Courtesy of AnotherWorld VR
KOBOLD from AnotherWorld VR is a new kind of horror experience that blurs the line between cinema and VR gaming. Step into the shoes of an urban explorer investigating the mysterious case of a missing boy, then pick up your flashlight and discover the secrets of an abandoned villa in the middle of a dark forest in Germany.
With its intensely realistic visuals captured with photogrammetry, free movement, and intuitive interactions, KOBOLD is a unique room-scale VR experience that will entice and terrify.
A transmedia experience, KOBOLD is accompanied by a short film that can be viewed before entering the VR experience. The short film serves as an introduction into the world and characters and tells the backstory of the missing boy and his family.
According to Director Max Sacker at AnotherWorld VR, "KOBOLD intends to push the boundaries of what is possible in VR. The world was scanned from real locations and the characters were captured with photogrammetry and mocap. Meticulous attention was paid to atmospheric design and compelling, experimental narrative inspired by pagan mythology and the claustrophobic environment of 1970s East Germany."
A transmedia experience, KOBOLD is accompanied by a short film that can be viewed before entering the VR experience. The short film serves as an introduction into the world and characters and tells the backstory of the missing boy and his family.
According to Director Max Sacker at AnotherWorld VR, "KOBOLD intends to push the boundaries of what is possible in VR. The world was scanned from real locations and the characters were captured with photogrammetry and mocap. Meticulous attention was paid to atmospheric design and compelling, experimental narrative inspired by pagan mythology and the claustrophobic environment of 1970s East Germany."
Courtesy of AnotherWorld VR
The player then puts on a VR headset and steps into the story, breaking into the abandoned villa, gathering clues, solving a mystery, and entering a dark, mythical underworld inspired by European folklore and pagan mythology.
In order to make the transition from film to VR as immersive as possible, the entire villa (which is a real location in Brandenburg, Germany) and its surroundings were meticulously scanned with photogrammetry. Actors were also 3D scanned and brought to life in VR using motion capture and advanced facial capture technology.
In order to make the transition from film to VR as immersive as possible, the entire villa (which is a real location in Brandenburg, Germany) and its surroundings were meticulously scanned with photogrammetry. Actors were also 3D scanned and brought to life in VR using motion capture and advanced facial capture technology.
Courtesy of AnotherWorld VR
The AAA graphics, character and level design, compelling gameplay and intuitive interactivity were designed from the ground up for the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive.
The technical approach behind KOBOLD made use of three key technological advances that have enabled independent VR production studios and content creators to achieve the kind of cinematic realism required for immersive and breathtaking VR experiences:
The environments and characters in KOBOLD were digitized into 3D models using a process called photogrammetry, where real-world environments, objects, and actors are meticulously photographed from many different angles. The photographs were then imported into specialized photogrammetry software, where they could be converted into ultra-realistic, textured, and highly detailed 3D models, providing the basis for environment design or character animation.
The team used RealityScan for its unrivaled speed and high-quality results, and because it is able to handle large volumes of photographs, rapidly turning them into 3D assets that can be integrated into virtual reality.
Technical approach
The technical approach behind KOBOLD made use of three key technological advances that have enabled independent VR production studios and content creators to achieve the kind of cinematic realism required for immersive and breathtaking VR experiences:
Photogrammetry
The environments and characters in KOBOLD were digitized into 3D models using a process called photogrammetry, where real-world environments, objects, and actors are meticulously photographed from many different angles. The photographs were then imported into specialized photogrammetry software, where they could be converted into ultra-realistic, textured, and highly detailed 3D models, providing the basis for environment design or character animation.
The team used RealityScan for its unrivaled speed and high-quality results, and because it is able to handle large volumes of photographs, rapidly turning them into 3D assets that can be integrated into virtual reality.
Courtesy of AnotherWorld VR
Motion capture
With motion capture technology, the movements and kinetics of an actor or performer are captured digitally and transferred onto a 3D character or digital double. Until recently, motion capture was mostly limited to the research institutes, large-scale VFX companies, or Hollywood studios that could finance the equipment and studio space required to utilize it.
The Perception Neuron by NOITOM Ltd. is a breakthrough motion capture suit that does not rely on specialized cameras to track motion, but rather utilizes sensors about the size of a penny that can be easily fastened to the head, arms, torso, legs, feet, and individual fingers of the performer, and can send a data signal to a laptop via WI-FI.
The Perception Neuron is affordably priced for independent creators and can be used in any remote location where a WI-FI network can be set up. When capturing the motion of creatures and characters for KOBOLD, the performers would often go out into the forest so they could climb on rocks and trees, and across natural environments, adding to the realism of their movements.
Facial animation
Reading faces is an intrinsic skill that we humans learn from the moment we are born and continue to develop in our daily lives. The slightest twitch, smirk, or wrinkle can tell an entire story. In virtual reality—as in real life—every detail counts, and the realism of facial animations is paramount to maintaining the immersion of the experience.
In their continuing effort to perfect facial animation, the team behind KOBOLD has begun employing advanced, markerless facial capture technology using facial capture solutions by Faceware Technologies, with which the facial gestures of real actors and characters can be filmed with a video camera and transferred onto their digital doubles with very high fidelity.
Awards and nominations
KOBOLD has received several nominations and awards:
- 75th Venice International Film Festival 2018
Nominated: Venice Award for Best Virtual Reality Experience (For Interactive Content) - Raindance International Film Festival 2018
Nominated: Best Interactive Narrative Experience
Early Prototype Awards (selection in private by jury)
- VRCORE 2017: Won Gold for Best Immersive Experience
- VR AWARDS LONDON 2017: Nominated for Best Interactive Media / Film
About AnotherWorld VR
AnotherWorld VR is a Berlin-based VR content production studio with a background in filmmaking that creates photorealistic and exciting VR experiences with an emphasis on storytelling, cinematic aesthetics, and immersive gaming interactivity.
Article provided by Max Sacker, Director at AnotherWorld VR.
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