NBA 2K18
NBA 2K18 Captures So Many Details, This is How it Gets Done
Brian Tong, from C|Net, has written some detailed information on how NBA 2K18 has drastically improved the graphics in the game this year. It starts with a self-powered mobile scanning RV from Pixelgun Studio, to capture player likeness. The RV has 146 Canon cameras, that continuously gets updated to the latest model. These cameras help capture the highest quality face scans and tattoos, with up to 16,000 textures.
I’ll list a few bullet points below, but make sure to read the full article here, as it contains quite a few interesting bits of information you might not be aware of.
- 2K captures many different facial expressions, including a “scrunch face” to maximize compression of every wrinkle.
- If a certain player has a signature expression, 2K will get it.
- The art team completely rebuilt player faces, with a higher resolution base mesh to handle more detail for rounded forms on the face like the ears, or the side of the nostril.
- Faces were not the only thing rebuilt. Bodies, uniforms and accessories were as well.
- 2K created a new body system that makes every player model unique, with no fixed template. The number of body types is infinite.
- Handheld laser scanners were used to capture perforations in the jersey, the size of the jersey font, the size of the number, the stitching, the thickness of the piping and how much border there is from the stripe to the edge of the jersey.
- They also did separate scans to capture jerseys’ true colors. Infinite body types means infinite jersey types as well. Over 200 shoes and signature accessories have also been scanned.

Okay
I have to go bible on yall with this one
Now when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some began to sneer, but others said, "We shall hear you again concerning this."
Can you please tell me more on this 2K... When do we hear more concerning this body type system?
BTW, the only camera better than those Canon's are the Sony A series DSLR's
Continue reading...
What I'm trying to say is that unless your TV/PC monitor and every TV cameras (and broadcast) can match real-life colors 100%, there will always be a difference when comparing uniform colors. You might have to go to the 2K studios (assuming their screens are calibrated correctly) to be able to get the real picture.
BG and Russ ugly dunk faces, the way Bron exhales after dunking etc.
Crazy man...
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If this same TV is calibrated to match real-life colors and the broadcast matches real-life colors (which I doubt), then yes. But either way, I don't think sport broadcast matches real-life colors. It's always more saturated and colors are too perfect. It's basically like trying to match CMYK colors (print) to RGB colors (screen), which is between extremely difficult to impossible (much closer to impossible). You'd have to bring a "cordless" TV with you to the stadium and try to calibrate it to what you see in real-life.
The question is, do we want colors to match real-life colors, or TV broadcast colors (which are, again, different from one TV to another).
BG and Russ ugly dunk faces, the way Bron exhales after dunking etc.
Crazy man...
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2k16 introduced Bron's "dunk face" as well. Go to Google images and type in LeBron dunkface and you will see multiple real life picture examples.
I did NOT expect 2K and Visual Concepts to go this far in a single year with body types.
Harry, if you're reading this, I'm sorry. I didn't think this much would get done. You were right. I was wrong. Looks like they devoted just as much, if not more, resources this year into this aspect as you asked for.
Now to see if the on-court gameplay holds up.
BG and Russ ugly dunk faces, the way Bron exhales after dunking etc.
Crazy man...
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Yes, they're great but you only notice them in replay mode yourself.
It would be cool to see them in slow motion in action replay.It doesn't have to be right after the dunk.It could be during dead balls as they show stats
from time to time.
Understood. There is a level of error that should show up on any screen, got you. That's what I always struggle with when it comes to uniforms in video games. If they have the real ones available to match and (theoretically) they have every color available for them to pick and mix, how can they still get the colors wrong (as you said - "universally" wrong)?
It would be cool to see them in slow motion in action replay.It doesn't have to be right after the dunk.It could be during dead balls as they show stats
from time to time.
I actually noticed the first one through an action replay "backboard view"
I think actually focusing in on them would kill that subtle effect they have.
Found these from the 2K16 Thread:
I hope they were able to get the branded accessories (Nike, Jordan, UA) I've been campaigning for all these months.
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Call it what it is.
But credit where due. They have done (what looks like) an amazing job this year. It's apparent that the noise was heard and they responded..... WELL.
Meanwhile I can't stop thinking about how this is going to look when I stop to appreciate it during my first game on a broadcast camera.
CAN. NOT. WAIT.
No blogs from OG and Czar was telling IMO aswell. Czar was on YT just before launch showcasing some things. But 2K17 really did feel different as launch approached to me.
That was very telling, it was very obvious things were off last year even outside of the graphics but glad they bounced back this year, I will appreciate 2k18 because you never know if 2k19 could fall off the sameway 2k17 did can't just assume things will get better every year.
I share your fears about 2k19 as well. Its like the team skips a year lol 2k19 will be mediocre and 2k20 will be awesome.
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But we need gameplay to confirm whether this is better than 2K17 or merely better looking ...
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I share your fears about 2k19 as well. Its like the team skips a year lol 2k19 will be mediocre and 2k20 will be awesome.
I slightly disagree with that last bit. 2K11 was awesome, yes, but I really didn't like 2K12. It was one of those "good ideas on paper that didn't work in execution" games, though I admit the era filters were AWESOME. Plus it introduced the revamped post controls that are in the game to this day--I HATED how post offense controlled in 2K11, my only big gripe with that game.
I had a lot more fun with 2K13, and PS3 2K14 was, in my opinion, the pinnacle of on-court gameplay that the series is still trying to get back to.
I had fun with 2K15, though not as much, but I ADORED the undrafted MyCareer story--seriously, it's my favorite of all the story modes thus far.
2K16 was the best it's been this console generation, though not without its own flaws, like insane stats when player-locked. And 2K17 did introduce league expansion in MyGM/League, my favorite feature of that whole dang mode, but it had so many on-court issues that it was their first misstep since 2K12.
However, since I came back to this series in 2K11, I have NEVER had bad games two years in a row. That means 2K learns from their mistakes, and tries to fix them. I respect that.
This is why I'm hopeful for 2K18...but I'm still waiting for some more MyGM/League info before I pre-order.
This year, and in this moment though, I appreciate the huge leap and effort. Much props 2k, can't wait til release day