The Virtual Caliper: Rapid Creation of Metrically Accurate Avatars from 3D Measurements

Abstract

Fig. 1. The Virtual Caliper. A novice user takes 3D measurements of her body using the wand controllers of the HTC Vive in just under 5 minutes by following simple instructional videos. Additionally, the user is asked to enter her weight and gender. The Virtual Caliper immediately produces a rigged 3D model with exactly the dimensions of the measured person. The rigged 3D model can be used straight away in Unity or exported for use in other 3D modeling packages. We illustrate a virtual mirror application where the user can look down and experience her body in VR.

Perceived match between own and observed models’ bodies: influence of face, viewpoints, and body size

“…Importantly, both effects were independent from participants' actual body size (in contrast to previous results 75 ). The choice for bigger-sized models post-experiment seems in accordance with research showing that individuals overestimate body size, shape, and proportions [2][3][4][5][6]43 , although higher ratings for smaller-sized models during the experiment are reminiscent of body size underestimation [44][45][46][47][48][49] and studies showing that both males and females underestimate their body weight on a virtual body seen from a third-person perspective 76,77 . Other studies have suggested, however, that distortions in perceived body shape and size are dependent on several factors.…”

The Influence of Visual Perspective on Body Size Estimation in Immersive Virtual Reality

“…Until recently, there has not been a method that allows for realistic and biometrically plausible manipulations of single body parts and weight of a virtual body. The Virtual Caliper [Pujades et al 2019] is the first avatar creation tool that allows for this based on the statistical body model SMPL [Loper et al 2015a]. It therefore provides the possibility to investigate whether people's perception of an avatar's body dimensions differ based on the visual perspective on the body by asking them to adjust the dimensions to their perceived own body dimensions.…”

The Rocketbox Library and the Utility of Freely Available Rigged Avatars

“…For cases where the avatars are required to look like the participants, or in which there is a need to adapt the body sizes of participants, there might be a way to either change the texture of the facial map, through a transformation, or modifying the mesh, or directly stitching a different mesh to the face of a given library avatar. Initiatives like the virtual caliper (Pujades et al, 2019) could help in adapting the current avatars; however, these possibilities are not straightforward with the release. Future work on the library would also need to bring easier tools for animation for general use, as well as tools to facilitate the exchangeability of clothes based on the generic model, as well as easier blendshape creation.…”