Digital twin is a Production Design/Art Direction term in filmmaking. In virtual production, the nuances of this term take on special meaning. Here, we break down the definition to give you a starting point.
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Digital twins are real-life physical props or pieces of set dressing converted into digital assets to provide continuity between live-action and virtual elements. This process, known as digitization, has been around for decades, with film studios using 3D scanning technology to accurately create digital copies of objects in order to build realistic CG sets and environments.
The digital twin process involves several different teams of creatives and technicians, including modelers, rigging artists, texture painters and techs who use state-of-the-art software and hardware tools such as scanners, photogrammetry rigs, image processing workflows and motion capture systems. Once the data is gathered and processed, an exact replica of the original object is created in the computer. The result is a digital representation that looks exactly like its real life counterpart.
Digital twins have become increasingly important in virtual production due to their ability to bridge the gap between the real world and the virtual world. They allow filmmakers to take advantage of both worlds by creating lifelike visuals without having to travel to a location or build expensive sets. With digital twins, filmmakers can save time and money while still delivering stunning results.