The video titled "The Facial Animation Pipeline of 'Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy'" is published by GDC and presented by Simon Clavel, a Lead Technical Animator at Eidos Montreal. Clavel discusses the facial animation pipeline used in the development of the game, including the use of photogrammetry, performance capture, and the various stages of production.
The vision for the project was to create a performance-driven narrative game with stylized characters that evoke strong emotions. To achieve this, the team utilized photogrammetry, a process of scanning real-life models to create anatomically accurate characters. The game also made use of video-based animations, which allowed for more believable performances and subtlety compared to audio-based animations.
Three types of performance capture were used in the game: body motion, facial performances, and voice capture. This simultaneous recording allowed for a more accurate and natural performance. The team aimed to provide both quantity and quality in terms of facial animation, with bronze, silver, and gold tiers representing different levels of quality.
Photogrammetry scanning involved taking hundreds of images of a subject from various angles to build a 3D model. The team opted to design the concept art first and then cast a model that best fit the character. The resulting high-resolution meshes were handed off to the character artist team for further cleanup, stylization, and final polish.
In-house motion capture was used extensively during the project, with the cast primarily consisting of local actors. This allowed for a short turnaround time between sessions and the generation of usable animations. The performance capture sessions were divided into three types: body mocap, facial capture, and voice recording. These sessions allowed the team to create believable performances and maintain the chemistry among the actors.
Banter sessions were another type of performance capture used in the game, allowing the actors to record their lines together in one space. This resulted in more genuine and dynamic dialogues. Emotion capture sessions were also used to record a range of emotions at varying degrees of intensity, which were later used to generate facial animations for locomotion, combat, and in-game conversations.
The facial animation pipeline involved several stages, including the creation of facial profiles, tracking the actors' facial performances, and applying first-pass animations to the respective character rigs. The motion artist team worked on the technical and artistic polish of the animations, while the cinematic animators assembled the scenes and brought the animations to the final quality.
In conclusion, the facial animation pipeline used in "Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy" successfully delivered on its promise of quality and quantity. The team utilized photogrammetry, performance capture, and various stages of production to create believable performances and stylized characters. Looking to the future, Clavel expresses interest in improving the overall quality of animations, exploring higher realism, and achieving faster turnaround times in the pipeline.
