Developer OC3 has announced that in partnership with Softimage, it has created a new audio lip-syncing plugin for Softimage Products called FaceFX, to help game developers and 3D animation artists create realistic talking characters with more precise facial expressions and lip-synchronization. OC3 notes that the plugin uses only a sound file and optional text file to generate highly realistic facial animation data for use in video games and 3D animations. The company notes that FaceFX was used by Epic for Unreal Tournament 3 and Gears of War, meaning mod developers using either will be able to use Softimage assets with the plugin for machinima movies and other game mods. Said Softimage engineer team lead Martin Barrette, "Like SOFTIMAGE|XSI 3D software, FaceFX is being used in the development of many games—from small start ups, all the way to triple-A game studios. Softimage is committed to working with industry-leading applications like FaceFX and Unreal Engine 3 to help game developers create realistic and engaging 3D characters and games."