#performancecapture

[taqato-alim]

Analysis of: YouTube video "Découvrez les Coulisses de A Plague Tale Requiem la pépite d'Asobo Studio" by Julien Chièze

The term "document" in the following text refers to the video's subtitles.

Summary of the key discussions:

Concept art process with over 100 pieces created to inspire 3D art and level design. Iterative refinement shown.

Proprietary game engine development focused on optimizing and evolving between games to enable ambitious designs.

Art, programming, sound design, cinematics, QA testing and simulation techniques showcased.

Sound design emphasized composition, scores, foley, ambient layers and 3D audio support.

Cinematics utilize mocap/performance capture, facial matching for over 2 hours of cutscenes.

Level/environmental art creation inspired by concept art iterations into 3D worlds.

Simulation of up to 3 million rats through particle systems, Houdini and engine optimizations.

QA testing covered gameplay evaluation, bug fixing, developer guidance roles.

Culture appeared dedicated to teamwork, creativity, technical excellence and quality standards.

High production values indicated across disciplines like extensive art, animation, sound and polish.

Transparency shown in detailed explanations of various pipeline aspects and challenges.

Ambition to push technical boundaries and listen to player feedback between entries.

Summary of the document content:

The tour guide provides an introduction and discusses different departments within the studio such as art, programming, sound design, and quality assurance testing.

In the art department, they discuss concept art development and how concept art is used to inspire 3D art and level design. Over 100 pieces of concept art were created.

Programming discussions include using a proprietary game engine, improvements made between games, and optimizations to support increased numbers of simulated rats.

Sound design covers foley recording, ambiance design, music integration, and 3D spatial audio support.

Quality assurance testing encompasses gameplay testing, debugging, providing guidance to developers, and ensuring quality.

Cinematic development is discussed, showcasing motion capture, performance capture, facial animation matching, and integrating over 2 hours of cinematics.

Level design and environmental art creation is demonstrated through multiple concept art iterations and integration into the game world.

Simulation of large numbers of rats (up to 3 million) through particle systems and optimizations is highlighted.

Various workspaces, demonstration areas, and in-development assets are toured.

How concept art is used to inspire 3D art and level design:

The art department creates a large number (over 100 pieces) of concept art to establish the visual style and environments.

Concept art goes through multiple iterative refinements as more details are added.

It is used to inspire the 3D environmental artists and level designers in building out the game world.

Early concept art acts as a skeleton that later art adds more substance and realism to.

Level designers and 3D artists are able to get inspiration and ideas for how to construct levels, environments and assets from the conceptual artwork.

Assets shown changing from early concept artwork to highly detailed 3D versions incorporated into actual game levels.

The concept art process allows the creative vision to be established before full 3D art production and helps guide that production.

So in summary, extensive conceptual artwork forms the basis for the overall art style and acts as a starting point to inspire more realistic 3D art production and level design integration into the actual game.

The proprietary game engine:

The studio uses a custom-built, proprietary game engine to develop their games.

Having their own engine allows for greater flexibility than a third-party engine like Unity.

It enables them to more easily implement ambitious ideas that may be difficult in other engines.

Significant improvements were made to the engine between the first and second games to take advantage of more powerful consoles.

This allowed for things like larger maps, higher rat counts, new gameplay systems, and enhanced graphics.

Programming focuses on optimizing and evolving the proprietary engine to support the creative vision.

Engine changes are highly iterative, informed by ongoing design and testing needs.

Having the engine in-house facilitates close collaboration between programmers and designers.

This aids rapid iteration and adapting the tech to new gameplay prototypes or design requirements.

So in summary, the custom engine provides needed flexibility and creative control, and its ongoing refinement is a core focus of programming to enable ambitious game designs.

Simulating large numbers of rats:

Rat simulations utilize particle systems and other techniques in the game engine and authoring tools like Houdini.

Early experiments included physics-based simulations and tsunami-like waveforms.

Current approach injects velocity vectors in key locations to produce natural-looking wave motions.

Parameters control viscosity, speed, bounce behaviors and other properties.

Dividing simulations into modules allows precise timing/placement by level designers.

Individual rats are not tracked at these large volumes - it's about simulating coherent group movements.

Optimizations between games allowed for greatly increased rat counts from 3000 to 30000 to 3 million.

