Henson Digital Puppetry

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A wiki covering the art of digital puppetry and machinima efforts - a system that provides immediate real-time performance of 3-D computer-generated characters by a puppeteering system. Produced by Jim Henson's Creature Shop and the Henson Company, the HDPS system allows an unprecedented level of spontaneity, quality and interactivity. Through a combination of proprietary hardware and software, the technology allows a puppeteer (or one primary puppeteer plus assistants) to perform live 3-dimensional computer graphics.

The system consists of three major components: mechanical hand controls, a control computer, and a digital puppet workstation which renders the live on-screen image of the character. The final product allows animation to be composited into computer-generated environments in real-time. The system's animated characters are therefore also "directable," like actors, and the animation can thus be used as a pre-visualization tool as well as a final product. The animation can be broadcast, or streamed, taking advantage of either local digital networks or the global internet infrastructure. The animation can also be applied to many mediums, including web-broadcasting, computer games, television and film.

The wiki would cover the technology as well as productions, characters, performers and related topics - including the HDPS productions "Frances", "Sid the Science Kid" and "The Skrumps", among others.