Meet Saya, an Ultra Realistic, Computer Generated Japanese Schoolgirl

[PatrickJS]

Meet Saya, an Ultra Realistic, Computer Generated Japanese Schoolgirl

Say hello to Saya: she is an incredibly realistic CGI Japanese schoolgirl, created by a husband and wife team of computer graphics creators.

Has the uncanny valley just been pole-vaulted by an imaginary Japanese schoolgirl? Well, maybe - could most of us honestly tell some of these images apart from photographs?

The CGI lady in question is named Saya, and her "parents" are husband and wife, Teruyuki and Yuki Ishikawa [http://www.telyuka.com/]. The Ishikawas work together creating out-of-this-world realistic, computer generated portraits, and they have big plans for their photogenic daughter - she's going to be a movie star.

The couple are at this moment producing a film featuring Saya and a yet to be revealed co-star.

At their website, linked above, you can see some more of their fantastic portfolio, as well as work-in-progress images of Saya (vaguely NSFW for sideboob and skinlessness).

[gallery=4881]

From my North American perspective, it often seems that Western companies advances in computer graphics [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/142494-Kakariko-Village-gets-an-Unreal-Engine-4-makeover]. Could the future of the technology be in Saya's pixellated hands?

<a href="http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2015/10/14/meet-saya-the-incredibly-realistic-computer-generated-japanese-schoolgirl/
">Spoon and Tomago translate some of the duo's tweets [https://twitter.com/mojeyuka/status/653806358937014272]: "The hardest part was achieving the moist, soft and translucent skin of girls this age. The hair, they add, are not up to their expectations."

I'll leave this to you folks to discuss. Is it creepy? Is it the future? Both? Yeah, I'm going to go with both.

Source: <a href="http://www.spoon-tamago.com/2015/10/14/meet-saya-the-incredibly-realistic-computer-generated-japanese-schoolgirl/
">Spoon and Tomago

Permalink

 

[AntiChri5]

And of course it's a schoolgirl. Because Japan.

 

[Jacked Assassin]

But does she have a sister named Diva?

 

[EndlessSporadic]

This article seems to have selectively picked the information on this project and the two creators for a click-baity article. The two creators are freelance 3DCG artists who have created a variety of other pieces of art including men, futuristic military soldiers, orcs/ogres, and other strange creatures. A schoolgirl happens to be one of their more recent creations and it isn't all that uncommon for artists, including Western artists, to draw scenes involving a place of learning.

Do check out the website linked in the article (the first link provided). Some of their works are pretty good.

 

[flying_whimsy]

Checked the website, and I can still think of only one word: waifu. She'll make a lot of lonely otaku happy.

That said, I'm wondering when the hentai/jav of her will come out. That'll be hilarious.

 

[Imp_Emissary]

But does she have a sister named Diva?

Or more importantly, does she have a Chello playing butler/boyfriend named Haji? >

OT: Anyway, pretty well done. Saya looks pretty real. Then again, she is standing completely still. Getting a person to not look weird in motion is the really hard bit I'd imagine.

 

[FPLOON]

>No glasses
0/10 Will fap to some other 3DCG model...

But seriously, some of the other models from their website look fucking awesome! Especially the clothing...

 

[The Rogue Wolf]

The still images do look amazingly lifelike. But it's movement that even the best CGI can't seem to get quite right.

 

[Gordon_4_v1legacy]

Didn't Square already try this with Aki Ross from Final Fantasy: Spirits Within? I dont recall it working so well.

 

[Charli]

It depends heavily on how it animates as well as how it looks in stills.

You can make a still model look picture perfect and still have it collapse when tied to a bad frame and animation sequence.

 

[CrystalShadow]

While it's impressive, still images are never a good indication.

Animating a person convincingly is several orders of magnitude more complex than making them look OK in a still image.

Final Fantasy: Spirits within already had characters that looked pretty convincing in still images. (look at the film posters.), but as soon as you saw them move, it was blatantly obvious that you were looking at CGI...

 

[weirdee]

Didn't Square already try this with Aki Ross from Final Fantasy: Spirits Within? I dont recall it working so well.

that uncanny valley is narrow but it's a hell of a drop

getting closer to clawing their way through to the other side though

 

[kael013]

Has the uncanny valley just been pole-vaulted by an imaginary Japanese schoolgirl? Well, maybe - could most of us honestly tell some of these images apart from photographs?

Just from the pics: Yes I could. It's in the skin - it's perfect. All humans have some form of blemish on our face; pimples, blackheads, acne, color tone differences in certain spots. Celebrities and models usually don't look like they do, but that's due to either makeup, Photoshop touchups, or a bit of both. Saya here looks like a model (hah, puns!) which is what gave it away.

The shadows on the face also don't fade naturally in some spots, just get a few shades lighter for a few strips, then gone. I've seen that in quite a few games.

The rest though is pretty impressive.

 

[Silentpony_v1legacy]

I think I'd be less creeped out by a Battle Sister with a hand-flamer and chainsword to my face, demanding I quote from the 57th Psalm of the Emperor's Righteous Prosecution of the False Gods, Verse 99, Line 115.

I mean HOLY FU-*Chainsword!*

 

[madwarper]

As others have said, the still images are impressive. But, I'll hold off the celebration for leaving the uncanny valley until I see how it walks/talks.

 

[Casual Shinji]

And I can still easily tell, even in the pictures. Just a tip; It's the imperfections that give something realism. You look at her hair and not one strand is out of place. Even her shirt looks unrealistically pristine. I've seen in-game character models that look more realistic than this.

 

[McElroy]

Well, hello there. Nice to meet you.

I've seen in-game character models that look more realistic than this.

Really? I can't say I believe you. Pics or gtfo didn't happen.

 

[Zakarath]

It was moderately creepy even before they named it Saya.

Anyways, speaking as a 3D artist, it is quite good, but the hair does look pretty familiar, having worked with Maya's hair simulation system. I wish I was that good at eyes and ears, though. Damn those are good.

 

[Cowabungaa]

I've seen in-game character models that look more realistic than this.

Really? I can't say I believe you. Pics or gtfo didn't happen.

Honestly? I have yet to see a more convincing performance than the moment in Half Life 2 where Alex saves your butt from getting its ass kicked from Combine officers, early in the game. Because indeed, as Shinji and someone else said; it's the imperfections and movements that matter. And Alex embodied that, despite the texture resolution being lower, despite the lighting being a lot more crude.

And that's what this misses, despite its technical prowess. I can see they tried a bit, there's some spots on her skin, but I can't deny her still looking way too pristine. Hell, the cruder textures, adding a sort of grubbiness, might actually helped me humanize Alex more than something like this.

On the motion front I had something like that with The Witcher 2, back when that was lauded as balls-to-the-walls gorgeous in terms of graphics. And sure, its textures were all fantastic, but the stilted animations, especially during the conversations, didn't make me feel it was ahead of Half Life 2. If anything, it made me feel like it took a step back. Valve seemed to have a better understanding of what makes a human, well. human. And it's not purely to be found in sheer graphical fidelity.

Also, goddammit, why a school girl again? Get over that creepy obsession already Japan, please.