A tremendous technique to reflect the expression and movement of an actress in real time in the game

Action adventure game developed for PlayStation 4 / PC "Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice"Has become a flying setting that the hero's Senua suffers from psychosis causing hallucinations and delusions. Development is handled by independent game development company Ninja Theory, but in order to express emotions and motions of the main character suffering from psychosis as realistically as possible, we adopted motion capture technology that can be rendered in real time, its development scenery is There are striking things.

Hellblade | Development diary: Making a virtual human | PS4 - YouTube


Hellblade is releasing a movie containing the development scenery, and one of them contains information on how to create a character appearing in the game.


Senua of the hero who is suffering from psychosis.


Senua expresses emotion by moving various parts of the face such as eyes, mouth, eyebrows.


The movement of the hair when looking back and forth is also like a real human.


How is a character that is close to real so far made up?


The expression and movement are real, because I actively capture the performance of an actress and render it in real time and reflect it in the game.


When the camera moves and the composition from the side is reached ......


The angle to display the Senua in the game also changes.


In shouting angry act ... ...


Senua also shouts in the game and expresses anger.


It is a strange sight that the movement between the actress and the character is completely synchronized.


"We wanted to prove the power of consumers and the Unreal Engine," said Kim Ribley Lee, Epic Game, who developed the Unreal Engine used for Hellblade.


Development scenery of motion capture.


Tamim Antoniades who leads the development of Hellblade "I was truly astonished when I learned the technology that can reflect the material photographed in the real world to the character of the virtual world as it is, so it can be confirmed on the spot, There is no need to worry about what the picture is finished in. "


While watching the character in the game, I will instruct actress to actress.


If the actress acts like looking up at the flame that appeared in the air, it reflected in the game.


There are several companies involved in the development of Hellblade.


3 Lateral who is in charge of the facial facial design of the character.


Real-time facial system is Cubic Motion.


Ninja Theory, etc. who will play game development, etc. In addition to this, companies such as Xsens, Ikinema, and Technoprops provide their own technologies.


"Since Ninja Theory is an independent development company, a small team of 16 people developing Hellblade is in charge.Hellblade will be an indie game, but somehow we can manage the hero's emotions of psychosis I wanted to express it. "


In 3 Lateral, which is known for using advanced technology in face scan, more than 100 types of facial expressions were scanned.


By scanning as much facial expression as possible, the character can reproduce any facial expressions in the game.


In order to express real skin, we shot under all kinds of lighting environment.


I took a picture from a multi-directional angle as to how the texture of the skin changes when light hits, how the shadow can be made, and so on.


A real face is completed by shooting a shadow created by a change in fine facial expressions such as blinks and wrinkles.


When the face is hit by light.


Even though the light moves to the right, the shadow generation is very smooth. Or, it is shocking that this image is not genuine.


Even if seen from the side this street.



The actress will scan the whole body for the digital body double.


Body doubleRefers to an actor who acts on behalf of a person who is not able to perform by a film or television drama shooter. In this case, because the actress can not actually perform in the game, the character becomes a digital body double.


Clothes that Senua wears.


The cloth of the rash is ...


Scanned dogs for what they actually bite.


Use scanned items for Senua's costumes.


I paint white paint on black paper with hands.


Scan this and use it for character design. Not only the skin and expression of the character, but also garments are made close to real.


Clothing wrinkles and motion are also accurately calculated using physical calculations.


The movement of the real world is reflected to what kind of movement the clothes move when the character walks.


The texture of the projected character is felt as if it is there.



Cubic Motion is in charge of a system which renders actor's expression and movement in real time and reflects it in the game.


Epic Games of Unrial Engine has supported the technology to synchronize streaming, face, motion, voice, landscape in real time in the game.


Senua to sit in the air in the game. What is going on ... ...


An actress is sitting in a chair and taking a break.


"I think that game development has taken a big step by offering technology by multiple development companies such as Ninja Theory, Epic Games, 3 Lateral, Cubic Motion etc. This technology is not only for game development but also for VR development , The field of video production has greatly expanded the range of what we can do right now, "says Mr. Librelli.


The trailer of Hellblade can be confirmed from the following movie.

Hellblade - Gameplay Trailer | PS4 - YouTube