What factors affect the quality of the animation output?

The output of SGX and SG Com are driven by a number of factors including:

• Quality of the character rig. SGX and SG Com can animate most rigs. However there are some best practices that can improve the quality of output from the system. See Rigging Guidelines.

• Using a Character Control File (.k) specifically tuned for your character. If you apply the control file to a character very different from the one it was tuned for, or if you alter the geometry or rigging of the character after the control file file was created, it will affect the quality of the output.

• Quality of the muscles. Muscles are the building blocks of animation, so the quality of the muscles is paramount. If you edit your character’s muscles, be sure to follow best practices regarding muscle poses and dynamic parameters. See Editing muscle poses and Editing dynamic parameters.

• Quality of the audio. Make sure your audio is clean. Background noise including music, multiple voices, or other effects can affect the output. See Audio Guidelines.

• Use of the correct language module. In SGX, make sure that you are using the correct language module for the language and dialect heard in the input audio. For example, if the speaker has a British English dialect, use the British English language module (English_GB-EAW) and not the American English one (English_US). See Language Support.

• Attention to behavior modes. When Speech Graphics delivers a control file, we deliver an initial set of behavior modes to be used out-of-box. We encourage clients to tune these to their particular character. See Behavior Modes.

• Use of behavior modifiers. Behavior modifiers serve as “tweaks” to correct any issues seen in the automatic output. You should not normally need to use them unless there is something to correct. See Behavior Modifiers.