Professor Paul McKevitt and Ms Eunice Ma from UU show Robyn McNutt
the educational benefits of their new software

New computing research carried out by the University of Ulster could help bring stories to life using the latest multimedia technology.

Professor Paul McKevitt and PhD student Minhua Eunice Ma, from the Faculty of Engineering at Magee, have developed a unique software package that can automatically transform English into 3D computer animation.

The project is part of an ongoing research collaboration between computing and the arts, investigating how storytelling can benefit from the help of artificial intelligence.

The world-leading software, which incorporates 3D virtual reality graphics, animated characters, speech and sound effects, has endless possibilities for the film and entertainment industry as well as for the education sector.

“This unique package showcases collaboration between the Faculty of Engineering and the Faculty of Arts. The software understands natural language English input and automatically maps it into 3D multimedia presentations. It can be used in something as simple as bringing a child’s story to life or as an educational tool to allow students to view literature from different perspectives. It could also have applications for teaching languages,” said Professor McKevitt.

Co-collaborator Ms Ma, explains how the software’s unique capabilities could have applications in the film or theatre industry. By inputting plays or scripts into the system, producers could view different scenes, from different angles, in different backgrounds before the actors are even brought on set.

“This software shows what can be gained by integrating concepts from computing and artificial intelligence with film, theatre, literature and music,” she said. “Within the package we use techniques from film editing and theatre for narrative montage to perform cuts, pan shots, imagery and voice-overs so that the software can achieve its communication purpose.

“The research is also a reflection of the increasing student numbers choosing to study multi-media design, which incorporates modules from both computing and the arts in the degree.”

The research has already received international recognition throughout Europe and Asia and has picked up an award for best paper at the International Joint Conference on Natural Language Processing in China.

Professor McKevitt is also keen to strengthen the links between university research and the local community and has been presenting this new technology to the recent 16^th Charles Macklin Community Arts Festival in Donegal.

“It is exciting to see how this computer system can relate to a community arts festival. James Joyce’s Ulysses, for example, was the first multi-media hypertext book – he was the first writer to alter the syntax of language to create a better storytelling experience. That is what we are also trying to achieve with this research,” he said.

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter