Vicon will debut its markerless motion capture technology in collaboration with Artanim, the research arm of Dreamscape, the leading VR company, at SIGGRAPH 2023
Vicon today marks a new era of innovation in the field of motion capture, announcing that it will debut its machine learning (ML) powered markerless technology at SIGGRAPH 2023 in Los Angeles, in collaboration with Artanim, the Swiss research institute and the award-winning VR group, Dreamscape Immersive.
The announcement follows nearly three years of research and development focussing on the integration of ML and artificial intelligence (AI) into markerless motion capture at Vicon’s renowned R&D facility in Oxford, UK. The project has been undertaken by a new dedicated team, led by CTO Mark Finch, and leverages nearly four decades worth of Vicon innovation to enable a seamless, end-to-end markerless infrastructure, from pixel to purpose.
For Dreamscape, markerless motion capture can now provide a more true-to-life adventure than any other immersive VR experience by allowing for more free-flowing movement and exploration with even less user gear. Commenting on the decision to partner with Vicon, Aaron Grosky, President & COO of Dreamscape said: “We have been anxiously awaiting the time when markerless could break from concept and into product, where the technology could support the precision required to realize its amazing potential.
The collaboration between Vicon and Artanim was key to ensure the desired requirements for the VR use case were met.
At SIGGRAPH, Vicon will showcase a six person, markerless and multi-modal real-time solve, set against Dreamscape’s location-based virtual reality adventure called “The Clockwork Forest”, created in partnership with Audemars Piguet, the Swiss haute horology manufacturer. The experience will allow participants to shrink to the size of an ant and explore a mechanical wonderland, while working together to repair the Source of Time and restore the rhythm of nature.
Vicon is aiming to enhance the potential for markerless motion capture, for the benefit of all. To accelerate the further development of this technology, Vicon is inviting individual motion capture influencers, evangelists, end user organisations, and technology partners to take part in its ‘Pioneer Program’, which also launches at SIGGRAPH 2023.
Through Vicon’s VFX (Visual Effects) Pioneer Program, the VFX, LBVR and virtual production communities will have the opportunity to discover, understand and define how markerless motion capture can be applied in their industries. The VFX Pioneer Program will be followed by additional programs dedicated to the engineering and life sciences sectors.
