Realistic Skin Rendering in WebGL
alteredqualia.com
alteredqualia.com
It's great seeing advanced 3D effects (sub-surface scattering and normal mapping? I think thats what we're seeing here) escape the realm of typeA games and show up on a web browser, running at a very acceptable framerate.
Looks like web3D really is taking off, can't wait for more 3D engines written on top of webGL so non openGL-wizards can get in on the fun :)
It's approximation of subsurface scattering, modeled by combination of multiple Gaussian blurs done in texture space (there are 4 blur layers plus original normal mapped Blinn-Phong layer).
If you are interested in details, it's basically a simplified implementation of Nvidia's advanced skin rendering presented at GDC 2007:
http://developer.download.nvidia.com/presentations/2007/gdc/...
You'll need the precomputed Beckmann distribution in a texture: http://developer.nvidia.com/node/171
There should be still some performance margin left, I tried to tune it to keep 60 fps on my notebook.
Visual difference is quite subtle - skin feels more "silky" and ears are more shiny.
No noticeable degradation of performance.
But personally I think this is just the beginning. To get from 1994 quality (Doom) to 2004 levels (as you say) in-the-browser didn't take "us" 10 years but more like 1-3. When WebGL and "desktop GL" will slowly but surely converge over the next 3-8 years, it will be a real game changer. People will rave about popping up completely new kinds of "3D games" casually and instantly "in the browser". It'll be awesome. It's not too late to jump on the bandwagon and finally we're now also at a fairly stable point where it's not too early either. WebGL in Chrome and Firefox is solid these days. Keeps getting better. Opera is committed to it too. It's cross-platform. And IE? There's 'Chrome Frame' for that (or alternatively some obscure plugin called "iewebgl" or some such, although Chrome Frame should be more sensible).
Here's a really neat step in this direction: http://www.nmr.mgh.harvard.edu/~rudolph/webgl/brain_viewer/b...
(btw current web word processors barely approach Wordpad level - the level of functionality we had on the desktop in 1995).
(btw current web word processors barely approach
Wordpad level - the level of functionality we
had on the desktop in 1995).
I think the uncanny valley could be overcome with some subtle rigging to simulate a person's micro-gestures. Its not often you look at a human completely motionless, sans a wake.
(And where is the save button when I need it ;_;)
Very good. But creepy.
why didn't they do a beautiful girl's face instead?
http://www.ir-ltd.net/royalty-free-high-quality-scan
But... for another angle on why not use a beautiful girl's face, here's an interesting theory:
Because it's a tech demo and it's a known texture in the OpenGL community? Not everyone in CS wants to stare at "beautiful girls", fortunately the Internet has created an outlet for such desires.
Am I supposed to like women? Am I supposed to objectify women at every turn, especially in an industry where they're already highly objectified and slighted?
No? Didn't think so.