Unity unveiled a new demo ‘Lion’ that innovatively implemented real-time 3D technology on the 22nd.
Unity’s new demo Lion is the first project implemented using not only the Unity editor art tools, but also Weta Digital, Ziva, Speedtree, and SyncSketch.
This demo, which captures realistically expressed lion’s mane and fur, and accurately expressed character’s movements, was run on PS5 at 4K resolution and 30 frames, and was first unveiled at SIGGRAPH 2022, a graphics conference.
The Lion demo features realistic creature and scene rendering based on updated Unity’s key graphics features and several newly developed core technologies. The performance and picture quality of HDRP have been further improved, and the Chiba RT Unity player and hair system have been newly developed to enable real-time high-definition visual production.
In particular, the GPU-based cluster hair simulation included in this demo is part of a new hair system recently released on GitHub, and is based on the hair simulation used in the tech demo ‘Enemize’ released in March. The new hair system will enable accurate rendering of millions of strands of hair, enabling more efficient production operations.
In addition, using Weta Digital’s hair and fur grooming tool, Wig, the lion’s mane and fur were accurately and precisely embodied. This tool complements Ziva’s transforming skills, giving the artist even greater control over the settings and greater precision in creating the mane and fur of lions and cubs.
In the Lion demo, the vegetation modeling function of Speedtree was also applied, making it possible to create a lively environment. Assets created with SpeedTree Cinema were optimized for real-time, adding dusty grass around the lions and shapes representing African mopine trees on the horizon. This is an exported game FBX file with high-resolution textures to match the resolution of the fine-grained lion model and plant assets.
In addition, Unity supports real-time production reviews and intuitive iteration through SyncSketch, a visual collaboration tool, allowing creators to easily collaborate and work regardless of location or device. The Unity team members who participated in this Lion project were also scattered in various countries in North America and Western Europe, so they worked remotely through SyncSketch.
Unity tools used in Unity’s new demo Lion can be used by any creator, and further enhancements to hair simulation and rendering will be provided through ‘Unity 2023.1 Tech Stream’.
Natalya Tatarchuk, Lead Architect The goal is to help creators solve the needs they face in the actual production process.”
