Welcome to Research and Development at the Institute of Animation, part of the Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg based in Germany. Find out more about our current projects dedicated to dynamic real-time agents, expressive non-photorealistic rendering, an open-source application framework and the latest progress in facial animation tool development.

The "Filmakademie Application Framework", a.k.a. Frapper, features a node-based scene model with plugins for node types, a model-view-controller architecture, a panel-oriented user interface similar to commercial 3D packages, and a viewport using the Ogre 3D render engine. Frapper enables developers to focus on the core functionality of their application and research by providing a foundation of basic functionality.

The Agent Framework is an development platform for character-centric application prototypes beyond film and video games. The open source structure allows for the implementation of complex technologies like computer vision, synthetic speech, AI and alternative input devices within a user-friendly authoring environment.

A large number of companies and individuals have made use of the Facial Animation Toolset in a wide range of projects. The release 2.0 of the Facial Animation Toolset features support for all current Autodesk Maya versions and also includes a Frapper based stand-alone application for facial motion capture data analysis: the Performance Solver.

SPLAT! is a dedicated real-time rendering environment with an emphasis on Non-photorealistic Rendering (NPR) for animators, researchers and others intent on exploring new looks, both still and temporal, as well as the perception thereof. Focus is on community involvement and the development of an artistically intuitive, technically powerful interface based on the "Filmakademie Application Framework".

R&D at Filmakademie also encourages participation by students from other universities, either by interning with us or by defining their final diploma thesis in cooperation with us. Filmakademie students, especially technical director students, are integrated into the research effort. Freelance specialists join the team for specific tasks, building a unique team of artistic and scientific manpower.