A Real-time Group Communication System using Immersive Natural Metaphors    
                Steve Dipaola, Director of Development
                    Onlive Group Communities.com

OnLive's Internet-based real-time group communication system allow
groups of people to socialize with each other by navigating through 3D
spaces, meeting others and talking with their own voices through
emotive, lip-syncing 3D head avatars. 

Our design goal was to develop a virtual community system that
emulates natural social paradigms, where the participants sense a
tele-presence -- that they are really there in the virtual space with
other people. This collective sense of "being-there" does not happen
over the phone or with teleconferencing; it is a new and emerging
phenomenon, unique to immersive virtual communities.

We borrow from disciplines such as group dynamics, facial animation,
architectural design, virtual reality and cognitive sciences, which
allows the system to draw from the natural social neural programming
inherent in all of us rather than creating artificial, social-enabling
user interface mechanisms.

One might assume, given our natural emulation approach that our design
choice is to strive to make avatars and spaces increasingly
realistic. However this is not the case. We have tried to emulate
natural paradigms just enough to achieve recognition of
familiarity. Once this familiarity is achieved; we have learned it is
better to use the given resources to achieve another natural metaphor
instead. It is the combination of several interconnected natural
metaphors that brings this immersive "sense of presence" and
engagement. Once this level of virtual engagement is achieved, we
believe an enhanced level of socialization, learning, and
communication is achievable.

Biography:
Steve DiPaola has been involved with computer based character
systems for many years starting back in 1984 when he was a senior
member of the computer animation research group at the New York
Institute of Technology. He specialized in 3D character animation R&D
as well as producing animation for film, TV and his Fine Art work. His
main area of expertise at NYIT was 3D Facial Animation and has
published several papers and book excerpts on the subject.

He is currently Director of Development at Communities.com's OnLive
Group, where he leads a team of artists, architects, UI designers and
musicians in designing and developing 3D avatars and virtual spaces.
He co-headed the San Francisco office of Saatchi and Saatchi's
innovation arm called Darwin Digital as Creative Director.  Darwin
Digital was mandated to explore state of the art new media and
interactive projects including several Internet based characters
projects.