RADiCAL, a developer of real-time motion capture and markerless 3D creation tools, today announces new updates to its Canvas platform, including animated cameras, lights, and assets.

OCTOBER 3, 2024

RADiCAL for Pre-Production includes extensive new features that enable teams to create, simulate, and iterate on scenes and set design with real-time 3D visualization. This simplifies the pre-production process with a browser-based, drag-and-drop solution. 

The release allows users – regardless of technical skill – the ability to make creative decisions before stepping onto set, in real-time. This includes tools to simulate real-world cameras as well as their movement, customize and animate lighting, character block with real-time motion capture (RADiCAL Motion) and keyframe animation for assets within RADiCAL Canvas. These new features can be accessed via their browser-based platform, with no need for downloads or coding. 

Key updates & new features 

Additional features will be confirmed Q1, 2025

• Cameras: 
  • Animate real-world camera movements via simple keyframing, including: dollying, craneing, and panning [currently in beta]. 
  • Custom camera lenses and sensor sizes due to be released in Q4. 
  • Aspect ratio, focal length, and camera sequencing due Q1 2025.

• Environment:
  • Ability to upload custom HDRI maps coming in Q4.
  • Current HDRI maps include floor projection for shadow casting.
    

• Assets:
  • Animate asset movements in RADiCAL Canvas via keyframing [currently in beta]. 
  • New primitives library.
  • Asset functions to include customizable coloring and opacity.
  • Human scaling to be included for greater accuracy.
    
• Characters:
  • Record Live motion from within RADiCAL Canvas, and create clips that can be used at a later date.
  • New trimming tool for clips coming Q4.
    

Since the success of its markerless performance capture launch in August – including finger tracking and Upper Body mode – the RADiCAL team has worked together with their advisors on optimizing the user experience for commercial and personal projects.

“I know how important pre-production can be to a film’s success. I’ve adopted and created many different technologies over the years to make time on set efficient, which is why I’m so excited to support RADiCAL,” comments Habib Zargarpour, an Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-award winning visual effects supervisor, and  member of the RADiCAL advisory board. “I believe the platform will transform filmmaking by making previsualisation simpler, more approachable, scalable, and collaborative.”

RADiCAL’s New Release Simplifies Pre-Production with Top Industry Advisors

Along with their other advisors – Third Floor exec Dane Allan Smith, and ex-CTO of Wētā Digital, Joe Marks – the RADiCAL team have worked alongside filmmakers to ensure this release covers and provides solutions to the main pain points experienced during the pre-production phase; mostly, removing the need for complex and costly software. 

“We’re not here to serve Hollywood,” adds Gavan Gravesen, RADiCAL CEO and Co-founder. We’re here to bring real-time pre-production visualization to every filmmaker, everywhere. This is drag-and-drop filmmaking”

RADiCAL’s Platform Enhances Real-Time Collaborative Production for Creators

RADiCAL will continue to build a platform that empowers creators to visualize their productions intuitively, with no expense or learning curve, and the ability to work collaboratively with everyone on the team – wherever they are, in real-time. With the new RADiCAL updates, users can access scenes from anywhere on any device through the browser-based interface and share designs with team members. 

“At some point, we need to make content easier to produce, not only to reduce the cost of making movies and games, but also to democratize storytelling,” comments Joe Marks “There’s a lot of people out there who want to tell stories but don’t have the skills. But we’re now approaching a time when computer technology can help those who have stories to tell. And that’s one of the exciting things about RADiCAL.”

RADiCAL Expands Platform Features for Filmmakers & Offers Free Premium Access for Schools

RADiCAL is continuing to add further updates to its platform, developing the usability and functions of its platform, along with a focus on the pre-production elements to fit the needs of filmmakers, studios, and small or large production teams. RADiCAL will also be offering premium access for schools until the end of the year completely free of charge.

About RADiCAL

RADiCAL (note: not RADiCAL Motion) is a 3D creation platform that simplifies and accelerates every aspect of building and animating in real-time — from motion capture and animation, to scene composition and prototyping. 

The RADiCAL platform is accessible through any consumer-grade device – directly from the web browser – and integrates seamlessly with Unreal, Maya, Unity, Blender, WebGL, and Replikant, enabling creativity, animation, and design for anyone, anywhere, at massive scale.

News source RADiCAL