1. What We Do

withID is a company that specializes in creating virtual worlds using 3DCG. We use tools such as Blender and Unreal Engine, which have been growing rapidly in recent years.

We participate in an incubation program called Tokyo XR Startups, and we have an office in Kayabacho, Tokyo, at an incubation facility for VR/AR startups.

~Features of our works~

The style of the virtual worlds created by withID is not a celluook, which is a cartoon-like texture, but a realistic texture like the sets used in TV shows, music videos and movies.

The members of withID have graduated from the graduate schools of physics at Tokyo Institute of Technology and architecture at The University of Tokyo, and are simultaneously pursuing realism from the both perspectives of computer graphics and spatial design. We also have a background as magicians, and while realistically achieving a realistic texture, we are working on the computational and magical expressions that only 3DCG can provide.

2. What is the Virtual World?

We call background spaces created in 3DCG “Virtual Worlds”.
Unlike 2D backgrounds drawn with illustration software, virtual worlds can be viewed from any angle in the computer.

In recent years, with the development of virtual production and VR technology, the ways to use virtual worlds have increased.
In the following, we will describe them based on our works.

3. Virtual Worlds and Works

3-1. Event / Virtual Tokyo Tower

“Virtual Tokyo Tower” is an event held on the “Virtual SNS cluster”.

“A futuristic entertainment space based on the image of Tokyo Tower in 100 years’ time” is available on the Internet, where users can move around the space by manipulating their avatars and communicate with other users through voice chat.

withID designed the stage of the “Virtual Tokyo Tower” and created a 3DCG key visual. This kind of usage can be applied to virtual live performances* by artists, singer and etc. WithID can also suggest the development of proprietary systems and applications for conducting virtual live performances.

* Travis Scott and Kenshi Yonezu’s, who is the apanese famous artist, virtual live performances at Fortnite recently attracted a lot of attention.

3-2. Virtual Production / BLACKPINK Respect Copy Music Video

This is a parody video of BLACKPINK ‘How You Like That’ by popular Japanese Youtubers , which has been viewed over a million times as of now.

Rather than creating a set that looked like the real thing, we recreated it as a virtual world. withID created the CG from only the real music video. Using a method of filming called “virtual production”*, which uses positional tracking sensors, we filmed the video as if the performers were in the virtual world. The following video is the making.

In addition to reducing the cost of set construction, virtual production has the advantage of flexibly to changes on set, etc. compared to conventional greenback compositing technology because it allows you to check the composition with CG in real time.

Virtual Production is adopted in not only simple and static backgrounds for like TV news show, but also movies like “Mandalorian”.

withID can design and create virtual worlds, and also introduce you to production companies in Japan that are capable of shooting virtual productions.

3-3. VR movie, Attraction / Illuminate Night

Using a virtual world, we created a three-dimensional and 360-degree attraction-type video that could be viewed with VR HMD like Oculus Quest or HTC VIVE. We did all the planning and production of “Illuminate Night” except for the voice actor. It was distributed for a limited time by Softbank Corporation’s VR SQUARE, and was also nominated in the VR category at film festivals in Japan.

Normally, rendering time is a bottleneck in creating high quality VR videos, but withID reduces that time by rendering using the cloud.

Watching videos in VR often causes VR sickness, but we can give you advice and suggestions on how to counteract this problem based on our experience in creating the above.

4. Conclusion

withID work in a wide range of fields such as 3DCG, virtual production and VR/AR through virtual world production. If you are interested in our company, please contact us for more information.