Motion-capture specialist Vicon moved into location-based virtual reality (LBVR) at SIGGRAPH with today’s introduction of Origin, a room-scale tracking system that it said requires minimal investments in training, calibration and other maintenance.
The system consists of a lightweight tracking camera called Viper; wearable trackers called Pulsar clusters that attach to a user’s body, arms, legs, and HMDs and emit unique infrared LED patterns; and a small Beacon, which enables wireless connectivity between Viper cameras, Pulsar clusters and/or other devices. Tying it all together is Vicon’s new Evoke software platform, including a full API and game-engine integration that can run entirely in the background.
Multiple participants can appear as fully animated avatars in Origin’s LBVR environment, Vicon said, with the Pulsar clusters tracking their body movements and recreating them positions in the virtual world. Pulsar clusters can be attached to tools and props, allowing them to be passed between participants in the experience.
Clockwise from top right: Vicon Viper camera, Pulsar clusters and Beacon transmitter
Vicon
“We have decades of experience creating the most precise and robust optical motion capture systems in the world, so the expansion into LBVR was natural,” said Vicon CEO Imogen Moorhouse in a prepared statement. “Origin has been perfected over the last few years, built upon the foundation of our proven solutions, and designed to meet the current and future needs of this exciting industry.”
The system was developed in partnership with VR specialist Dreamscape Immersive, Vicon said. Vicon hopes the plug-and-play nature of its technology will help make it an early leader in enabling the kind of VR experiences created by companies like Dreamscape. Detailed specs and pricing for the system were not immediately revealed.
Origin will be demonstrated at SIGGRAPH 2018 in Vancouver, BC, in Vicon’s booth, #1239, daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. PT.
