Electronic Arts is still going strong as ever, as the company has six upcoming games to keep its loyal fans excited. As the developers have been busy, they've been developing the techniques they have to make the games EA publishes bigger and better than the last. As research into how to build upon the expansive media that is video games continues, the company has filed a patent that may lead to faster character creation on the developers' side of things.
It's common knowledge that 3D modeling and character design is something that takes a fair deal of time when it comes to video game development. Artists in dev teams everywhere spend months making sure even NPCs in games like Final Fantasy 7 Remake look just as intended. With the help of EA's new patent, that may take considerably less time.
Electronic Arts has filed a relatively simple patent that describes using an image of a real-life person and a standard 3D polygon map mesh for modeling to allow an algorithm to study the photo and adjust the wireframe to match. The resulting product is a completely customized 3D character model based on the person seen in the image, ready to be placed in the video game world they're needed for.
The patent also reveals that the technology used for this would also be able to separate clothing from the rest of the picture, also crafting personalized 3D character costume items based on what the subject in the photo is wearing, which may lead to some neat in-game customized character items in the future.
With this technology, game development would not only more streamlined, but would also take a gigantic step forward for artists and modelers alike. The time needed to model characters would be cut a fair bit, even if the model needs to be edited for any adjustments after the process is complete.
There is something to be said over whether or not this patent may have consequences later, though, as to whether or not the models in these photos consent to having their bodies and faces in games remains to be seen. While companies like EA can negate any chance of issues by simply hiring models to be used for their likenesses, some may not be pleased with what results come out of it. The technology is also still in development. What exactly will happen with this patent remains to be seen, but Electronic Arts' latest technology definitely holds potential.