Vicon gives Cara a facelift at SIGGRAPH 2014

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New version of its pioneering facial mocap system to feature hardware improvements and updates to CaraLive and CaraPost for faster, more efficient facial tracking

Oxford, UK – SIGGRAPH 2014 (#733) – 6 August 2014Vicon, the motion capture technology specialist for the entertainment, engineering and life science industries, will launch a series of updates to Cara, the world’s first out-of-the-box facial motion capture system for film and games production, at SIGGRAPH 2014 next week. The latest version boasts significant quality enhancements that accelerate facial capture workflows for fast-paced performance capture productions, right out of the box. 

A new version of CaraLive, the software at the heart of the system during set up and capture, vastly improves overall operating performance, while reducing precious capture and post-production costs and time.

CaraPost, which provides the engine and tools to extract high-quality 3D point data from marker-based CaraLive capture footage, officially launches out of beta and features a range of radical enhancements and workflow efficiency improvements influenced by Cara’s real-world production use.

Vicon also designed and developed a custom controllable rig of four on-board lights enabling customers to work in environments with insufficient or changing ambient light. The accessory kit has been extended to provide greater flexibility and comfort over a wider range of head sizes.

“The Cara updates reflect our continuing commitment to delivering modular, high-performance facial motion capture that’s accessible to all,” said Phil Elderfield, product manager, Vicon. “Based on customer feedback from Cara’s use in real-world production environments since its launch a year ago, Cara now offers even more flexibility with features like the Cara Lighting Kit, as well as faster, more efficient workflows that enable users to focus on the creative process. Cara continues to set the standard for affordable, accessible, high-quality character realism.”

Cara updates will be on show at Vicon’s SIGGRAPH booth, #733.

Some of the exciting new features in the Vicon Cara System include:

CaraLive

  • Improved auto exposure for variable lighting conditions
  • The ability to specify a region of interest on which to base your exposure settings
  • Improved blob detector for more accurate tracking
  • Quicker and easier wifi setup
  • View navigation improvements, allowing you to choose between single camera or multi-camera view

CaraPost

  • Faster, more accurate blob detector for more accurate 3D dots
  • Hugely improved, time-saving automated tracker and tracking tools
  • The ability to initialize once and use across multiple takes
  • Much faster delivery of higher quality data

Contact details

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

UK enquiries: Rebecca Edwards

020 7403 8878

Rebeccae@rlyl.com

US enquiries: Kim Willsher

001 310 569 2603

Kimw@rlyl.com

About Vicon

Academy Award®-winning Vicon is the world’s largest supplier of precision motion tracking systems and match-moving software. It serves customers in CG animation, film, visual effects, computer games, broadcast television, as well as engineering and life sciences industries.

Vicon is a subsidiary of OMG (Oxford Metrics Group - LSE: OMG), plc., a group of technology companies that produces image understanding solutions for the entertainment, defense, life sciences and engineering markets. Other holdings include: 2d3, a manufacturer of specialized image understanding software for defense applications; Yotta a provider of software and services for infrastructure asset management; and OMG Life, a new consumer subsidiary.

Among many others, Vicon and OMG global clients include:

Entertainment: Audiomotion, The Imaginarium, Quantic Dream, SEGA, Konami,  Sony, Dreamworks, ILM Life Sciences: Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre - Oxford, Headley Court, University of Western Australia, Adidas, Digital Human Research Centre - Japan, Gillette Children’s Specialty Healthcare, Shriners, Marquette, University of Michigan Engineering:European Space Agency, BMW, Council for Scientific and Industrial Research – South Africa, ETH Zurich, Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, NRL, UPENN GRASP, MIT, Ford and General Motors

For more information about OMG and its subsidiaries, visit: www.omgplc.com, www.vicon.com, www.vicon.com/boujou, www.moves.com, www.2d3sensing.com, www.yotta.co.uk or www.autographer.com

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Quotes

“The Cara updates reflect our continuing commitment to delivering modular, high-performance facial motion capture that’s accessible to all,”
Phil Elderfield, product manager, Vicon