Carol Hayes-Budd has been appointed International Director of Business Development for the fast track animation and motion capture consortium, Giant Studios. She will be responsible for forging new business relationships and strategic alliances within the industry, as well as directing the efforts of the studio’s independent reps. The move reunites Hayes-Budd with Candice Alger, Giant Studios President/CEO. Alger had hired Hayes-Budd when she was Executive Vice President at Crawford Communications. Hayes-Budd previously served most recently as Vice-President of Sales at Cinema Screen Media, a company selling made for cinema commercials. Her previous experience includes working as a commercial actress, representing directorial talent, and developing and implementing marketing programs for the editorial and post departments at Crawford.

In March, Giant Studios is offering a free test drive of its proprietary Motion Reality motion data. Giant will allow animators and programmers to download the Motion Reality with attached skeletons from the Giant web site for testing and evaluation. Three motion sets will be available at the launch, each showcasing different solutions for performance animation issues. The downloads cover a range of solutions to animation issues facing the gaming industry as they strive to deliver more compelling interactive content.

The Giant production system generates motion for human and non-human skeletons, allowing any character to be directed in real time. Specific captures can be readily configured to calculate detailed hand and finger motion, multiple subject interactions, as well as external object motions. Facial capture motion can be configured to drive blend shapes between designated morph targets. The system also features a suite of motion modification tools, allowing artists to interactively adjust a character’s motion to create the desired effect for each scene.