Simulating impressive numbers of rats at scale creates compelling chase/swarm sequences.

Iterative tweaking synchronized emergent behavior with cutscene/gameplay needs.

So in summary, advanced simulation techniques leverage the latest technology to convincingly portray enormous rat hordes through controllable, optimized crowd systems.

Tricks and techniques for simulating large numbers of rats:

Using particle systems and tools like Houdini to define behaviors and simulations at scale. This allows simulating hundreds of thousands to millions of rats.

Injecting velocity vectors in key areas to create more natural, wave-like swarm motions rather than rigid shapes.

Controlling parameters like viscosity, speed, bounce, etc. to refine the simulation properties.

Modularizing simulations so individual effects/waves can be precisely timed/placed by level designers.

Not tracking rats individually at these volumes, instead simulating coherent group movements and behaviors.

Projecting geometry like rat sprites onto simpler collision proxies rather than using complex 3D geometry for each rat. This reduces draw calls and performance impact.

Generating variations in animation and sounds procedurally so it seems like many unique rats rather than repetitions.

Caching/pre-baking simulations where possible to optimize runtime performance.

Leveraging more powerful consoles to massively increase the number of simulated entities from previous games.

So in summary, particle systems, simplified collision, procedural variation and optimization tricks allowed convincing large-scale rat simulations within technical constraints.

Sound design:

Sound design involves recording foley, designing ambient audio layers, and integrating an original musical score.

Music aims to dynamically support gameplay/story pacing through interactive composition.

Key melodic themes are developed across multiple games to tie the narrative together.

3D spatialized audio is a focus to fully immerse the player in the virtual environment.

Next-gen consoles allow implementation of advanced audio technologies like 3D audio.

Breath sounds and subtle musical cues help establish character emotion/psychology.

Iteration occurs between sound designers, composers and other teams to synchronize audio with visuals/gameplay.

Sample audio showcased how layers like ambient atmosphere, music and effects combine.

Early concept music played to inspire writers during cinematic scripting.

So in summary, thoughtful sound design aims to fully immerse the player through rich ambient spaces, musical storytelling and 3D audio technologies supported by the latest consoles. Cross-team collaboration optimizes the audiovisual experience.

Cinematic development:

Cinematics play an important role in the storytelling and emotional impact of the game.

Motion capture and performance capture is used to capture actor performances.

Facial animation is matched closely to the captured performances through the use of cameras focused on the actors' faces.

Early storyboards help plan and visualize scene beats, timing and flow before capturing performances.

Storyboards can also be used to guide actors in their portrayals.

Extensive cinematics totaling over 2 hours were created for the game.

Iteration occurs to refine cinematics based on gameplay, level design and other factors.

Captured performances are integrated into the game engine alongside visual elements.

Streamers saw some of the raw emotional reactions from players experiencing cinematic moments.

So in summary, motion capture and performance-driven animation is used to create highly cinematic story moments totaling many hours, enhancing the narrative experience.

Level design and environmental art creation:

Concept art goes through numerous iterative refinements to evolve locations from basic sketches to fully realized 3D environments.

Early concepts establish the overall setting and vibe before production begins.

Later concepts add increased detail, lighting, textures and scene-specific elements.

Level designers and 3D artists are inspired by concept art to start constructing in-game areas.

Areas demonstrated include village exteriors, indoor spaces, arenas, camps and story-focused set pieces.

Designs consider narrative beats, gameplay functionality and visual cohesion.

Dozens or hundreds of concept pieces may be made to fully flesh out an environment.

3D versions integrate all design and technical work into the final integrated experience.

Collaboration between concept artists and level/enviromental teams brings each location to life.

So in summary, iterative concept art forms the backbone for fully realized 3D levels through inspiration and implementation by level/environmental production teams.

Quality assurance:

Quality assurance testing is a key part of the development process, alongside activities like programming, art and design.

Testers perform various testing roles from gameplay testing to debugging to providing guidance to developers.

The goal is to help ensure the overall quality of the final game.

Testing is done at every stage from early prototypes through to the finished product.

Testers help catch issues and provide feedback to improve various elements like gameplay, bugs, design choices etc.

It's not just playing the game but involves evaluating many parallel aspects to catch potential problems.

Quality assurance testers work closely with all development teams throughout the project.

Their role is to aid, follow and support the development process from the beginning to deliver the best possible experience.

