Cygames Facilities Vol.4: The LightCage Face Scanner

Following the company’s vision statement, Cygames has aggressively invested in building new studio facilities in order to realize their goal of being the best in entertainment. In “Cygames Facilities Vol.4”, we will introduce our state-of-the-art 3D face scanner.

As shown in volume one of Cygames Facilities, the company has a number of in-house studios dedicated to creating visual assets. The Scanning Studio, established in February 2017, specializes in capturing precise 3D data by utilizing an array of cameras arranged 360 degrees around the subject. In addition, we launched the Motion Capture Studio in February 2018, which records the subject’s movements within a 16 x 9 square meter space using 72 strategically placed cameras.

Motion capturing is a type of technology that enables users to digitally record the subject’s movements and actions. When applied to a 3D character, it allows for smoother and more realistic movements.

Motion Capture Studio

With the idea of creating content of the highest caliber, the Scanning Studio has implemented Cygames’ newly-acquired face scanner, utilizing its LightCage photogrammetry system.

Photogrammetry is the recording of images to render 3D models and textures.

Face Scanner Overview

The scanner is able to collect CG data from one of the most important parts of a subject—their face. The spherical frame is equipped with 67 full-sized sensor cameras, each capable of high-speed consecutive shots. When synchronized with the 156 multi-flash lights, a total of 603 raw images can be captured in a mere second.

The underlying system of the LightCage, which allows for high-definition textures and mesh data, was developed by a U.K.-based company by the name of ESPER Design. LightCage is rarely used in Japan, and few video game companies in the world offer such facilities in-house.

Why Face Scanner?
Achieving the Ultimate Immersive Experience

In order to realize their goal of creating the absolute best content, it was of the utmost importance that Cygames obtain a method of creating visual assets of unrivaled quality.

With the advent of high-performance gaming hardware and online gaming, graphics have vastly improved over the last few years. As a whole, the gaming industry has been consistently striving for higher quality and deeper immersive experiences for the players, most notably evident in many of the successful AAA titles that feature photorealistic visuals.

At Cygames, we believe that having high-definition models is an indespensable part of adapting to the changing times.

Cygames’ first AAA project in development, Project Awakening, features numerous photorealistic, high-definition models.

However, producing such high-definition models comes at an immense cost of time and manhours.

Players glean a wealth of information from a character’s facial expressions, so even slight inaccuracies can detract from their immersion into the game. Up until now, the main solution to this problem was to gather an entire team of talented artists and ask them to revise their work time and time again.

Now with the help of a state-of-the-art face scanner, multiple high quality CG models can be produced in a fraction of the time.

One of the biggest advantages the face scanner has over conventional equipment is the ability to obtain accurate color and light information from objects. Furthermore, the scanner is connected to a server with manycore processors and multi-GPUs that can handle the extensive large of data. This allows for data transfers to be executed as quickly and efficiently as possible.

Finalizing image data after various types of processing.

Having in-house facilities like this allows for a more efficient preparation, production, and delivery of data. This system also provides to us the time for reiteration (a process of trial and error to achieve the perfect results) and creates an environment where we can work closely together when creating high-quality materials for each project.

The Pinnacle of Photorealism!
From Shoot to Shot

Let’s take a closer look at a step-by-step example of our production process.

First, the model steps inside the spherical frame and gets situated. Then, all the cameras and lights go off simultaneously in a high-speed continuous shoot, resulting in 603 shots per facial expression.

The spherical frame is equipped with cameras and lights. In order to eliminate indirect light and capture the true colors, the background is blacked out, and lights are aimed directly at the subject. A program controls all lights and cameras during the shoot.

Here’s a video showing what it looks like during the shoot.
This video contains flashing lights. Please proceed with caution.

After the shoot, the images are sent to a data processing server, where photogrammetric tools such as Metashape and Reality Capture are used to generate textures and polygon meshes.

Below are images of the subject rendered as a CG model. The color and lighting of the model’s face can be adjusted accordingly to each different environment. This is only possible because all the textural information is captured correctly during the shoot.

Dynamic Photogrammetry
The Future of Cygames’ Studio Facilities

Today, we’ve introduced Cygames’ new face scanner.

Although the face scanner is still being tested, we plan on putting it to great use throughout our various projects. There are plans to push the scanner to its limits by combining its use with the time, allowing for what is often called 4D photography. It may not be long before players will experience fully realistic depictions of their world in video games!

Cygames’ aim is to provide both the best equipment and work environment for their staff. We wish to see everyone working comfortably and challenging themselves.

The future is bright, as we will continue to focus on evolving with the times and breaking limits.

Scanning Studio staff wanted! Click here for more information. (Japanese Only)