OXFORD, UK — Vicon, the developer of motion capture camera systems, returns to the Game Developers Conference in San Francisco to help Epic Games unveil a new Unreal Engine 4 project, and to debut the next stage in its expanding entertainment software platform, Shōgun 1.2. Instead of simply telling people what Shōgun can do, Vicon wants GDC attendees to experience it. Participants will enter Vicon’s booth and be transported into a VR multiplayer escape room, where they will have to use their wits to solve puzzles and beat the clock.
Shōgun launched at last year’s GDC show and has since been used on feature films such as the Academy Award-winning Blade Runner 2049. Shōgun is also being used in the game industry by publishers like Electronic Arts, Ubisoft and Activision. This latest update offers several new features, including the ability to calibrate and record SDI video directly into the Shōgun pipeline. Support for custom game rigs in Shōgun Live and Shōgun Post has also been added, allowing users to animate and solve directly onto their game characters. That data can then be streamed directly into game engines, so game designers can see the results on their characters in realtime.
Shōgun now also works with Epic Games’ Live Link, making it one of the only optical motion capture technologies capable of streaming data directly into Unreal Engine 4. The latest updates will further expand Shōgun’s potential for game developers and VFX artists alike.
Details on Epic Games’ new Unreal Engine 4 Project will be revealed during Epic’s “State of the Unreal” opening session on Wednesday, March 21st at 9:30am at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Theater. The session will also be livestreamed to YouTube, Facebook and Twitch. Vicon will pull the curtain back on the making of this project at GDC, where attendees will be able to witness it live at its booth on Wednesday through to Friday from 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Vicon will also offer a first look at the finalized version of Cara Lite, the entry-level version of the company’s popular Cara 3D production facial capture solution system. GDC attendees will be able to try on the new unit.