So in summary, testing plays a vital transversal role in collaborating with other teams to improve the game at every step through comprehensive evaluation activities beyond just gameplay.

Based on the details provided in the document, the quality of production for these games appears to be very high. Some factors that indicate this:

The studio uses a proprietary game engine that they have heavily optimized and improved over multiple titles. This allows them to implement ambitious designs.

Extensive concept art is produced, going through many iterations, to fully visualize all aspects of the game world and story. Over 100 concepts in some cases.

Cinematic cutscenes employ motion capture and involve over 2 hours of professionally captured/animated content.

Sound design creates rich, immersive audio through layering, composition and advanced spatial audio techniques.

Large development teams of 70-75 people, with specialized roles, enable high production values across many disciplines.

Systematic quality assurance testing catches issues at all stages to help ensure polish.

Advanced simulation techniques create impressive, convincing in-game effects like swarms of millions of rats.

Multiple awards and positive press/reception suggest released quality met ambitious creative goals.

Efforts to listen to players and iterate/improve between titles.

The depth of content, optimization efforts, collaborations between specialized teams, creative ambition and polish of things like art, animation and sound all indicate an extremely high standard of production for the games discussed. The studio appears dedicated to quality.

Based on the details provided in the document, some observations about the culture of the production studio include:

Strong emphasis on collaboration between different disciplines like art, programming, design, sound, QA. Suggests an integrated team-focused culture.

Creative autonomy coupled with technical constraints - willingness to adapt designs while optimizing engine capabilities. Balance of art and engineering.

Iterative testing and feedback cycles that help shape the final product. Openness to improving based on player input over multiple games.

Focus on ambitious creative goals and pushing the limits of latest generation technology to enable complex designs. Risk-taking innovative culture.

Passion for the craft evident in discussions - artists, programmers, etc. clearly invested in their work and medium. Sense of pride.

Transparency and enthusiasm in giving a full studio tour and technical explanations. Culture that values knowledge sharing.

Polish and attention to detail across sound, animation, visuals, etc. Quality-driven mindset.

Relative autonomy using their own proprietary engine. Suggests a culture that prizes control and flexibility.

Overall, aspects discussed point to a culture that values creativity, technical excellence, teamwork, continuous learning and sharing knowledge towards ambitious long-term goals. A passionate, quality-focused environment.

[avatarmovies]

garrettxwarren

Incredible memories and a look behind the scenes of the first Avatar.

Sam and Zoe were true warriors- the entire cast and crew. Na’vi 💙

About this edit:

Working with the Ikran gimbal. It took us about 2 weeks to finally come up with this rig. We started with a rodeo barrel but it didn’t give us everything we needed for contact points and movement, so we had Stan Winston make us a banshee body and then we put it on a ball joint. The square tube around it is so we can puppeteer it while the actor performs. We always had two pickpoints above in a V to help the performer move side to side and keep their balance.

👇

I had hair and was wearing my fake eye back then. By the end of avatar I stopped using the glass eye.

This movie changed us all.

#Avatar#avataredit#behindthescenes#zoesaldana#samworthington#howitsmade#ikran#pandora#mocap#performancecapture

[adamwittek]

Only 3 days to the next big #AAAGame I have a major part in... 🤫 Until then, can you find me in #RaftGame? Character: Bruno. Split personalities: 5. 🤓 Big thanks to brilliant director @DannyBaldwin and @RedbeetInteractive @SideGlobal for the ride. 🌊 #RaftSurvivalGame #RedbeetInteractive #AxolotGames #SideGlobal #AdamWittek #AAAGames #VoiceActing #VoiceActor #VoiceArtist #VoiceOverActor #VoiceOverArtist #GameVoice #GameVoiceOver #GameVoiceActor #VideoGameActor #FaceCapture #FacialCapture #MotionCapture #PerformanceCapture #MoCap #MoCapActor #MotionCaptureActor #GermanActor #PolishActor #UKActor (at Side Uk) https://www.instagram.com/p/Co5RDPGIq4I/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[adam-boyd]

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 ⏪ 12/07/2019 - 09/08/2019 Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow adamboydstudio.com/SYNTHESPIANS #glasgowart #performancecapture #vfx #mocap #motioncapture #contemporarypainting #oilpainting #painting #synthespian #adamboyd @sixfootgallery (at Six Foot Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4KyG-Jlwln/?igshid=dvmftkt83cr2

