This is what a PCG editor would look like in Star Wars: Eclipse!

Quantic Dream’s games are probably best known for two things: branching stories where every decision you make has far-reaching consequences, and an absolutely breathtaking production with almost lifelike characters. Especially when it comes to facial expressions, titles like Detroit Become Human keep setting new standards. Every little blink of an eye, every little imperfection of your main character’s skin, no matter how small, is faithfully incorporated into the game.

This is made possible by the latest photogrammetry technology. With the help of a special camera cage, consisting of 149 cameras and 149 LED lights, all actors who embody a character in the game are photographed from different angles. These photos are then fed into software that stitches them together using overlap points, then converts them into a polygon mesh and finally into a 3D model with high-resolution textures.

This is how a photogrammetry shoot works at Quantic Dream

Such a shooting can last between one and two hours. The actors are not only recorded once, but with up to 80 different facial expressions in order to give their virtual alter egos a suitable look for every game situation and every mood.

During a visit to the studio at Quantic Dream, we were also allowed to have ourselves scanned and converted into a virtual 3D model. The result looks like this:

Welcome to the Uncanny Valley: This is what the 3D photogrammetry scans by PC games editor David Benke look like.

Source: Quantic Dream, PC Games

Is PCGames really in Star Wars: Eclipse?

Now, of course, the attentive viewer will have noticed that it doesn’t look quite like it is known from the games. However, there is a good reason for this: Our recordings were not made under optimal conditions. There are usually clear rules in the Quantic Dream photogrammetry department. Actors like Bryan Dechart or Clancy Brown have to shave completely for a shoot, and they also wear a kind of bathing cap to hide their hairstyle under it. Any facial details, be it beard, hair or drops of sweat, are only added later in the engine.

There is also a strict order for the outfit: no make-up, no jewellery, no glasses. Even reflective clothing (like a white sweatshirt in our case) is actually forbidden. Instead, those involved wear a plain, gray tank top. At least until now. In the future, the developers also want to scan the actors’ clothes in order to bring them into the game with all their textures and folds in a lifelike way.