computer science

MB-Lab

MB-Lab is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand MB-Lab rather than just read about it. In short: MB-Lab (previously ManuelbastioniLAB) is a free and open-source plug-in for Blender for the parametric 3D modeling of photorealistic humanoid characters. It was developed by the artist and programmer Manuel Bastioni, and was based on his over 15 year experience of 3D graphic projects.

Key takeaways

MB-Lab belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect MB-Lab to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of MB-Lab from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

MB-Lab (previously ManuelbastioniLAB) is a free and open-source plug-in for Blender for the parametric 3D modeling of photorealistic humanoid characters. It was developed by the artist and programmer Manuel Bastioni, and was based on his over 15 year experience of 3D graphic projects. Bastioni withdrew support for the project but it has continued as a community project under the MB-Lab name.

Graphical interface and usability The plugin is completely integrated in Blender. The GUI is designed to be self-explanatory and intuitive and when possible the features are designed to work with one click. Over 90% of the character is defined with only three sliders that control age (from 18 to 80 y.o.), body mass and body tone. The character is finished with other lab tools for body and face details, poses, skin and eye shaders, animation, poses, proxy, etc.

Technology The software is designed as a laboratory in constant evolution and includes both consolidated algorithms as the 3D morphing and experimental technologies, as the fuzzy mathematics used to handle the relations between human parameters, the non-linear interpolation used to define the age, mass and tone, the auto-modelling engine based on body proportions and the expert system used to recognize the bones in motion capture skeletons.

The software is written in Python and works on all the platforms supported by Blender: Windows, macOS and Linux. All the characters use the same standard skeleton, so the poses and animation can be easily moved from a character to another. Most of the data distributed in the package is stored using the standard json syntax.

License ManuelbastioniLAB is completely open source, released under standard licenses of the Free Software Foundation.

Code: All files written in Python are released under GNU General Public License 3. Data: All data files released in the ManuelbastioniLAB package are released under GNU Affero General Public License 3. The characters generated with ManuelbastioniLAB are released under the GNU Affero General Public License 3 (as derivative of AGPL'd data, meshes, textures etc.)

Anatomy and mesh topology of 3D human models

ManuelbastionLAB provides two different base meshes for male and female models. Each model respects the fundamental requisites of a professional mesh, as defined by the author:

Optimization for subdivision surfaces. No triangles. Edge loops designed for deformation during poses and animation. The topology permits to model the main features of bodies and faces. Minimal use of poles. Human readable topology. Sculpting-friendly topology. The base humans are modelled after accurate studies of anatomy and anthropology. The lab 1.5.0 provides about 470 morphs for each human character, designed to parametrically describe most of the anatomical range in human bodies, faces and expressions. Genitalia are not present.

Anthropology and phenotypes Concerning ManuelbastionLAB, the word phenotype is intended with the following meaning:

A "phenotype" defines merely the physical appearance of a class of characters, it is not related to politics, culture, language and history. It's used to describe the variations of human traits in relation to the evolution in a specific geographical area. ManuelbastioniLAB supports most of the common human phenotypes to the extent of volumetric modelling features. The lab provides three main classes of humans: Caucasian, Asian and Afro. For each class there is a specific set of phenotypes. Each phenotype can be loaded from the library and used as base for a custom character, or mixed with another phenotype. The available phenotypes are:

Afro phenotypes: Afromediterranean, Afroasian, Aboriginal, African. Asian phenotypes: Central Asian, North Asian, East Asian, South Asian, Central American, North American. Caucasian phenotypes: Central European, Afrocaucasian, East European, North European, Euromediterranean, Euroartic, North West European, West Asian.

Non-human models: Anime, Elves, etc While the lab is aimed to create realistic 3d human beings based on a scientific description of their parameters, the same technology can be successfully applied to non-human characters, like fantasy creatures. The version 1.5.0 of the lab supports three variety of anime characters: classic shojo, modern shojo and "realistic style" anime. There are also male and female elves and male dwarf. Each model has a separate set of morphs to create millions of variations. Concerning the creation of fantasy characters, the lab supports some extra parameters for humans too, like pointed ears, special teeth, etc..

Comparisons While MakeHuman has similar characteristics to MB-Lab, the former is a stand-alone application and requires export and import to Blender which is not necessary with MB-Lab.

Current stage of development The project was discontinued abruptly by Bastioni, after release 1.6.1a, which was not compatible with Blender 2.80. Bart Veldhhuzien indicates Bastioni attempted unsuccessfully to raise funds, and then chose to move on, quoting Bastioni as saying: "I’m sorry, I did my best, but I cannot continue the development of the lab. I will use Blender as artist, since Blender and its community are part of my life."; and "I realized that the lab community size is not enough to support a so expensive project". In December 2018, a new repository, based on Bastioni's last version (1.6.1a), aiming at Blender 2.80 compatibility, was opened on GitHub with the project name MB-Lab. New community based versions are available on GitHub supporting Blender 2.79 and 2.80.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with MB-Lab

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what MB-Lab claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to MB-Lab before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about MB-Lab ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of MB-Lab

In research: MB-Lab appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses MB-Lab in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: MB-Lab is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 3D computer graphics software for Linux, 3D modeling software for Linux, Anatomical simulation, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for MB-Lab outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study MB-Lab in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what MB-Lab means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain MB-Lab out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is MB-Lab in simple terms?

Why does MB-Lab matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study MB-Lab?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on MB-Lab.