We'd love to get some feedback on the release from today, which is a modified version of "In Love with You" that includes a CGI/composite background as discussed quite a bit in this thread.
FEEDBACK REQUESTED: Composite/CGI backgrounds for Passthrough scenes
Perfectly I'd liketo see directors working with the artist on that.
Right now it was artist only.
Otherwise app will be supporting static backgrounds soon. And there will be an option to share these the same as playlists.
justsomedude101 changed the title to FEEDBACK REQUESTED: Composite/CGI backgrounds for Passthrough scenes .
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I actually thought this looked really good. I use a Quest 2, so If it's a choice between this type of CGI background, or the static looking CCTV footage of my living room on passthrough, then I'd pick this.
Although I see the future potential for both PT and CGI, I'd still much rather see the kind of awesome VR scenes that you were shooting on a regular basis a few years back.
Except for some situational clipping of her hair (especially during the cowgirl in front of the huge glass window) it looks really good, much better than anticipated. Didn't notice any real visual issues on the body.
Having this as an alternative to the normal PT is great and I don't mind the difference between this and a real background too much.
Regarding passthrough v.s. CGI BG, etc. I'll say neither is an attractive attribute I'd seek out (normal "real" backgrounds seem fine, I never found the orientation in the scene maps well to a real environment for me so i wouldn't want to use passthrough in the first place -- though it's fun tech, just not how I'd want to watch a full video). But assuming one is necessary: CGI > Plain/Static Color BG > PT for me.
The one thing I could see be interesting with having the capability is for non-static (moving video/audio) composite background environments (not necessarily on-device, but could be encoded into video in post). E.g. weird non-practical "sets" that could be filmed independent of the performer and combined later -- like a "very public" scene in a park/populated area with plot/dialog to reinforce the environment but filmed in the green-screen environment, etc.
Aside from the content in the video, a comment on the library/organization of such videos (and other types of "variants" of other videos):
It doesn't seem to be terribly uncommon to see the exact same video released multiple times independently with no concrete relationship in the UI. The problem seems to be that they're released with no easy way to know it's a derivative of a previous video (which presumably may have already been seen, put into various playlists, etc..).
FWIW, I'd suggest instead having either:
- Very clear UI feature to prominently link "this is a reproduction of _____" (and be able to click through to the original)
- Have the videos be the same "video" page (but have a sub-selection of what variant). This seems preferred since it eliminates the issue of having the same video but with different metadata (e.g. assignment to playlists).
The case for this one is basically an "exact" version of the same video with the alternate background. But the same concept may also apply to other non-exact but very related videos. E.g. POV v.s. non-POV variants of the same scene, original and "director's cut" variations of nearly the same content, etc. In the case of the non-exact but closely related videos, sharing the same video page/playlist memeberships/etc would not be expected.
Timbama Except for some situational clipping of her hair (especially during the cowgirl in front of the huge glass window) it looks really good, much better than anticipated. Didn't notice any real visual issues on the body.
I fully agree, looks really promising.
The used background was successful in giving the impression of spatial depth. In some moments, the size ratio of performers and the furniture on the right didn't seem quite right but I didn't bother since this was not in the center of my attention. There were some continuity issues (CGI bed looked different, there was no black CGI table on the right side of the bed) but this didn't bother me either while viewing.
I didn't like the added audio. It was okay until approx. 06:40 but for the rest of the scene I would have switched it off if I had the possibility. This was a very quiet scene and the voices (public announcements) were very distracting. For me, any constant audio overlay feels disturbing, whether it's white noise-ish or music. I'd rather hear the pure sounds that the performers make with their bodies or by interacting with their environment.
I thought the compositing was pretty good. Certainly better than what I’ve seen elsewhere where the CG background makes the girl look tiny and ruins the scene. This might make the passthrough stuff more palatable if we can avoid the latex suits and cover all the positions rather than just cowgirl and reverse.
I finally had a chance to take a peek at this scene. I’m actually pretty impressed!
The performers are pretty well incorporated into the CGI background. There were a few artifacts around the hair. But that’s to be expected. I think hair styling will become an important consideration. Slicked back hair will probably do better than hair with a lot of fly aways.
I think the recent Allie Addison scene that was supposed to have a CGI background would be particularly difficult given how curly Allie’s hair naturally is.
Anyways, I think this opens the door to many plots in more exotic locations. Where actual sets would be cost prohibitive or just look cheap given time constraints. Things like sex aboard a spaceship. Or in some castle in a fantasy realm. Etc…
I much prefer this over pass through.
