EXPLORE VR
RELEASE: May 21, 2019
PLATFORM: Oculus Quest
FUNCTION: Lead Artist
As the lead artist on the project, I was the person responsible to guide the artists creating stunning visuals through traditional game methods and photogrammetry. Part of the job was to figure out a pipeline for photogrammetry to be used for the Machu Picchu location. This was a nice challenge since none of the team members had photogrammetry experience. My skills as a photographer enthusiast came in very handy.
MY CONTRIBUTIONS:
- Accountable for all art on the project
- Art direction of every aspect of the project
- Providing feedback in the form of references and paint overs
- Prioritization, planning, and distribution of tasks for all artists
- Think along with technical solutions for our mobile platform
- Planning & organization for onsite photogrammetry work (incl. hardware)
- Creating and documenting photogrammetry & 360 photography workflows
- Onsite execution, leading a group of 4 people shooting 4 locations at Machu Picchu (incl. 360 photography): onsite planning, data management and hardware management
- Creating a solid workflow to process all data
- Organized and manage creating assets from the photogrammetry data
INTERESTS & CHALLENGES:
- This project raised a lot of interest, because it ticked two boxes that interest me other than games: traveling and photography (one of the features in the game and used for photogrammetry)
- The goal for Explore VR was to create a realistic experience on a mobile VR device. One of the challenges was that combination: low end hardware and making it look as realistic as possible.
- We soon started researching photogrammetry since it could be very useful for one of the locations: Machu Picchu. No one within the studio had experience with this, so it was a nice challenge for me and the team to put our teeth in.
- I’d been to Machu Picchu once before, but now traveling there to shoot pictures for about 2 weeks and seeing Machu Picchu in so many different ways…it was just fantastic! An amazing journey with a lot of good memories.
- Some more challenges around the photogrammetry of Machu Picchu were:
- The location on the other side of the world
- A lot of people visiting the park every single day of the year
- Limited access (no drones allowed)
- Very fluctuant weather
- Large area with very distinct features