Mixed Reality - How to Film Yourself in VR Games

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Mixed Reality - How to Film Yourself in VR Games

Mixed reality combines virtual reality with augmented reality, allowing users to interact with virtual objects in the real world.

For content creators who want to capture their performances in virtual reality (VR) games and share them with their audience, having the right tools and techniques is essential. This article will provide you with a detailed guide on how to use technologies such as LIV and green screen to seamlessly integrate yourself into VR games to achieve the effect in the following video.

Tools We Need

VR Headset:

VR headsets are essential for playing VR games. VR headset like Pimax Crystal Light has 17 million pixels and glass aspheric lenses for incredible clarity, allowing you to better immerse yourself in the game and better show the game to your audience.

Powerful PC:

VR shooting is different from flat shooting, and a better computer is needed to support VR.

Green Screen:

Green screen is used for background replacement technology to create a virtual background in the video. By placing people or objects in front of the green screen, post-production can easily replace the background, allowing players to seamlessly blend with the virtual scene in the VR environment. In this way, the audience only sees the player and the game content, enhancing the sense of immersion.

Camera:

The camera is used to capture the player's performance in the real world, especially body movements. These pictures can be combined with the game screen to achieve the effect of shooting yourself in the VR game.

Camo Studio:

Camo Studio can synchronize the camera's image to the computer in real time, providing high-definition video input.

LIV:

LIV software allows VR content to be synthesized with player videos captured by the camera to achieve real-time live broadcast. It can handle multiple input sources, so that the player's actions in the game and their real-time video pictures can be naturally combined.

OBS:

OBS is used to broadcast or record the entire process. It can integrate different sources from green screen, camera and LIV to create a complete live broadcast picture, and users can customize the layout and effects as needed.

Steps to Film Yourself in VR Games

Step 1: Set Up Green Screen

  • Purchase or use a dedicated green screen that is large enough to cover the area where you will show in the video.
  • Hang the green screen behind you, making sure it is flat without wrinkles or shadows, as this will help avoid complications in post-production.
  • Use even lighting to illuminate the green screen and avoid shadows. Consider using lights on both sides for better effect.

Step 2: Set Up Your Camera

  • Use a USB cable to connect the type-c terminal on the camera to the USB terminal on the computer. Or use a video capture card (such as ACASIS) to connect the camera and computer. 
  • After the connection is successful, you can see the camera image on the computer through Camo Studio. (As shown in the figure below)
  • Place the camera at an appropriate height, ideally at eye level, to capture your facial expressions and body movements.
  • Ensure that the camera’s view covers the entire green screen area.
  • Conduct a few test recordings to see if the image is clear and the background is clean. Adjust the camera position or angle as needed.

Step 3: Connect your VR headset

Here we use the Pimax Crystal Light, which has 17 million pixels and glass aspheric lenses for incredible clarity.

Step 4: Configure LIV

1. Install LIV (Free): Go to the LIV website or Steam and download the software.

2.Launch LIV: Start the LIV application.

3. Select VR Game: Choose the game you want to play (Here we take Beat Saber as an example).

3. Camera Setup: In LIV, configure the camera settings to capture your video feed. You can adjust the framing and position of your video overlay.

  • Add a camera
  • After successfully adding the camera, LIV will display the camera image.
  • Enable the chroma key option to use the green screen and remove the background.
  • If your camera doesn't fully cover the entire screen, you can use the function 'CROP & FLIP' to cover the excess. Then the video will only show the scenes you need (As shown in the figure below).
  • Calibrate controller tracking
  • Adjust settings. When you see the virtual controller moving synchronously with the real controller in the LIV screen, it means the calibration is successful. Then click 'CONFIRM'. 
  • You can check the LIV screen to see if the game and reality are perfectly combined.

    Step 5: Connect to OBS

    If you plan to stream or record your gameplay with additional features:

    1. Install OBS (Free): Go to the OBS website or Steam and download the software.

    2. Launch OBS: Start the OBS application.

    3. Add Sources: Add a new source (Game Capture) for LIV to capture the combined output of your game and your camera feed.

    Step 6: Start Filming

    • Once everything is set up, start streaming or recording through OBS and put on your VR headset, and start the game.
    • This method also applies to other games.

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