Demand for super-realistic 3D character motion during gameplay and virtual reality experiences is on the rise, and studios who’ve integrated IKinema’s RunTime middleware with UE4 are already making waves with incredibly immersive and highly engaging games. In fact, IKinema is already in pipelines of Square Enix, Microsoft Studios, Sony, Supermassive Games, Snail Games, Capcom, NCsoft, Archiact, plus many more.
RunTime Highlights
- A user-friendly solution – we’ve trimmed out the hard stuff so developers can get to the good stuff.
- Produce high-quality animation results in one fifth of development time.
- Unreal integration is quick and easy. Developers see realistic high-quality behaviours within 10 minutes. Our guys can do it in under 3 minutes! Can you?
- Team and Studio licenses include integration source code for further customization of out-of-the-box RT behaviours, giving freedom to build upon and suit individual game design.
- Tightly integrated within Unreal so developers can set up entire workflows with no switching between DCC tools for super-fast prototyping and iteration time.
- Blueprint system provides accessibility to all levels of expertise, from artist to hardcore devs, so you don’t have to be a programming pro to use.
Making Waves
By integrating RunTime for fuller immersion and realism, the virtual reality bar is now raised by Impulse Gear and Sony in their Unreal-powered PSVR game Farpoint with Sony’s new Aim Controller.
Impulse Gear | Farpoint (powered by Unreal Engine 4): “With the help of IKinema RunTime VR, we are pushing what can be done in Virtual Reality and in the process creating an entirely new user interface. Our goal is to deliver on the promise of what real Virtual Reality games should be.”
Tarsier Studios, bolstered by publisher Bandai Namco, have created the unique horror puzzler hit, Little Nightmares. RunTime was at the helm in producing truly convincing motion and behaviours for their hero Six and creepy characters.
Tarsier Studios | Little Nightmares, powered by Unreal Engine 4: “Six can interact with a wide variety of dynamic objects in a way that is tactile, believable and far more detailed, giving a level of physicality that perfectly captures the feel of our game.”
In the studio: Dev teams have access to a powerful, fast and efficient full-body IK solver which procedurally animates, making it an outstanding as well as cost-effective animation solution. They are able to produce high-quality motion across diverse character styles (humanoid, quadrupeds, fantasy) that move with a much higher degree of believability and realism using its cutting-edge toolset and flexible real-time techniques.
Available out-of-the-box without cumbersome integration, teams hit the ground running, allowing more time to focus on the actual game design, which provides more time for creative freedom.
IKinema’s support team works closely with a variety of studios and frequently receives positive feedback regarding natural character responses. For instance, no sliding or disappearing feet means traversing tricky, evolving terrain, as well as scaling and negotiating props effortlessly with seamless results. Hear Phoenix Labs’ experience with IKinema in Dauntless, powered by Unreal Engine 4, below:
RunTime for VR
Developers use the extension to easily merge motion capture with VR, this allows players to real-time capture their movement and experience themselves as highly accurate and believable characters within their virtual environment. Players accurately see their body during gameplay – real body parts such as hands, arms and elbows are accurately synced in real time with their virtual self with no mismatched props and weapons or floating body parts to detract from the sense of immersion.
VR extension included:
The VR rig editor allows developers to associate any character via VR controllers and head-mounted display, create a VR rig and start animating full body in under 10 minutes.
The VR solving node combines upper body animation via controllers, with foot placement giving the ultimate immersive experience.
Snail Games | ARK Park VR game (powered by Unreal Engine 4): “IKinema has provided such a complete and reliable solution for the ARK Park team. With IKinema, players’ movements are fully captured and seamlessly transferred into the animated characters in real-time. Even with multiple players interacting at the same time, their behaviors are fully retained. IKinema has expedited our dream of creating a realistic dinosaur world. When you grab some grass, and hold it out, the brontosaurus would bend down its long neck and reach precisely for your hand, eyes locked on your movements.”
Studios can integrate RunTime at any stage of development. Contact us at [email protected] to learn more.
IKinema RunTime is available in three license levels: Indie, Team, Studio. Visit www.IKinema.com for more information.