Meta’s name change announcement and Microsoft’s Activision acquisition are usually referenced as the most important Metaverse news from the last 18 months. But these events hide from view other less flashy, but also very telling headlines, such as Unity’s purchase of Peter Jackson’s visual effects company Weta Digital for $1.63 billion a year ago.
The acquisition gives Unity access to Weta’s visual effects tools and pipeline, as well as 275 of its engineers, who have previously helped in productions like Avatar, The Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, and much of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The announcement comes in a flurry of other computer graphics buyouts, such as Epic’s purchase of ArtStation, Capturing Reality, and Sketchfab, which all happened in the past year and a half.
The acquisition positions Unity as a key player in accelerating Hollywood’s transition to virtual production and real-time 3D, a trend that’s been picking up steam recently. Instead of shooting scenes on-site, filmmakers recently started using large LED screen backdrops to project digital environments created in real-time graphics engines like Unreal Engine 5. According to a recent newsletter from Protocol, “Epic is now pitching Hollywood on incorporating Unreal Engine more directly into not just post-production for visual effects, but also the active filmmaking process, in what’s being dubbed virtual production.”
Virtual Production, Real-Time
Virtual production was also used in the production of The Mandalorian. Jeff Farris from Epic, who worked on the project, pointed out that real-time virtual production provided “rapid feedback loops [which] are critical for successful creative collaborations. The quick iteration, spontaneity, and sense of shared purpose that comes from working closely together is irreplaceable.” Directors can now alter the backdrop to their scenes in a moment’s notice at no cost and immerse the cast and crew in their environment during the shoot. In addition, real-time virtual production enables teams to contribute different components of the workflow in different locations and avoid on-site production.
Real-time engines can even be used by small teams or even individuals to create fully digital content or animations, democratizing the process of creating content with a lot of visual effects. These tools have also recently been picked up by advertising studios, engineering companies, architecture firms, broadcast/live events, and the automotive industry.
Final Thoughts
Here’s a recommendation. Even if you’re not a gamer, keep an eye on the industry if you want to understand technology. And, more importantly, keep an eye on it if you want to understand how that technology is being used by humans. This recommendation is particularly relevant as we move into the Metaverse, where user behaviors and technical challenges are likely to resemble those currently faced in developing multiplayer video games.
While not everyone will be playing games, the gaming industry will continue to drive the cutting edge of technology, media, and culture at large. Critics claim the Metaverse will forever remain a niche gaming concept, but it wouldn’t surprise me if it quickly expands and drives the world into the next era of computing and social interaction.
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