The Globe Theatre Simulation (VR)

This project was a simulation of the Globe Theatre as it would have been during the early 17th century. The simulation was built for a client and showcased during Portsmouth universities "Much ado about Portsmouth" festival. The simulation was built in Unreal Engine 4 and was designed to run with or without VR.





I was the technical artist and programmer for this project. My job was to build the systems that would allow the globe to be filled with people and interact-able events.

To achieve this I created a system that built actors from a variety of artist created parts. these actors were able to interact with one another to a degree and had were able to perform scripted events.






The actors used Autodesk's character generator for the hands and faces, the clothing was custom built by an artist.

These actors were animated using motion capture data we recorded using the universities mocap studio.





The simulation was built to run with or without VR, During the festival we showcased both versions of the project to attendees.

A photo from the event, I am showcasing the simulation to a guest using the Oculus Rift

I also created a number of tools for this project that could be used by artists to create facial animations for characters.

Facial Expressions - Maya / Autodesk Character Generator

A Python script that generated a set of full facial expressions from pre-built blend shapes.

The blend shapes were created using Autodesk character generator. The tools also contained a function allowing artists to create a custom expression then add it to the list of expressions that would be generated, this allowed us to easily build up a library of potential expressions.




Morph Target notify - Unreal Engine 4

C++ tool for applying facial expressions in the unreal editor, this works by using the engines animation notify system. It provided an interface for artists to choose which facial expressions to use at certain points in the animation.




1 comment:

  1. Very nice Martin. I've seen many models/simulations of the Globe, but never one with animated people (groundlings). Any chance you have a video clip with the people in action?
    Mark Reaney, Dept of Theatre & Dance, University of Kansas.

    ReplyDelete