Valve Discusses "Photogrammetry" VR Experiments

[Omnomnick]

Thanks to a recent tweet by Valve engineer Joe Ludwig, we were recently made aware of some of the company's latest virtual reality experiments. The experiments largely revolve around "photogrammetry", a technique traditionally used to create 3D measurements using multiple 2D photographs from the real-world. Given this is Valve we're talking about, it should come as no surprise that these experiments involve virtual reality - including potentially creating environments by combining multiple photographs together. The results, shown below, are described as being "compelling and unsettling".

Put simply - the above image is achieved by photographing a location from multiple angles and positions, and then using advanced algorithms and computer programs, such as Agisoft Photoscan, to digitally stitch them together into a virtual environment almost as realistic as the original source material. Entering the environment with high-quality virtual reality and the HTC Vive's room-scale experience capabilities effectively allow a player to explore that same environment in 3D space from anywhere else in the world, while also providing game designers the chance to modify that location as they see fit (such as adding P-Body!).

It's far more complicated than these brief few paragraphs will make it seem, and the trio of blog posts over on the SteamVR hub contain a lot of in-depth information about just how Valve's engineers go about achieving this potentially mind-blowing feat. Additionally, those with access to the VR demo's (developers with Vive kits, etc) can actually check out the demo's for themselves right now in a dedicated directory available at the base of the third blog post.

It's not difficult to see how these practices could benefit games and virtual reality projects in general, but we'll just have to see if or how these experiments manifest themselves for Valve's endeavors in the future! Needless to say -- we're impressed!

 

[Alex_Gol]

I heard somewhere that they were trying to reach NPC eye player tracking/face capture kind of technologies blend. Not sure IIRC but it was something like that.

 

[Skyace65]

spiritual successor to FMV games?

 

[AYKO]

Blog post in Steamcommunity forums is written by Adam Foster (Cargo Cult). Looks like he joined the VR team too.

 

[Aizawa]

photogrammetry was also used for "The vanishing of Ethan Carter" and "The Talos Principle" and both games look amazing.

 

[Spamming Tanks]

I wonder how this effects file sizes. Surely it takes a lot of data.

The technology seems limited to environments that you can take pictures of though... unless I am missing something. If so, that seems very limiting to world-design.