Under the Hood of the Metaverse. How Lado Okhotnikov’s Meta Force Uses Motion Capture

It’s hard to imagine a multi-million dollar project that would be complete without the use of motion capture.

You can see motion capture technology in the games Halo 4, LA Noire, Beyond: Two Souls in which the leading actors not only read the text into the microphone but also ran around the stage and shook their limbs. The actors played their roles fully, literally “turning themselves inside out” to make their character look as realistic as possible.

So we took up the issue of realistic movement staging. I want our Metaworld and the characters in it to accurately copy real life. This means that the average user should not see the slightest hint of an artificial environment – only complete immersion. 

Have you ever wondered why in GTA V the main character Michael de Santa moves differently than the supporting characters? This is because the movements were not copied using computer simulation, but through the actual work of the actor.

From the games, we understood how motion capture mechanics work. And we had a lot of work ahead of us. But what about virtual reality, where everything has to happen not according to a script but with improvisation? 

High-quality animation is the key to a successful Metaverse project.

We tried the motion capture technology in Meta Force on me. Lado Okhotnikov, my digital copy from Metaverse, had to be as realistic as possible. And we succeeded. Yes, at some points the movements looked awkward but behind this work there is a whole team of professionals, among whom the motion designer played a significant role.

And yes, we continue to improve the process. Therefore, do not rush to draw conclusions..

Plans 

I don’t want to reveal all the secrets, but I can say that we are on the way to getting the so-called haptic feedback – it can be considered the height of perfection. And when we succeed in creating a fully immersive Metaverse, then a real revolution will occur.

Otherwise, the team still employs a motion designer. It creates effects that make pictures move and look alive. His task is to do everything so that in the end the movements become beautiful and interesting, and the audience does not feel the falseness inherent in cheap cartoons with simple animation.

It’s not always possible to do something the first time. Sometimes correction of movements and animation is required. At such times, animators can make changes to poses, remove unwanted elements, or even completely recreate the animation.

We haven’t encountered this yet, but I can already see that real difficulties lie ahead. If a person is more or less predictable in his movements, then in the case of animals it is more difficult to predict and copy behavior. And when creating a realistic Metaworld, in which not only people, but also animals will live, you will have to make even more efforts. 

About the project

Meta Force by Lado Okhotnikov is not just another virtual platform. This is a new stage in the development of virtual worlds, in which reality and virtuality become inextricably linked. The creator of this project strives for maximum realism to provide an absolutely indescribable experience in the Metaworld.

An innovative approach to the global virtual environment, where the boundaries between the real and the virtual will disappear, is clearly visible. Perhaps there will soon be a way in which we will be able to use many tools to interact with the Metaverse, thereby opening up an almost limitless, and most importantly, a decentralized Metaworld, beyond the control of even the developer.