I wonder if you could take real life VR B roll footage and use it as a background? Things like sex on beach are difficult to shoot because of logistics and laws prohibiting sex in public. But if you shot some beach footage using VR cameras. Mimicking the camera positions during the scene. Would it be possible and realistic to insert the performers into the footage in post?
Anyways, pretty cool stuff!
I thought it looked really good - and honestly quite interesting and engaging vs. the standard warehouse or hotel bedroom. Well done
I'm not so interested in spaceships but it would be cool to get some exotic locations like a tropical beach.
a month later
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+1 for exotic, natural locations, but shot in a semi-indoor space (to make it more believable).
Maybe like a mountain side house, a tree house, a beach house, etc.
Here's some examples:
Ideally, these environments would take place in a bedroom with lots of windows or a balcony (to view the outside environment). The goal would be to achieve realistic natural and interior lighting, so that it doesn't look CG.
One thing I really want in PT are close up missionary shots (girl laying on the bed, with the camera near her face).
@simsensemedia captures closeup shots, but in a seated or standing position.
With PT, I'd really like to see the girl in my bed in closeup missionary too (like the shots below):
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I'm just waiting for the app update to come out so we can use our own images as backgrounds. Even though I went through the process of teaching myself how to generate CGI backgrounds for VR I am now all in on actually taking my VR camera out into the wild and actually taking real world photos to use on these scenes, that to me sounds even more exciting. Eventually I would like the app to be able to handle short or full length clips as backgrounds so I can move on to videos of real world locations, all with full volume mixing capabilities. Imagine one of these passthrough videos with the Venice boardwalk as your video background, all with actual beach noises in the background, im getting wet just picturing this. The possibilities are endless really, any cool or popular place could instantly become your bedroom. All it takes is a couple of pictures or videos.
metichemsi I'm not sure if anyone has tried this yet for VR, but there is a new AI technique called '3D Gaussian Splatting' that generates fully traversable, photorealistic environments from just a few pictures or a short 2D video.
Creating a VR background with this should be super-simple because you don't have to worry about focal length or camera position.
Here's what it can do (still images converted into 3D environments):
MickyCheese yup yup yup! Absolutely spot on, i just recently started hearing about this and it looks super interesting and will absolutely be a game changer. 100%
8 days later
Hello!
I'm working on next CGI background (previously I was create CGI to "In Love with You").
I share preview.
This time some more natural 
Scene is no completed, some details ins progress but generally concept is finished.
Based it a bit on your opinions. I hope you like it.
Chers!
17 days later
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justsomedude101 Yo, I've been wanting to share this feedback for a while because I felt like I owed it to you, but I couldn't find the right time and place. I watched that CGI version of "In Love with You" on the day it was released, and believe me, it was fantastic, literally better than all of VRCosplayX's CGI scenes, even though they've been working on CGI way longer than you guys.
Speaking of the visual aspect, the CGI background was just perfect, with almost zero glitches throughout the whole scene. There were a few minor issues with some parts of her hair that eventually disappeared, but it wasn't annoying at all. Looking out that window in the background at those futuristic buildings outside was so pleasant, and that jet flying by the window was really cool. Plus, the futuristic room with everything glowing was amazing. I can't describe everything because I was so impressed and I can talk for hours 
. So big kudos to the artist(s) who worked on that environment.
The sound was also cool, the background noise wasn't annoying and added a lot to the scene. The sound of the jet getting closer to the window made it feel so real, and that ASMR part was so satisfying. Also, the lighting was top-notch; it didn't feel like her body was just placed there, so great job there.
As a big PT fan, I previously watched the PT version of this scene, but the CGI version provided some context to the girl's behavior and why she was acting that way. So, I hope that SLR invests more in CGI and hires more 3D artists so we can get this content faster and maybe even add a CGI touch to some of the previous PT scenes. Keep up the great work!
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Daron Judging by that screenshot, I've got to admit I'm always pretty hypercritical when it comes to "outside scenes." They tend to lose that crucial "intimacy feature" that everyone looks for in VR. Starting off outside for a few minutes and then heading inside is fine like this "Scene" for instance, or even having some nature framed through a window with a roof over our heads works too. But having an entire scene shot out in the open? That's a no-go for me, and I reckon a lot of folks feel the same way. SLR probably knows it too, given they've only filmed a couple of those scenes.
But hey, I really wish you good luck with your work. It might just hit the spot for some folks out there, and I hope you keep creating those high-quality 3D environments like the last one. Cheers!
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4 days later
Coming soon
