STUTTGART, GERMANY – Project Dreamspace, a three-year European Commission-funded project tasked with researching and developing tools for creative professionals in visual effects, will present its first year’s findings at FMX 2015 (http://www.fmx.de). The research focused on the technical components necessary to enable virtual production and was put together by a consortium of leading VFX thinkers from the education, research and commercial sectors. Together, they looked at the critical issues around collaborative workflows and combining live performances, video and computer-generated imagery in realtime. Members from the group, including The Foundry, Ncam, Stargate Germany, CreW, Saarland University, iMinds and Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg.
“As virtual and augmented reality continue to command attention from content creators, our main challenge remains finding ways in which complex, highly technical content can be created faster, with more flexibility and creativity.” says Jon Starck, head of research at The Foundry and technical coordinator for Project Dreamspace.
Key findings the group will present include: Markerless camera tracking with depth keying; omnidirectional video for virtual sets; lighting capture to match real and virtual lights; interchangeable realtime and high-quality rendering; realtime compositing connected to post-production; on-set tools for intuitive and collaborative set-up and visualization; and new immersive experiences.
As part of its work, Project Dreamspace runs a series of experimental productions to test new technologies with directors, designers and artists, as well as new immersive experiences. Examples of the tests can be found under the Productions section of the Project Dreamspace Website (www.dreamspaceproject.eu/Productions).