It is time to look back and prepare for 2016.
This year I have been finishing up Project KAG, that is now called "Herbs of Magic" and that is going to be released around Mars 2016 on a web platform. I am a little concerned about the support on the Unity Webplayer, but hope it all ends well. I have also learned alot of new technology to use to speed up development, and I am currenctly in posession og Agisoft Photoscan, Kscan3d with a Kinect v2, and Brekel Body2.Also around the corner are better light setup for the capture studio which might enable me to make 3d scans indoor at any weather.
Other than that I have mostly been working on a single new project that has a complete design document, and I love the idea so far. The problem has been graphics and how to execute it as a single developer.It is all about meeting requirements within the total capacity. Thoughts have been moving between pixelated 2d and full cinematic movie like gameplay, but I have ended on a full 3d over-the shoulder 3rd person game with in-game cutscenes. Due to limits I can only make small indoor scenes and even smaller outdoor scenes, which means no roaming and exploring terrains or urban environments.
I am currently putting together technology for making a thin vertical slice with the graphics I can make, to hopefully get some attention from developers who might want to join me on a small team so that we can get some funding.
The mannequin experiment
I have only one camera to do photogrammetry and I need to do it outside in overcast weather. This means that it is very difficult for a model to stand completely still while I take enough pictures, and the result is often messy and useless. So I got the idea to make a doll that could be dressed and mounted on a stand for "scanning". The way planned this was to make a tape figure of my girlfriend (whom I am endlessly thankful for her patience and helping me out :) ), and then filling it with expanding foam. However the foam did not dry correctly is such an enclosed space, and after a few days it started to shrink, making the doll look awful :( So I can say this one failed.
Mocap Helmet
Since I have a few Ps3 Eye cameras now, I figured they would be good to use for facial mocap if only I could mount it on the head. A prototype of styrofoam was a learning lesson.
The camera was too low and too close. It was no room for adjustments.
So later I bought a very cheap "helmet thingy" to protect you face when using a motorsaw. I trimmed away useless parts and had a perfect comfortable and adjustable headband with adjustable temporal pieces for the camera arms.
This setup is not the best, but it fits everyone, can be upgraded for stereo cameras, and is nearly free!
This is what you need:
Motorsaw protection cap
Two plastic tubes (one must fit neatly inside the other)
Small strips
A couple of nuts and bolts
A drill
Styrofoam and tape (or something better)
Epoxy glue
Drill many holes in the inner plastic tube and one hole in the outer. This allows for length adjustments of the arms. Lock them with the bolts. Fasten the arms to the headband by drilling holes and attach them tightly with strips.
Make a styrofoam block with two holes and mount it on the end of the arms with tape. Place the camera on it, and adjust the position with the temporal adjusters on the headband. Then carefully glue it in place with epoxy, unless they will eventually move because of the weight.
Current Project
I have no name for this yet since it is still early for that, but I can show a few things.
The game will have a focus on characters so that it is important to give them a good polish and facial detail. I have no skills to make dynamic normal maps, but at least I push it as far as possible without it.
By photogrammetry scanning a plaster mold of teeth with many painted dots I could make a realisticly propportioned low poly model of teeth and gums in about an hour. I believe these can be mophed into other kinds of teeth later.
My lovely Wife aka GF is lending me her face and talent for all these experiments, and she will also be the base model for the lead character. I will be the base for the male characters in the game and we will act all scenes ourselves, as of now, and add voiceover from other actors later.
Look forward to more updates when the animations are holding up, and have a happy new year!
So, yeah! This is the Apdan Studio! Small but efficient :) I have even more space for motion capture and light setup, but working on it.
This year I have been finishing up Project KAG, that is now called "Herbs of Magic" and that is going to be released around Mars 2016 on a web platform. I am a little concerned about the support on the Unity Webplayer, but hope it all ends well. I have also learned alot of new technology to use to speed up development, and I am currenctly in posession og Agisoft Photoscan, Kscan3d with a Kinect v2, and Brekel Body2.Also around the corner are better light setup for the capture studio which might enable me to make 3d scans indoor at any weather.
This is the empty splash screen for Herbs of Magic, a very simple 3rd person action game for kids. It takes about 5 minutes to complete a speedrun, more info will come later.
I am currently putting together technology for making a thin vertical slice with the graphics I can make, to hopefully get some attention from developers who might want to join me on a small team so that we can get some funding.
The mannequin experiment
I have only one camera to do photogrammetry and I need to do it outside in overcast weather. This means that it is very difficult for a model to stand completely still while I take enough pictures, and the result is often messy and useless. So I got the idea to make a doll that could be dressed and mounted on a stand for "scanning". The way planned this was to make a tape figure of my girlfriend (whom I am endlessly thankful for her patience and helping me out :) ), and then filling it with expanding foam. However the foam did not dry correctly is such an enclosed space, and after a few days it started to shrink, making the doll look awful :( So I can say this one failed.
Wine and #handcheck as it should be in the Apdan Studio :)
As seen, if you pull a pair of yoga pants on this one, it would seem like a worst case of cellulites.
Mocap Helmet
Since I have a few Ps3 Eye cameras now, I figured they would be good to use for facial mocap if only I could mount it on the head. A prototype of styrofoam was a learning lesson.
The camera was too low and too close. It was no room for adjustments.
So later I bought a very cheap "helmet thingy" to protect you face when using a motorsaw. I trimmed away useless parts and had a perfect comfortable and adjustable headband with adjustable temporal pieces for the camera arms.
Something like this cost about 20$
This setup is not the best, but it fits everyone, can be upgraded for stereo cameras, and is nearly free!
This is what you need:
Motorsaw protection cap
Two plastic tubes (one must fit neatly inside the other)
Small strips
A couple of nuts and bolts
A drill
Styrofoam and tape (or something better)
Epoxy glue
Drill many holes in the inner plastic tube and one hole in the outer. This allows for length adjustments of the arms. Lock them with the bolts. Fasten the arms to the headband by drilling holes and attach them tightly with strips.
Make a styrofoam block with two holes and mount it on the end of the arms with tape. Place the camera on it, and adjust the position with the temporal adjusters on the headband. Then carefully glue it in place with epoxy, unless they will eventually move because of the weight.
This is a true success for a "poor mans" facial mocap system! It should be mentioned that the markers are made from double sided foam tape, painted with UV sensitive green, but they are too big and clunky so I need to change them with something smaller and rounder. Paying 50$ for a 10 pack of professional dots is not a good deal in any way.
Current Project
I have no name for this yet since it is still early for that, but I can show a few things.
The game will have a focus on characters so that it is important to give them a good polish and facial detail. I have no skills to make dynamic normal maps, but at least I push it as far as possible without it.
By photogrammetry scanning a plaster mold of teeth with many painted dots I could make a realisticly propportioned low poly model of teeth and gums in about an hour. I believe these can be mophed into other kinds of teeth later.
It looks ugly but it works!
The low poly modeling and texturing after the scan model takes about an hour.
...And can be done for all kinds of assets :)
Very early test of the lead character. Textures are just place holders.
Closeup of the current face. The new face I am working on is much better.
My lovely Wife aka GF is lending me her face and talent for all these experiments, and she will also be the base model for the lead character. I will be the base for the male characters in the game and we will act all scenes ourselves, as of now, and add voiceover from other actors later.
Look forward to more updates when the animations are holding up, and have a happy new year!
