Virtual Humans: A Build-It-Yourself Kit, Complete with Software and Step-by-Step Instructions by Peter Plantec

From the Publisher

Foreword by Ray Kurzweil, author, The Age of Spiritual Machines

"Virtual humans" may seem like something out of science fiction, but they are already here. Companies use them as website hosts, individuals use them as personal assistants, and people interact with them in computer games, educational applications, and many other arenas. The possibilities are limitless, but the most amazing thing is that anyone can create a "V-human" from scratch. Virtual Humans gives not just start-to-finish instructions for designing a charming synthetic person, but also a CD-ROM containing the tools and techniques to make it real. Readers will learn how to:

* create their own authentic and engaging personalities
* apply VH technology to business and individual projects
* add synthetic voices and realistic faces to virtual humans
* use personality psychology and humor in character design
* design advanced emotion expression engines

This book-and-CD package is the first of its kind and a landmark on a par with the first build-your-own-Web-site products. Readers will be among the first to create ultra-realistic, versatile V-human personalities, and will start well ahead of what is soon to be a tidal wave of worldwide interest.

About the Author:
Peter Plantec (Aspen, CO) is the creator of Sylvie, the first commercially available virtual human interface, and cofounder of Virtual Personalities, Inc. A psychologist, animator, and software designer, he heads both OrdinaryMagic.com and V-people.com. He is contributing editor and columnist at AVVideo/Multimedia Producer Magazine, and is the author of Caligari trueSpace 2 Bible, a number one best-seller in its genre.

Australian Personal Computer

This is a remarkable book, fusing together many disparate technologies to produce a digestable [sic] treatise on creating ? as the title indicates ? virtual humans!?.Virtual Humans is an engrossing book, and gives solid direction?.Plantec's enthusiasm spills from every page and shows how virtual creations can be employed for countless business, entertainment and educational purposes.

Software Development

...an inspirational read, and the examples cited therein are captivating.

December 2003 - Computer Times

We get plenty of books crossing our desks at Computer Times looking for a review and possible Editor's Choice award but nothing has ever peaked our interest as much as the book VIRTUAL HUMANS: A Build-It-Yourself Kit, Complete with Software and Step-by-Step Instructions (Retail $34.95), by Peter Plantec. This book offers a build-it-yourself kit, complete with software and step-by-step instructions, to build your own virtual human. This first-of-its-kind book-and-CD package makes it possible to create the illusion of personality in your very own V-human....

This book-and-CD package is the first of its kind and a landmark on a par with the first build-your-own-Web-site products. Readers will be among the first to create ultra-realistic, versatile V-human personalities, and will start well ahead of what is soon to be a tidal wave of worldwide interest.

March 2004 - New Business Today

Throughout the book and on the CD-ROM, this first-of-its-kind package has many vivid examples,practical tools, and expert tips. As technolophiles and trend-watchers overwhelmingly agree, V-people are about to change business, education, entertainment, and everyday life---dramatically and soon. With VIRTUAL HUMANS, enterprising and inventive spirits will get everything they need to create ultra-realistic, versatile, reliable, and likeable V-people to serve their needs.

Product Details

• ISBN: 0814472214
  
• ISBN-13: 9780814472217
• Format: Textbook Paperback, 288pp
• Publisher: AMACOM
• Pub. Date: March 2003
• Edition Description: paperback with CD-ROM
• Edition Number: 1

• Table of Contents

Table of Contents