Jeremy Hartmann and Daniel Vogel of the Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo in Canada have created a technology that allows online conversion of a 2D broadcast into an interactive 3D space within which viewers can watch what is happening from any angle. . The researchers’ paper “Improved Video Game Broadcasting by Recreating an Interactive 3D Space for Viewers” was published last month.

Image Source: TechSpot

Many multiplayer shooters support a spectator mode, using which you can watch what is happening from different angles. This can be useful for learning other players’ tactics or watching experienced gamers play. However, you can use this mode only inside the game, i.e. To view the game from different angles, install the game on your computer. The work of Canadian researchers describes a technology that allows you to achieve a similar effect as in the spectator mode, but without the need to install the game.

This technology has the potential to make gaming streaming on popular platforms such as Twitch and YouTube much more fun. With its help, the video received in real time is converted into 3D space, so that the viewer can choose the angle to view what is happening in the game. This will allow viewers to change their viewing angle as they see fit while the streamer they are watching continues to play.

In the demo video, you can see that the 3D space generation is not so fast and for some time it seems that the view is coming from an unfortunate angle with a gray background. However, as the player progresses, there is a gradual formation of untextured models. This is not the same as spectator mode as the user can only see what is around the streamer character. Also, anything that is out of view of the player character is also not rendered.

The lack of textures and animation of character movements worsens the impression of the presented technology, but it is important to understand that at this stage it is in its infancy. Improvements in technology and the use of machine learning algorithms over time can lead to more immersive game streams that allow viewers to truly immerse themselves in the gameplay.