[bayraitt]

for any 3D people who want to build a real time 3D character for streaming.  This looks like this is the best way to do it with an iPhoneXR and a fast 3D PC using blender and evee.  there’s also a few off the shelf solutions too demo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ejGhRdREj4 here's the code https://github.com/enzyme69/blendersushi/issues/142 here's how to build the blendshapes https://bleaf.tumblr.com/.../httpsdeveloperapplecomdo.../amp here’s some random examples of what it could look like live:

a 15$  DIY helmet mount doesn’t hurt.  So very similar to how we did the very first live 3D performance capture at protozoa 20 years ago...

[patrickianmoss]

Thing I’ve been working on for a while is out now on @yahooplay. As an art director for @thisisryot, I designed #HypeZilla brought to life by @sirabiola and the incredible folks at #CounterPunchStudios. Love that theme song, too. #characterdesign #animation #animator #unrealengine #performancecapture #motiongraphics #motioncapture #yahoo #yahooplay * #Repost @kazdrumatik with @get_repost ・・・ The new theme song for Hypezilla by Verizon network! 👾Music production by me / vocals by @uknowjchase now available on the Yahoo Play app. Hypezilla is a show that talks about all the latest fashion. S/O @mnsrecords management💯 #hypebeast #hypezilla #supreme #offwhite #sneakers #yeezy #vans #fashionnova (at RYOT) https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx0N1Y5l0ed/?igshid=1ttwcibnzvx1l

[appleartsstudios]

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Apple Arts Studios (@appleartsstudios)

#Repost @michaelantonakos with @get_repost ・・・ Been wanting to post a little Alexios #performancecapture for a while now. So here is a little clip. This scene is from the beginning of the game. Just before you begin your Odyssey. ...I miss Phoibe. She's one of my favorite characters. #AssassinsCreedOdyssey #Alexios #Kassandra #ikaros #opening @ubisoft @ubisofttoronto @ubisoftquebec #game #games #videogames #rpg #mocap #motioncapture #tightsuit #helmetcam #acting #performance #actor #assassin #misthios #Odyssey #greece #spartan #kephalonia #scene #scenework # https://www.instagram.com/p/Bt0LmpjlDhr/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=c892fifiq0o

[elizabethkarr]

Nolan North honored tonight with @bafta award from #baftagames committee for his stellar contribution to games. Pioneer in the performance capture sphere and voice of Nathan Drake in Uncharted, among countless others. It was a lovely evening, including a fun conversation with Amy Hennig & @reallynolannorth about his career & hijinks. Here at the after party with John Alan Simon & Nathan. 🥇 🎭 #BAFTA #baftagamesawards #mocap #performancecapture #acting #uncharted #games #destiny #assassinscreed #brownsuit (at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills)

[kevlavery]

I built a #characteranimator puppet of everyone’s favourite reality tv heel. If you do a good Trump and would like to lend your voice to this goon dm me a voice memo or video. Offer open to all ages, sexes, and ethnicities. I had considered using his voice but @cubstudio have already done that (and they have done it perfectly as they are amazing). You should check out the brilliance that is allthetrumpfacts.com But yeah, he’s an Adobe Character Animator puppet so his mouth moves to make words, his head eyes and eyebrows move and his hair moves stiffly in place like a well attached wig. His tiny hands move too. He was drawn in #procreate and then pieced together in #photoshop before I rigged him in Character Animator. #design #animation #trump #drumph #donaldtrump #45 #election2020 #voiceacting #impressions #comedy #puppet #performancecapture #motioncapture https://www.instagram.com/p/CDS-7BFnbT2/?igshid=1tj5c8wcl3i3n

[victoriaviveskhuong]

BOOK DAY 229: LOOOVE this post from @stormzeye today! Epic times! . " With our powers combined! Always great to work with my fun fam! Victoria Vives, Sean Sterling, Vaughndio Forbes, Tess Kielhammer and Tamiah Bantum! ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ .⠀ PS: Book is complete!! Countdown to release! Grab your copy here 👉 https://VictoriaVives.com 🤩⠀⠀ .⠀ #MindsEyeTribe👁️⚡ #Performancecapture #pcap #mocap #motioncapture #film #videogames #gamedev #tv #acting #actorlife #action #FindYourTribe #MindsEyeTribe #inamatterofseconds #inamatterofsecondsbook #victoriaviveskhuong #victoriavives #upcomingbook #writingabook #inspirationalauthors #inspirationalauthor #inspirationalbooks #empowerment ⚡ Repost @stormzeye @sean__sterling @kamenblackguy @tesskielhamer @tamiahbantum (at Los Angeles County, California) https://www.instagram.com/p/B6TYVUagwkx/?igshid=z4gq4rf1psoj

