Black Myth: Wukong is a big hit! Wukong's "real body" is actually him! How amazing is motion capture?

Review expert: Liu Xiangquan, associate professor at Beijing Information Science and Technology University, director of the Robotics Engineering Department

On the morning of August 20, the domestic game "Black Myth: Wukong" was officially launched and released. It is based on Chinese mythology and incorporates intangible cultural heritage such as Shaanxi storytelling. It conducts real-scene scans of many national scenic spots and historical sites such as the Jade Emperor Temple in Shanxi, the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, and the Shisi Temple in Zhejiang... These attempts with strong Chinese cultural characteristics have made this 3A game product receive more attention than expected.

In order to restore the most realistic character parts of the game, "Black Myth: Wukong" used a lot of motion capture technology and professional motion capture actors. In the motion capture work of this game, Yin Kai undertook most of the motion capture work of the game's protagonist "Tianmingren". It can be said that Yin Kai is the real body of "Wukong".

What is Motion Capture Technology?

The characters in the game look so real, as if they really exist in reality, but we know that this is not the case. So, how did Wukong achieve such realism? This has to mention "motion capture technology".

Motion capture technology is a technology that records the movements and physical performances of actors and converts their data into motion animations of virtual characters. This technology can track various types of movements, including body movements and facial expressions.

In "Black Myth: Wukong", motion capture technology was widely used in the character creation of Sun Wukong, allowing the "Wukong" in the game to show the same agility and strength as a real actor.

How does motion capture technology capture movements and expressions?

There are many types of motion capture systems, which are generally divided into five categories: mechanical, acoustic, electromagnetic, inertial, and optical. Among them, the optical type can be divided into two types: marker point optical and markerless optical according to the type of target features.

During the production of Black Myth: Wukong, a variety of motion capture methods were used to ensure that Wukong's movements were both realistic and expressive.

0 1Optical motion capture

The actor's movements are captured through a camera or infrared camera system, and then the image data is converted into digital animation. This method is highly accurate and suitable for capturing facial expressions and subtle movements . In "Black Myth: Wukong", Sun Wukong's facial expressions and eye changes are achieved in this way, making the character more vivid and natural.

0 2 Inertial motion capture

After the sensor chip is packaged, it is bound to the key joints of the actor's body. The chip captures various changes of the joints and then converts them into action data. This method is suitable for a wide range of motion capture , such as Monkey King's jumping, rolling and other actions.

What are the markers on the motion capture suit used for?

When working, motion capture actors need to wear motion capture suits correctly and put reflective points on their bodies. Multiple cameras will shoot 360 degrees and record the human movements into virtual data and put them on the virtual model. In this way, the required motion data can be obtained. So what is the use of wearing motion capture suits and markers correctly?

First, the motion capture suit can tightly wrap the body of the motion capture actor, which can ensure the consistency of the collected bone model before and after, making it easier to confirm the position of the marking points; secondly, it is convenient for the pasting and fixation of the marking points.

The correct pasting of marker points actually marks the relative distance and direction between human bones. Only when the marker points do not drift can the position information and bone length not be deformed, which directly determines the quality of motion capture data .

The people behind Wukong - motion capture actors

In addition to motion capture technology, we also need motion capture actors. Motion capture actors use body movements to give the characters personality. In order to shape the corresponding character's movements, Yin Kai, as the "real body of Wukong", also observes, ponders, and imitates the monkey nature and spirituality of the "Heavenly Man".

The work of motion capture actors is more hidden behind the scenes and is not easily noticed, but it is thanks to the efforts of motion capture actors that we can see so many realistic anime characters in the game.

Feng Ji, founder and CEO of Game Science, is the one who let the monkey out. He said, "Just because it has a national style label, it doesn't mean you can get away with it and lower the quality. We should have a greater sense of responsibility and put in more effort." The game team uses their passion and patience to polish the product. Chinese players have been waiting for this moment for many years. I believe that more "Black Myths" will continue to come out in the future!

Reference Materials

CCTV News "Wukong's "true identity" turns out to be him!"

Early Bird News: "Black Myth: Wukong" is a big hit. How does the motion capture technology of this A-share company give "Wukong" a soul? "

Qingtong Vision "How many markers are attached to the motion capture actors?"