If you’re a fan of Disney’s Star Wars series “The Mandalorian,” you are no doubt familiar with the technology known as “The Volume.”
This is Disney’s soundstage size virtual stage, which projects an 8K LED image from the Helios virtual system, which replaces greenscreen with an actual image that provides a sense of Parallax, as well as realistic lighting for the actors to react to. It’s truly groundbreaking.
But it is also very expensive. For more independent projects, AXIBO has created a slider that interfaces with Unreal Engine to move the camera and slider it virtually within the scene.
The result is a similar sense of parallax on a projected image from an LCD screen setup from behind. A green screen can also be used.
Image Credit – Axibo
The key to the Axibo system is the Axibo puck, which attaches to the real camera and provides motion telemetry in the 3D space of the camera itself.
The puck translates that motion telemetry data coming from the slider itself and uses computer-controlled programming to replicate the camera movement in virtual space.
Image Credit – Axibo
But here’s where Axibo differs from more expensive technologies like The Volume.
Users of the Axibo system can send the company their motion telemetry data, which then takes that data to render out the selected video background with their more powerful computer systems. It’s all done with math.
Image Credit – Axibo
Once that video is rendered out, the video is sent back to the user, who can then link it to the Axibo motion control camera slider to shoot the master scene.
Through any computer, laptop, or even smartphone, users just connect to the video’s IP address using a web app, and then the Axibo system is synced with the video.
Then the video can be projected behind the subject and can even be controlled through a gaming controller to create more custom start and stop points.
In the end, Axibo enables users to create their own virtual production like The Volume, albeit on a much smaller, more affordable scale. And with programmable data points, the shot can be repeated over and over.
Check out the video below to see AXIBO in action.
For a deeper dive into virtual production, check out this video from FilmRiot.
Axibo is currently being crowdfunded on Kickstarter, and backers can get the motion control slider starting at under $1,000 US.
A 40% discount. There are also additional attachments that add multi-plane motion control and other features.
[source: Make. Art. Now]
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