Research Report: WordsEye

By Kristina Moore, of the Venetian Project Team

Semantic Light LLC. “Words Eye.” WordsEye. 2002-2006. February 2009. http://www.wordseye.com

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Abstract 

            WordsEye is a website that provides a text-to-scene tool that allows the user to render words into images. This tool makes it possible for any person to create three-dimensional graphic designs. This website allows people to see words and phrases that are put into a text box rendered into three dimensional images. Intricate scenes can be created using simple language. The website is accessible to anyone, fourteen years old and up, from any computer with an internet connection. All that is required is for a person to create a WordsEye account. The account requires an email, password, login name, and the account is free. Once an account is created, a person can begin creating three dimensional graphic scenes and has the option to save his work and browse through other completed scenes by other users.

Description

            WordsEye was created by Semantic Light, whose members include Bob Coyne, Richard Sproat, Gary Zamchick, Larry Stead, Brian Amento, and Steve Shaber. These members have a wide range of skills, including graphics software programming, computational linguistics, multimedia rich web design, mathematics, and computer graphics. The front page of the site is the login page where the user puts in his username and password. Once a person has entered the site it directs them towards the workshop page. It is here that there are detailed instructions for how to create the picture and where the person renders the scene by typing into the text box. By typing descriptive sentences and using plain language, the website turns the words and phrases into images in the scene box. A variety of descriptions can be used including size, color, and textures. The scene can be as detailed or as descriptive as a person wants. A person can start from a blank page to create a completely unique scene, or it can choose from a gallery and build upon what someone else has already created. Besides this, images from a person’s computer can be uploaded to create scenes with a person’s own images.

            Using the WordsEye work shop makes it possible for the creator to make intricate scenes, not only with whatever images they like, but also with the placement of the images and the position in which they are displayed in the scene. WordsEye makes it easy for the scene to come to life, because the scene can be built one description at a time. Also, while building the scene there are easy to use tools in the workshop that make it simple to undo unwanted scene changes, as well as rotate the camera angle to best show parts of the scene. When typing in a description to be rendered into an image onto the scene, there is an option to view other images that can be mapped onto an image instead of the one picked. By searching for different images a person could find exactly what would best fit his scene and replace the image accordingly. The camera angles can be moved all around the picture in order to display the images however he likes. After a person places the correct images that he wants into a scene, then he can have the option of adding effects. For instance, he can add lighting effects or add two dimensional textures and color tools. The last step in the scene design is to make the final rendering of the scene, in which all the lighting and shading is rendered to make the image complete into a Words Eye scene.

            The WordsEye site saves all the pictures that the user asks it to save and adds them in a personal profile for that user. The work from the user can be published in the gallery for others to view, and can be utilized to add as a base to create his or her own images. From the user’s portfolio, the scenes can be sent as postcards and be used as scenes in games. WordsEye also has a forum in which a person can discuss and share ideas. Through collaboration and the exchange of creative ideas, there is a variety of scenes that can be created.

WordsEye is a great tool for people just beginning in graphic design. To use WordsEye, one needs to be creative and come up with original scenes. Also, the tool helps the creator to understand placement in the scene with the camera angles that are available for WordsEye. The different effects like charcoal, shading, mosaic, and watercolor can help shape a person’s knowledge in editing photos as well as in graphic design. Through experience in rendering the images, he or she will be able to create an unlimited amount of artwork that can be used for a variety of purposes. Once the scenes created in WordsEye are complete, they can be utilized by the user and made to create stories, games, and even picture books on the site itself.

Commentary

            WordsEye is an excellent tool for our group’s project on The Merchant of Venice. Much of our project deals with word analysis and discovering the meaning behind much of the speech of the characters in the play. While some of our project includes using tools like TagCrowd, which counts the frequency of words, a tool like WordsEye can analyze words used in a different way. By inputting words and descriptions from The Merchant of Venice into the text box of WordsEye, we can see the words rendered into three dimensional images. This could be helpful because it can show how words can be interpreted differently, and help to make for a better analysis of the text.  Also, this website provides the option of displaying the characters’ actual words, while they are rendered into images by WordsEye. With this tool, the characters will be actually represented through their words by images that the tool comes up with. The site is very useful for anyone who is interested in graphic design. In particular, it is great for creating simple artwork that still looks great. Finally, with continued practice, the site contains tools to create very intricate scenes and has the ability to turn them into games and stories. 

            WordsEye is a program that is easily accessible to everyone and is a great tool to use, because there is no need to download software or browsers. Just as the creators of WordsEye explain on their SemanticLight page, WordsEye allows “anyone to become a 3D graphics artist.” This is unique, because not everyone has the tools to create sophisticated web designs and art. However, with this program, the most stylish of artwork can be created and displayed in a gallery for all to see. Experience can be gained in creating these scenes as well. One can learn different editing techniques, as well as skills in the placement of images in the scene, and choosing the angle of the scenes. This web site is an excellent tool for artistic work as well as a great tool in developing techniques for a career in graphic design. There is nothing on the internet quite like WordsEye. There is no website online that is even slightly similar. There are tools that input text to form text analysis. However, to input text and render pictures from the text is entirely unique to WordsEye.

Resources for Further Study

Coyne, Bob. Sproat, Robert. “WordsEye: An Automatic Text-to-Scene Conversion System.” AT & T Labs Research. February 2009. <http://www.semanticlight.com/docs/wordseye_siggraph.pdf>

Reallusion. “Executive Summary.” Reallusion 3-D Animation. 2009. February 2009. <http://www.reallusion.com/aboutus.asp>

Starosielski, Nicole. “Research in the Technological, Social, and Cultural Practices of Online Reading.” Transliteracies Project. March 2007. February 2009.

http://transliteracies.english.ucsb.edu/post/research-project/research-clearinghouse-individual/research-reports/wordseye-an-automatic-text-to-scene-conversion-system