3D Character Animation

MetaVR™ Virtual Reality Scene Generator™ (VRSG™) version 5 has integrated support for high-quality animated 3D characters. The character animation and rendering is designed to support hundreds of characters simultaneously within the field of view while maintaining a high frame rate.

VRSG is delivered with a model library of over 285 characters and weapons in MetaVR’s model format. You can immediately configure and use these models in VRSG. Additionally, the library includes over 200 animations for the characters in the game industry standard .bvh format; the animations portray all commonly used appearances required by the DIS protocol. VRSG smoothly blends between animation transitions automatically. You can also use your own custom characters, weapons, and animations in VRSG.

The following video clip shows a digging animation performed by two insurgent characters, burying an IED in a real-time VRSG scenario that takes place on MetaVR's virtual Afghanistan terrain.

This animation requires FlashPlayer version 9 or better.

MetaVR’s 3D characters consist of an inner skeleton and an outer “skin” mesh. The skin mesh is deformed in real-time according to the position of the skeleton. This technique prevents cracks or interpenetrating surfaces; it also creates realistic looking animations without requiring any excess geometry. In VRSG, the deformation is computed entirely by the graphics card to maximize performance. VRSG computes transitions between animations by smooth blending from one animation to the next. This approach prevents jarring discontinuities and makes it much easier to add custom animations without creating hand-authored transitions.

Adding characters to VRSG

Like a vehicle entity, a 3D character can be configured as an entity in VRSG through the ModelMap.ini configuration file. You can assign any character model to a DIS lifeform entity by its DIS enumeration. You can optionally associate a weapon with the character. A character with a weapon can respond to DIS protocol messages to deploy or fire its weapon. When an entity's appearance is updated over DIS, an animation is automatically assigned. (Note that for customers who currently use Boston Dynamics’ Di-Guy with VRSG, version 5 continues to support Di-Guy. You can use both MetaVR’s characters and Di-Guy characters together in VRSG.)

	VRSG rendering of a scene on MetaVR's virtual Afghanistan terrain featuring characters from MetaVR's character libraries and a technical vehicle from the military vehicle library.

MetaVR’s 3D character library is delivered with a set of animation files in the standard .bvh motion capture format. Character animations are supported with a standard skeleton hierarchy based on MotionBuilder’s skeleton hierarchy.

	On the left, a village elder character from a scenario on MetaVR's virtual Afghanistan terrain. On the right, infantry passengers inside a CH-47 entity from MetaVR's military vehicle library.

Creating your own characters

In addition to using the models in MetaVR’s new 3D character library, you can create and texture your own human characters in Blender to use in VRSG, using MetaVR's Blender plugin. MetaVR’s export plugin enables you to export characters from Blender to MetaVR's model format. MetaVR’s Blender character template includes an armature object containing a hierarchy of bones that matches MetaVR’s .bvh rig, a low polygon mesh that is used by VRSG's physics.

To request MetaVR's Blender plugin and character template, send email to support@metavr.com.

Creating your own animations

MetaVR characters use the MotionBuilder standard skeleton hierarchy for animation. MotionBuilder is one of the strongest animation tools available, ideal for building character animations for simulations and games.

This approach enables you to import motion-capture data or use COTS software to create custom animation, and in turn use MotionBuilder to transfer your data to MetaVR’s skeleton hierarchy.

The character model library includes a control rig in MotionBuilder’s .fbx format that contains the standardized skeleton used in all MetaVR’s characters. You can use MetaVR’s control rig as the starting point of any new animations. Once your data is in MotionBuilder, you can create and optimized looped animation and export it in .bvh format for use in VRSG.

First person control

When you have human characters in a networked VRSG scenario, you can use the VRSG First Person Simulator (FPS) plugin to control your characters and view the scenario from their point of view. The default FPS character can take on the persona of any character with a weapon that you drag to the VRSG visualization window and drop onto this game-like first person shooter.