spidercam

Vizrt has announced a new technology partnership with spidercam, a developer of robotic camera systems. spidercam will provide tracking data during live productions for Vizrt’s Viz Virtual Studio virtual set and augmented reality (AR) system.

The partnership has been shortlisted for the Sports Technology Awards Best Partnership in Multiple Sports.

spidercam operates with four motorized winches positioned at each corner at the base of the field of play, each of which controls a rugged cable connected to a gyro-stabilized camera rig. By controlling the winding and unwinding of the cables, the system allows the rig to reach any position in the three-dimensional space.

The spidercam system also includes a special tracking system, called “spidercam Vector” that collects the position and orientation of the camera. This data, together with zoom and focus information from the camera, is transmitted to Viz Virtual Studio where it is used to synchronize with a virtual camera inside of a Viz Engine real-time 3D rendering platform. 

“The possibilities created by merging these two technologies are game-changing in how unique marketing opportunities in large venues can be created and deployed,” said Jan Peters, CEO of the spidercam GmbH. “The advantage that spidercam Vector adds to virtual graphics is the possibility to interact with virtual graphics by creating unique flights through and around virtual objects.”

“The flexibility of Vizrt’s systems to incorporate new technologies like our tracking system is a big bonus,” Peters said. “The development team of Vizrt supported us in a professional and uncomplicated way we had yet to encounter with other companies. As a worldwide leader in our niche market, we try to cooperate with companies that follow the same quality standards. Add to this the fact that most of the networks we work with already own Vizrt systems, enabling  us to offer our clients added-value services without increasing their costs unnecessarily.”

Spidercam is now offering spidercam Vector to its clients and recommending the Viz Virtual Studio workflow. Peters said he’s working with clients to help them understand the technology’s potential and how best to harness it. Major sporting events like the 2016 Olympic games in Brazil, American football, soccer, golf, tennis could all benefit from its capabilities.

“What the team at spidercam is doing is very impressive and takes virtual graphics, which Vizrt has a lot of experience with, to a whole new level,” said Gerhard Lang, Chief Engineering Officer at Vizrt. “The Viz Engine platform and Viz Virtual Studio have proven to be very versatile, allowing broadcasters and others to use it in a wide variety of ways. We think the Viz Engine and Viz Virtual Studio are perfectly matched for the spidercam system, as they bring out the best in each other’s respective technology.”

About spidercam:

spidercam develops and markets a variety of robotic camera systems and maintains offices in Austria (Feistritz im Rosental) Germany (Hamburg), Australia (Sydney) and the U.S. (Moonachie, NJ).