When it comes to the HoloLens, most of what Microsoft has shown has been gaming-related. Whether players are moving around a virtual Halo control room or manipulating a Minecraft world in real-time, HoloLens could be a huge step forward for gaming — but that's only scratching the surface of the capabilities of Microsoft's hologram headset.
In a new video, Microsoft demonstrates that it's possible to use high-definition 3D video footage as a way to generate subjects for use in a holographic environment. Of course, it's not as simple as just taking some video and throwing it into a virtual space: Microsoft has built a massive green screen studio and is using 106 different cameras to record performances in full 3D, as well as compressing the images for use on something other than an overpowered supercomputer.
It may sound strange (and complicated), but there's no arguing with the results. Microsoft's video demonstration isn't just a strong argument for 3D performance capture, but how it can be viewed and streamed on a consumer-level Internet connection.
The logistics of the process can sound like nothing but a bunch of technobabble, but at its most basic, Microsoft's technique is relatively easy to grasp.
First, a performance is captured in 3D by using all 106 cameras at once: this generates a 3D point cloud, or a basic map of the performers in a 3D space. However, it's a hugely complicated model, with approximately 2.7 million points of data per frame. That's why the data is then converted into a 3D mesh and refined using a number of different techniques — the meshes are still far too complex to stream over a standard Internet connection, but they're getting closer.
Microsoft's technique isn't perfect just yet. Artifacting is definitely an issue, and smaller objects tend to lose their definition once they start moving. Even so, Microsoft's demonstration is impressive to say the least: for a technology that's still so young, the video does a great job of proving just how versatile said tech can be.
There's still no word on when Microsoft's HoloLens will be available for the public ... but you shouldn't expect the headset to reach store shelves any time before 2016.
