007_04/night_elf/screen1lg5.jpg
And that link should give you all the proof you need.
Ben Hughes @ May 6th 2007 10:49AM
Er, did anyone happen to see the other post of the guy who looked very realistic, you can find the link through the uncanny calley one, about the "yesterdays post" or something. It was by the same guy, Max Kor, now im not saying this is definatly true, but the evidence points towards his ability to make this.
meist3r @ May 5th 2007 8:17AM
@13: "I still feel something inhuman about that image."
-It's an elf d'uh!
Absolutely great work. Meticulous detail, love it.
Brian Yamagata @ May 5th 2007 1:08PM
Did anyone take a good look at the eye brows? You will notice that they split... For someone who said that they took so much time, you would think they would take the time to make the eye brow as one. It is clear that the artist used a picture of a model and then added the eye brow, but didn't put in the time to make the eye brow as one.
Ironhide @ May 5th 2007 3:57PM
You see the proof before your eyes and you still call fake. You realize the time it would take to fake it all in pictures, would be about the same time it would take a talented modeller to produce the same effects? Look at the face map for the eyebrows. The eyebrows still need to be based on some kind of realism. They don't just shoot off into space at the arch, because they still need to be anchored.
This in! People discovering 'Video' games! Games you play as 'Video'!
"I call fake! You can't play games on a television! How can you set the board up properly?" - Guy Incognito
"Just were do you think a 'Video' game can be played? Not out on the ice or a football field! I call bullshit on this!" - Fakey Noproof
EdgeTurn @ May 5th 2007 3:59PM
@#22.
Blizzard actually designed that race's eyebrows to look like that - the central part of the brow simply grows out to a peak. It's very intentional on the part of the artist and not the result of carelessness or laziness. He's just trying to capture a stylized detail on the Warcraft characters and interpret photorealistically.
Korben @ May 5th 2007 11:21PM
Why do the ears look so totally fake whereas the rest of the face and skin detial is beyond belief?
Adam Palmiter @ May 6th 2007 1:45PM
This is fake. You can see where he switched from the modeled face to the photo between segment 3 and 4. The ears and devices might be cg, but he worked them over a photo. Note that he never shows a rendered scene of the face outside of the flat picture. He could have just as easily rendered the further out version, but not here, because it's fake.
goktekin @ May 7th 2007 12:58PM
Ahem. Final Fantasy characters looked pretty realistic too in stills back in the day with their all geometry hairs and their "micro textured to the pores" skin with subsurface scattering. Uncanny valley only takes over when they move. Miniscule motions of the face features is what's hard to get right, not a still image of a character. Even though this is great work it is nothing but a whisper from "uncanny valley".
My 2 cents.
specialcase @ May 7th 2007 1:51PM
Actually, Max (the artist) has been making steadily better and better humans for a while, now. Here's something he did a couple years ago, with an explanation: http://www.cgtantra.com/forums/showthread.php?p=5638
People calling "bullshit" clearly haven't been paying attention to the vastly-improving quality of CG humans over the last few years. Sure, animation is a whole different story, but the models, texturing and rendering are there.
fdcarter71 @ Jul 27th 2007 7:12PM
I've closely examined the images of this supposed "CG" model and it's obvious to me that this artist has superior photo compositing skills that he's put to use in the creation of this piece. If it were actually modeled in CG, it WOULD be stunning, but instead it comes across to me as a cleverly composited photo manipulated to appear as if modeled in CG. I don't care about all the B.S. related to shader settings, actual working screen captures, etc. Total B.S. This artist obviously wanted his 15 minutes of fame and he got it, and this work is definitely the work of a talented artist, but a talented "photographer" and "compositor", not a talented "CG" artist. Please don't anybody fall for this.