[n0nb1narycode]

[There is a peculiar amount if Tom Hanks in this one ] • Holiday Movie Asplosion 2019! Chapter 17: The Polar Express • • • • • #HolidayMovieAsplosion2019 #iLoveMovies #christmasmovies #christmasspecials #holidays #movies #christmas #holidayfilms #christmasfilms #abluchristmas #bluray #blurays #thepolarexpress #tomhanks #robertzemeckis #performancecapture (#mildlydisconcerting ) #2004 (at The Matt Cave) https://www.instagram.com/p/B5TmEpQJE8Q/?igshid=uilyx89s6a4e

[thehipsterzombiejointexperience]

#RepostPlus @stormzeye - - - - - - So happy to do what I do with such amazing people. Thank you for a life of bliss. Link to the article on my IG Bio. #ThankYouIanFailes ⚡ ⚡ ⚡ Www.MindsEyeTribe.com #MindsEyeTribe👁️⚡ #Performancecapture #pcap #mocap #motioncapture #film #videogames #gamedev #tv #acting #actorlife #action #FindYourTribe #MindsEyeTribe 👁️⚡ https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Z1Jk-jcRI/?igshid=c94pnv1a2617

[avatarmovies]

garrettxwarren

Behind the scenes with the phenomenal cast and crew of Avatar The Way of Water 💙

THIS is Performance Capture at its finest!

Na’vi

#avatarthewayofwater#avatar2#avatar#performancecapture#howitsmade#behindthescenes#jamescameron#zoesaldana#samworthington#katewinslet#sigourneyweaver#stephenlang#cchpounder#navi

[adamwittek]

The glorious #TPose on a recent job for @SetYourHead (with @Target3D_Ltd & @DigitalCatapult) who use #ImmersiveVR to train #Journalists operating in crisis regions. I couldn't be prouder to be part of this crucial work that empowers #Journalism to bring us truth in the most dangerous of circumstances. Huge thanks to @AelaCallan @KateParkinsonUK @Petros_DD @Houdini_SP45 and my scene partner @PatDynowska for a T-rific time. 🤸🏻‍♂️ #HeadSetStudio #SetYourHead #Target3D #DigitalCatapult #VirtualProductionTestStage #VR #VRTraining #VirtualReality #VirtualRealityTraining #JournalismIsNotACrime #JournalismTraining #AdamWittek #FaceCapture #FacialCapture #MotionCapture #PerformanceCapture #MoCap #PCap #MoCapActor #MotionCaptureActor #VoiceActor #VoiceOverActor #GermanActor #PolishActor #UKActor #BilingualActor (at Target3D) https://www.instagram.com/p/CeoaVh4ITaN/?igshid=NGJjMDIxMWI=

[adam-boyd]

𝙎𝙮𝙣𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙞𝙖𝙣𝙨 ⏪ 12/07/2019 - 09/08/2019 Six Foot Gallery, Glasgow adamboydstudio.com/SYNTHESPIANS #glasgowart #performancecapture #vfx #mocap #motioncapture #contemporarypainting #oilpainting #painting #synthespian #adamboyd @sixfootgallery (at Six Foot Gallery) https://www.instagram.com/p/B4Kx2AwFu-_/?igshid=hhnlbzzrimvo

[teslabargain]

If you haven't done already, please order your copy of Alita to help make the sequels happen! . . . . . #alita #alitabattleangel #alitamovie #battleangelalita #gunnm #movie #movies #movieoftheday #movieoftheyear #scifi #performance #performancecapture #rosasalazar #robertrodriguez #jamescameron #zalem #battleangel #ironcity #yukitokishiro #cyberpunk #panzerkunst #bluray #4k #real3d #3d #movietime #movienight #3dmovie #moviecollector #moviestar https://www.instagram.com/p/ByR_ZVuiUii/?igshid=r5o0r8ssczw6