Broadcast Beat Magazine 2017 IBC Show | Page 31

being tested by several leading Triple-A studios, and their reac- tions have been very exciting: “Xsens’ ability to over- come magnetic distortion allows us the flexibility to capture accurate perfor- mance data in a whole range of new situations, with the accuracy of opti- cal capture. That’s invalu- able for our work on live virtual performance at Senua Studio, where sta- bility in uncontrolled set- tings is crucial. This is a tremendous step forwards for the mocap industry.” Xsens say the technology is particularly useful for animators – and can be used to seem- ingly transfer someone into the virtual world. Users are fully immersed, every movement copied, in a whole new reality. Beyond simple entertainment, the applications for hands on training are endless; from foot- ball matches, to car test drives. The suit is even equipped with ultra-small trackers to allow for rolls and stunts. “It even allows you to control an avatar’s full body,” says Stephenie DeGuzman, Business Developer at Xsens. “So, if you’re creating a VR experience or VR game, for example, you could tie your avatar to our system such that it allows you to see your arms and legs while interacting with your environment in VR.” has a battery life of up to 12 hours. Pricing for Xsens suits run from $12,500 to around $30,000, which is a lot cheaper than a classic ‘volume based’ motion capture setup. It is an ideal solution for animation stu- dios or game developers as well as biomechanical or ergonom- ic analysis and sports perfor- mance science. This development will open up a new world of possibilities for motion capture that have never been achievable before. On completion, this major development is planned to be released in the form of an update to their existing product software and will be rolled out for free to all existing custom- ers. The suit is self contained – with all information recorded in a convenient on-body pack – and ...where stability in an uncontrolled setting is crucial. This is a tremen- dous step forwards for the mocap industry. Broadcast Beat Magazine • www.broadcastbeat.com • 31