Game Engines For Real Time Stereoscopic 3D Visualization
3D Engines for realistic stereoscopic 3D virtual worlds
We intend to use a state-of-the-art 3D Gaming Engine to re-create an actual location, which is a Nature Trail, to bring the “experience” of what this real world location is really like, to people who may not be aware of its existence and also possibly to induce them to visit the real place after experiencing it virtually.
The Experience will have to be very realistic, and typically not have a “video game feel” if we want the project to succeed in leaving a sense of being there in the minds of the audiences.
The first phase of this project has already been completed and comprised shooting a stereoscopic 3D film of the location, and creating a Virtual Experience room complete with surround sound and polarized 3D glasses, along with such sensory effects as Ambient light washers, Fog effects and surround Sound. These effects can be triggered in sync with video being played back to complete the multi-sensory experience for the audience.
Linear Film or Video versus Interactive Stereoscopic Virtual Reality
Photorealistic, navigable 3D virtual world versus Video
Above: Highly Realistic animated Tortoise / Turtle in CryEngine2 ®™ 3D game engine. (CryEngine 3 will have many more revolutionary features)
We have the expertise to film the location in 3D and we are already developing the end-user experience as stated here, but that is not ground breaking enough!
Real time, Stop-And-Look-Around, interactivity is the way forward for a truly immersive experience. This emotes a feeling of belonging and immersion in the viewer.
This is the reason we are exploring 3d game engines, to completely re-create with high detail, the actual Nature Trail and all that it has to offer. Audiences experiencing the Nature Trail will be completely immersed in the environment with 3D glasses, surround sound and the ability to get up close to flora and fauna, and insects that are present on the nature trail.
We looked at the most advanced options available in a real-time simulation solution and realized that Gaming Engines are far ahead in quality and technology than existing dedicated simulation software, for re-creating Nature with the ease of use and some even offer realistic pre-fabricated “assets” for such a complex outdoor environment as a Nature Trail. The choices narrowed down to:
This is a dedicated Virtual Reality visual authoring environment that is specifically used for authoring high end multi-sensory experiences for visualization in the fields of real-Estate, Oil and gas, Simulations, and Town planning. The learning curve is a bit high for new comers, but the feature list and possibilities are numerous. It has complete integration with high end software such as 3Dsmax for creating virtual assets and has built in Physics capability as well as accommodation for stereoscopic out-put and Virtual Reality hardware input for control of user experiences, such as head trackers, VR wands etc.
Licensing: One time price of US$ 10,000/- for very high end version with royalty-free executables and video output. End product is free of any recurring royalties and license fees. Disadvantage: Not yet as realistic for nature specific output as compared to CryEngine2. No built in pre-fab assets for nature. However any existing third party detailed models such as foliage from software like XFrog and landscaping models etc can be imported.
The Unity3D engine offers the best of both worlds and is rightfully in the middle with Quest3D on one side and CryEngine2 on the other. Unity3D is a breakthrough engine in the sense that it has a very easy to use instant visual feedback authoring environment in “Sandbox” format. It has similar features to Cryengine2, although visual fidelity is definitely not comparable to the superior Cryengine2 output.
Licensing: One time price of US$ 1500 only. This is a huge advantage over other licensing schemes, and makes this ideal for visualization markets, where output is typically used for presentation purposes to clients and not commercially sold as games are.
Choosing an Advanced Gaming Engine – CryEngine2 ®™
Ultra realistic Nature with CryEngine 2 in stereoscopic 3D
Our ultimate choice for this specific project is CryEngine2. It is as though the software and engine was tailor made for the project. CryEngine2 excels in rendering ultra realistic outdoor environments with atmosphere, ultra responsive physics and environment (natural) effects. The “wet” settings need to be seen in Stereoscopic 3D to be believed!
The vegetation shows water drops dripping down the leaves and rocks as it would in real life when it is wet and raining. Licensing is available directly from the owners and makers, CryTek GmbH. Advantages: 90% of what would be needed for a Nature trekking project is already built into the Engine as “assets”. You can find realistic rocks, vegetation and a few animals and insects. The easy to use visual authoring environment, called “SandBox 2” is state of the art and gives instant real time feedback while editing. The best available engine for an outdoor project, and well suited to the Nature Trekking project described here.
The only possible competitor would be Unreal2 Engine, which is known for its indoor environments.
Disclaimer: The opinions about products and solutions is our opinion only, and do not necessarily reflect the true capability and intent of these different software solutions.
A PDF file on this Project can be Downloaded here
Real Vision can be contracted to beta test 3D engines, and recommend usage of real time visualization software and hardware in the domain of Stereoscopic 3D visualization. We adopt an un-orthodox workflow that yields unique insights in creative use of technology.
Imagine the “Avatar” Camera system using a real-time engine of this caliber for the Virtual worlds! The effect would have been jaw-dropping for the actors, it might have even been possible to create the movie in REAL TIME!
