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NPCx has secured $3 million in funding to enhance motion capture for non-player characters (NPCs) in games. Leading the round is Kakao Investment, aiming to bolster NPCx’s standing within the gaming and entertainment sector, while also enabling the creation of more lifelike character movements using AI-powered products. NPCx, based in St. Petersburg, Florida, launched its flagship product, TrackerX, in March. This game-changing motion capture processing tool disrupts the traditional and arduous process of tracking raw 3D point cloud data. By seamlessly integrating with any optical or sensor-based motion capture system, TrackerX simplifies the workflow by directly applying the captured data onto the TrackerX character skeleton.
“The TrackerX revolutionizes this costly manual process that’s been around for almost three decades by cleaning raw motion capture with AI and proprietary biomechanical models, saving companies countless hours of labor and significant financial resources per project,” stated Cameron Madani, CEO of NPCx.
The recent funding round will fuel the development of NPCx’s pioneering product, BehaviorX. This groundbreaking technology aims to elevate gaming experiences by capturing and utilizing real-time data from players to create lifelike behavior clones in NPCs. By analyzing player behavior and translating it into realistic NPC actions, BehaviorX promises to uplift immersion and engagement in gaming. Furthermore, NPCx has plans to introduce two other innovative products: RetargetX and AIMX. Both products leverage the power of neural networks to retarget motion capture animation and predict the next animation frame, resulting in smoother and more realistic character movements.
Before securing the Kakao Investment, NPCx raised over $540,000 through the crowdfunding platform Republic. This achievement not only showcases NPCx’s potential but also highlights the public’s keen interest in the integration of AI technologies within the gaming industry.
“We are delighted to have Kakao Investment lead our seed round,” Madani expressed. “Securing Kakao Investment’s investment during these challenging times in the capital markets is a tremendous vote of confidence in our team, technology, and product roadmap. This partnership signifies a significant milestone for NPCx and will greatly expedite the development of our AI-powered products that will revolutionize the industry.”
Origins
NPCx was established in 2020 by Cameron Madani (CEO), Michael Puscar (CTO), and Alberto Menache (CPO). Prior to founding NPCx, Madani had experience starting a game development studio and later a motion capture and animation company that collaborated with major studios and publishers in the gaming, film, and XR industries. Recognizing AI’s potential in revolutionizing animation pipelines, Madani sought out AI specialists and crossed paths with Puscar in 2019. With Puscar’s AI and entrepreneurial expertise, they aimed to streamline animation processes by automating tasks through neural networks. Alberto Menache, a renowned pioneer in animation and motion capture pipelines, joined the team shortly after, bringing decades of experience to the table.
“What I particularly value about this founding team is our extensive industry experience and expertise,” Madani emphasized. “This allows us to create numerous AI-driven products that seamlessly integrate into existing animation pipelines, resulting in immediate and substantial time and cost savings for the same customers we’ve been working with throughout our professional careers.”
Revamping mocap
NPCx is revolutionizing the animation landscape by infusing AI and machine learning into non-player characters (NPCs). Their focus lies in two innovative aspects of video gaming: character movement and character intelligence. In terms of character movement, NPCx is developing a suite of products that significantly reduces the time and cost of creating and implementing motion capture and key-framed animations in various media, including video games, film, XR, and the metaverse. TrackerX, their initial product launched in March 2023, leverages neural networks and biomechanical models to drastically reduce the processing time of motion capture data, which was previously handled manually.
When it comes to character intelligence, NPCx aims to virtually clone real-world players in games, XR, and the metaverse to such a level that distinguishing between an NPC and a human player becomes nearly impossible. They are focused on modeling humans rather than creating god-like AIs or robotic procedural animation engines driven by large language models (LLMs) and generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs).
Traditionally, motion capture performances utilizing optical or sensor-based hardware systems necessitate meticulous manual “cleaning” to prepare them for the final product. This process involves correcting issues such as feet going through the floor or limbs colliding with other characters and objects. TrackerX transforms this process by combining biomechanical modeling and neural networks to automate the cleaning process. Currently, TrackerX speeds up manual cleaning by nearly 50 times, with ongoing neural network training for continual improvements. This efficiency not only saves time and money for studios but also enables the creation of more extensive motion capture content within the same budget.
One notable competitor in the field is Inworld AI, which recently raised $50 million at a $500 million valuation. Madani acknowledged, “Since we are developing lifelike NPCs for video games, XR, and the metaverse, Inworld AI would be a close competitor of ours. However, like many other similar competitors, they primarily use advanced Large Language Models (LLMs) and Generative Pre-Trained Transformers (GPTs) as their engine to bring characters to life…”
Editor Notes
NPCx’s dedication to advancing motion capture technology and character intelligence in the gaming industry is commendable. Their use of AI and machine learning not only streamlines animation processes but also enhances the overall gaming experience. With their innovative products, such as BehaviorX and TrackerX, NPCx has the potential to make a considerable impact. It will be fascinating to see how they continue to revolutionize the industry and how their competitors respond to the advancements they introduce.
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