Vicon Launches Cara Lite at Siggraph 2017

~ Integrates with Dynamixyz to offer film and game studios more realistic character animations ~

Oxford, UK – 26 July 2017 – Vicon, the motion capture technology specialist for the entertainment, life sciences and engineering industries, today announced it will launch Cara Lite at this year’s SIGGRAPH. The new ‘Lite’ version of the Cara facial capture system will expand the market to more film and game studios, looking to achieve a higher-quality facial capture with a lower cost of entry.

Having launched Cara, the pioneering facial capture system at SIGGRAPH 2013, Cara Lite builds upon this proprietary design. Offering one or two-cameras to deliver a more flexible system, which has a far quicker set-up time. With full wireless connectivity and seamless integration with existing Vicon motion capture systems, Cara Lite reinforces Vicon’s commitment to provide cost-effective and practical motion capture solutions.

Partnering with Dynamixyz, specialists in facial analysis and synthesis, film and game studios can now integrate Dynamixyz’s Performer solution into the Cara Lite production pipeline. Using a mixture of marker-less and physical tracking, users will be able to capture precise and minute facial details – especially for complex eye and inner lip movements, which have traditionally been inaccessible to marker-based systems. As a result this provides a more complete solution, meaning users save time editing these subtle movements in post-production.

With ever-increasing demand from studios to streamline and integrate their production operations, Cara Lite also facilitates the integration of third party helmets and the use of numerous headsets simultaneously. This gives users the option to incorporate additional hardware into the capture volume, increasing efficiency on set. Most recently ten Cara systems were used simultaneously on the Sony Picture’s Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV movie. What’s more Cara Lite is also compatible with other facial capture systems such as Faceware and Cubic Motion’s facial pipeline.

‘Combining Vicon’s powerful motion capture systems with Dynamixyz’s forward-thinking vision for facial analysis allows us to open up new opportunities for studios to create high-quality facial animation – regardless of size. Working closely with Vicon, we can address the current workflow and production challenges the film and games industries face,’ said Gaspard Breton, CEO of Dynamixyz.

‘Cara’s evolution has always been about increased flexibility and meeting the needs of the industry. We recognise that a four camera marker based system isn’t for everyone. Cara Lite’s support of markerless capture with stereo cameras, offer the perfect balance between set-up time and quality.  Our partnership with Dynamixyz allows us meet this demand, and ensures we continue to provide studios with the flexible technology they need,’ said Tim Doubleday, VFX product manager at Vicon.

At SIGGRAPH (Booth #523), Vicon will also be demonstrating its recently launched VFX motion capture software, Shōgun. With live calibration and high fidelity real-time data, Shōgun provides customers with intelligent real-time system monitoring. Delivering the most streamlined workflow on the market, Shōgun helps customers accelerate their productions and increase the efficiency of their post- production pipelines.

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About Vicon

Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion capture and tracking systems. It serves customers in the CG animation, object tracking, virtual and augmented realities, engineering, broadcast, biomechanics, sports and clinical sciences arenas.

Vicon is a subsidiary of Oxford Metrics (LSE: OMG), the international software company servicing government, life sciences, entertainment and engineering markets. Other holdings include Yotta, a provider of software and services for infrastructure asset management and IMeasureU, makers of fusing wearable technology sensors and proprietary software.

Among many others, Vicon global clients include:

Entertainment: Framestore, Audiomotion, The Imaginarium, Quantic Dream, Ninja Theory, Konami, Activision, Sony, Dreamworks, ILM, USC, EA, Capture Lab, 2K Games, CD Projekt, Digic Pictures, IO Interactive, Creative Assembly, Plarium Games, Mocap Lab, Seasun

VR: Artanim, VR Tech, Dreamscape VR, Canon, Samsung