Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/1358125
a p r i l • m ay • j u n e 2 0 2 1 c g w 1 9 ects that enables us to compress data from our capture pipeline for facial capture and cloth simulation, and make it playable and consumable on a platform like the Quest," explains Koperwas. The result is more natu- ral movement for the characters. On Batuu One of the project's challenges was work- ing within all the technical constraints and fitting as many detailed characters and assets into the experience as possible. This required balancing the number of polygons and triangles that can be on the screen at one time, the density of the environment, the intensity of the lighting, as well as the number of visual effects (explosions, blast- er fire, and so on) that can occur simulta- neously – so players feel as though they are in a very dense world. "We don't want to overwhelm the audience, but want every- thing to look as phenomenal as possible," says Koperwas. In the world, there are numerous charac- ters, both new and recognizable, including R2-D2, C-3PO, and the owner of Black Spire Outpost's Droid Depot, Mubo. One of the more difficult to create, according to Koper- was, was Seezelslak, a six-eyed Azumel bar- tender who runs his own cantina on Batuu and has a penchant for storytelling. Despite his unusual and hulking appearance, he is particularly approachable, and his multiple faces are important in how he presents. Another challenging character: Yoda. "We wanted to do a great service for such an im- portant character to the series. We wanted to treat him with care and finesse, to make sure he came across well on-screen," Koper- was explains. ILMxLAB incorporates a lot of motion capture into its production process – from previs to animation, where animators push mocap to new heights, adding nuances and "that extra bit of weight so these alien char- acters feel visceral and real," says Koperwas. Creating the locales proved challenging, too. There are seven major environments, along with numerous sub-environments, including the unexplored wilds of Batuu, Mubo's workshop, and Seezelslak's cantina, where the adventure kicks off. From a win- dow in the cantina, visitors get a virtual view into Black Spire Outpost, as depicted in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge, the immersive lands at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, which also feature the location-based entertain- ment (LBE) multi-ride system experience Rise of the Resistance. The team wanted to treat Seezelslak's cantina space with par- ticular care to make it feel as if it is an actual bar that people can hang out in. There's lots to do here and lots to see, with packs of porgs wandering about. "We wanted [Tales] to feel like a large, open world with lots of paths you can explore, one where the player has more freedom to explore and more ownership of the adventure," notes Koperwas. But, there were technical limitations with the Oculus platform to consider when creating the experience – the Quest doesn't have the firepower of a high-spec gaming PC or an LBE experience. As a result, the group worked closely with Oculus on where it could push and eke out as much image quality and horsepower as possible. "I know it's a cliché, but we tried to not look at [the issues] as constraints, but as opportunities to be clever," says Koperwas. With an LBE experience where the hard- ware technology is more controllable, the content constraints are more of a physi- cal nature – the location of the walls and other metrics that the group must adhere to. In those, the experience is craed for a specific space where everything comes to the player. Whereas with Tales, ILMxLAB was able to cra an experience with far more open space, resulting in something much more explorable, making scale and the incorporation of epic moments an import- ant focus. Living the Life Tales is just the latest example of what ILMx- LAB is trying to achieve in terms of "story- living," whereby visitors can feel as if they are living through a cinematic experience (see "X-cellence" on page 14). "With Tales from the Galaxy's Edge, we wanted to experiment in a lot of different ar- eas while creating esoteric moments – play- ing repulsor darts at the cantina or selecting music on the jukebox; things that are fun to do and experience, but also play a part in the story – as opposed to simply exploring the world. "We're trying to push against the boundaries of that type of experience, like we did for Star Wars: Project Porg (a mixed-reality experience for the Magic Leap platform) and Avengers: Damage Control (an LBE experience)." In all, close to 40 artists spent nearly a year and a half developing Tales, whose total content exceeds that of a feature film as opposed to a short. Although difficult to quantify the exact length due to the playable aspects, some people navigate the space more quickly, while others take their time. "It's so rich. You can find all these great locations to just sit and watch the char- acters," says Koperwas, pointing to one of his favorites areas in the experience, a spot called Dead Root Refuge, where players can enjoy a large vista with the sun setting in the distance, touching off the rocks and setting them aflame in the light. Like all of ILMxLAB's projects, Tales ad- vances the group's storyliving to new level. But there is one obstacle the group had to overcome that was very unexpected: the pivots resulting from the COVID-19 shut- down as the artists adapted to the resulting new workflow. In Koperwas's opinion, those measures will likely portend how "we'll want to work together in the future." He adds, "We learned a lot of positive things that resulted from that situation." Karen Moltenbrey is the chief editor of CGW. Tales from the Galaxy's Edge is ILMxLAB's latest at-home VR experience.