My Formula 1 System-Chapter 317: Monoposto. 2

As earlier said, prior to this day, Luca had already contractually agreed with F1 Monoposto on rights and agreements, NDA, and confidentiality to grant all necessary permissions.

So, for the first day in the two long months of this process, Luca would carry out his physical appearance scan and voice recording.

Inside the room, Maisie Gibson reached for yet another door before revealing the real workspace. It was anything but a room. It was a large space with the highest ceilings, the walls as white as a blank sheet of paper, and the atmosphere as chilly as the Arctic.

The lighting in the place was very soft, enhancing the brightness of the vibrant white walls. As Luca studied the space, he could hear a soft rumble, a rumble like the hum of something mechanical. It was a bit too deep to be the air conditioning.

"This is where it all starts, Mr. Luca. Every driver who's been part of Grand Prix Evolution has stood in this very room."

Unlike the empty hallways of the building, the room was actually filled with many workers, either moving about or seated calmly at their desks, clustered with monitors… and PlayStation or Xbox consoles.

Nice.

Maisie gathered everyone's attention, letting them know Luca Rennick was in the building.

Immediately, they all left what they were doing and rushed to Luca with enthusiasm. Luca returned all of their greetings, handshakes, and even hugs for those who went to the extreme.

The surroundings met Luca's expectations, but he had been anticipating game developers dressed in white coats that matched the walls. However, the F1 Monoposto workers weren't in white coats but in casual wear and even sneakers.

Before they settled down, Luca took his time to view the things some of them had been obstructing before or working with. The place looked even larger now, considering their crowded state, with far ends and far ends here and there.

To one far end, there was a complex rig of cameras, sensors, and screens, all arranged in a semi-circle. Luca guessed that was where he would be spending most of his time throughout today's session.

The major device in the place was a monitor—they were everywhere. The only distinction between them was what was being displayed on their screens. And these were just the monitors facing Luca; he had no idea what was going on with the others behind him or off to the side.

For those facing him, Luca could only see complex wireframe models, previous driver scans—or should he say… "driver scans" of the workers themselves. How funny.

Some showed rotating 3D models of helmets and suits, while others displayed adjustment parameters that Luca couldn't make sense of.

He knew he wasn't here to be educated, but that didn't mean he wasn't curious and wouldn't allow himself to learn a few things.

Before they got started, the team there did a presentation, explaining everything to Luca on a more personal level than Maisie and even other previous F1 Monoposto personnel had.

After that, they moved on to preparing Luca for the physical appearance scan. A specialist approached him for a light facial retouch. The cameras were extremely sensitive, so even minor changes in skin texture could show up in the final model.

Eventually, Luca was ready, though he felt no different than when he had disembarked from his SUV.

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He stepped forward onto the circular platform at the center of the scanning rig. The semi-spherical structure he had seen earlier surrounded him with bright lights and cameras. The setup looked more like something from a high-tech laboratory than a gaming studio.

First, they started with a neutral scan for a neutral expression. Then they moved on to some expressions known of F1 racers. Neutral. Smile. Angry. Focused. Podium laugh. Fatigued.

It felt a bit weird to Luca, standing before a camera and making faces while others meticulously watched and worked. He wasn't good at making faces, so he had many cuts and retakes. The flashing lights and the hum of the cameras went on longer than even the workers had expected.

With time, they completed his 3D face scanning and expression capture. Moving on to the full-body scan, he was guided to stand on a larger scanning platform.

Here, the cameras aligned better, focusing on his entire frame as if he were in a pod. There was a rotating base beneath his feet that would allow him to slowly spin 360° while an array of scanners mapped his height, posture, and proportions down to the millimeter.

Luca hadn't expected the base to move—maybe he had missed that part when they explained everything. So when he staggered, it prompted everyone to laugh as they reassured him, giving him the confidence to stand firmly.

Luca watched as a real-time digital wireframe of his body built itself on a monitor nearby, piecing together a near-perfect replica.

"Next, we need an outfit scan," the technician said. "Normally, we'd scan you in full race gear, but today, we're starting with the base model."

So, Luca changed into a standard racing suit provided by the team. It was a generic version meant for initial captures and served well for the suits of retired drivers in the game. It was gray, bland, and had a simple text reading "F1 Monoposto" on the right chest.

Once zipped in, he stepped back onto the platform. The process repeated, the cameras now capturing the fit, texture, and any natural folds that formed in the fabric as he moved like a ballet dancer.

The final step for scans today was distinctive features.

A technician approached with a handheld scanner. "Do you have any visible scars, tattoos, or defining marks that need to be mapped?" he asked, his eyes probing Luca.

Luca shook his head as he stepped off the platform. "Nope. I have no tattoos."

------

Luca had a forty-minute rest before they moved on to voice integration.

He rested in a comfortable lounge within the facility, reuniting with Manuela, who seemed bothered by how long it was all taking.

After having lunch, Luca returned with Maisie. A quick wave of depression hit him as he realized this was just day one out of several days scheduled.

Getting his own avatar in-game was a great experience and wasn't even physically demanding, but for now, Luca wanted to direct his mind toward his races.

Luca had expected them to return to the same place, but for this activity, it was a different room—a recording studio, in fact.

It was darker here, and the walls looked soundproof.

"Luca, this session is going to focus on voiceprint calibration and scripted line recording. We'll save the dynamic reactions and radio simulations for another day," Maisie said as they approached the sound engineers.

She duly introduced both parties, and they got to work without delay.

A big bottle of water was nearby because Luca had a ton of words to say into the microphone. He was told not to stress it, and they'd pick up from where they left off next time.

"Copy that, P1's the goal"

"I'm getting pressured from behind!" He even had to yell.

"I think I have some front wing damage."

"Yes! We got him!"

"I'm going for it!"

"I had no room to avoid contact!"

"I've lost power!"

"The brakes feel really bad."

"This one is for the team!"

"No! That was our race to win!"

"It's getting slippery out here."

"Good job, team. We'll get them next time."

"Yes! What a race!"

Luca even suggested "Simply lovely!"

Since this was Grand Prix Evolution for consoles and not the simulations themselves, each driver had 100 to 300 lines. Luca only voiced about fifty today, his sore throat threatening to come back.

They called it a day and thanked Luca for his cooperation. Before he even left the recording studio, Maisie Gibson showed him a photo on her phone.

Displayed on the screen was a detailed 3D render of his face—his likeness in digital form. The visual team had wasted no time in putting together an early model, and despite the lack of textures and final polish, it was unmistakably him.

Luca stared for a long time, chuckling in admiration. That was the most life-like 3D photo he had ever seen. He couldn't believe the heights of technology F1 Monoposto had achieved.