MIXED REALITY MACHINIMA

This is a truly jawdropping application of SL as an architect's tool, showcasing a prototype revision (created in SL) to a real world building, built by avatars seemingly flying about in double-time.

It's created by The Arch's Keystone Bouchard (who also made this RL blueprint-to-SL building video), and the effect and potential seen here is so astounding, I asked him to explain how he did it. 

Watch it here, then read on.

Shooting the Video

Keystone Brouchard: In SL, I filmed the avatars building the architecture in an approximate perspective relative to the real life video of the site.  I then stacked and laced the clips together with Blue Screen key modifiers in Adobe Premiere.  To keep the avatars' build lined up with the real world building, I made a guideline build out of prims in-world.  I then alt-tabbed between the video in Premiere and the SL camera until I had the camera view lined up with the correct vanishing points. 

Shooting Time, and Creating the Design

KB: The original footage was 11 minutes 37 seconds.  Before I started filming, I made some semi-transparent guides that lined up with the 'bays' between the windows on the real life building. 

The design of the virtual addition was derived from the architectural elements used to build Clear ink Island; based on the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe (although applying this precedent to
a third story addition was a stretch).

Real World Applications

KB: Since the video is essentially an illusion (intended to be more of a sci-fi, or "what if" piece than anything else), the applications of this technique on a current real world architecture project are fairly limited, but I'm still working on that!  [I think he's being modest, myself; I suspect you could use this technique as a client demonstration right now - HL]

Comments

[Trevor F. Smith]

The next step in the cycle would be to actually construct the second story while capturing time lapse video, removing the SL objects as they are replaced by their physical counterparts.

[Pilsen Barrett]

This reminds me of something I saw on the extras in the "Truman Show" DVD. In that movie, the filmmakers used computer graphics to add a second story onto an existing real-life building in the downtown area of Truman's town.

[Alastair Chamerberlin]

My mind is blown.....yet again!!