HTC Announces First Turnkey Virtual Production Solution

HTC has launched its first turnkey virtual production product, Vive Mars CamTrack. It’s intended to make virtual production fast, easy, and affordable by consolidating the entire camera tracking workflow into a compact, plug-and-play module with professional-grade features. 

Historically, one of the biggest cost contributors to virtual production has been its lengthy setup process. CamTrack greatly simplifies virtual production setup, thus reducing overall production time and expense. By leveraging industry-leading lighthouse tracking technology, CamTrack shrinks a complicated workflow into a compact box, delivering a simple, accurate camera-tracking solution. Mars’ portability makes it easy to shoot in many different scenarios—from small studios to large sets.

“Virtual production is the future of content creation,” said Raymond Pao, SVP Business Solutions at HTC Vive. “It lets filmmakers unleash their imagination, beyond the constraints of our physical environment. With Mars, HTC has applied its years of experience developing VR tech to the world of virtual production. Film professionals no longer need to balance time, cost, and quality. Now, their virtual production setup can fit into a backpack and deliver professional-grade results.”

The Vive Mars CamTrack includes the following features:

• Multi-cam tracking, with support for up to three cameras
• Highly accurate tracking with VIVE Tracker
• Automated calibration for camera offset and lens distortion
• Lens encoder compatibility, allowing filmmakers to change the depth of field as they would on a traditional camera
• Plug and play compatibility, with no additional software required
• One-click origin reset
• Genlock synced to UE LiveLink, offering synchronized output between real and virtual actors
• Robust wiring to reduce latency
• Offloads computing of the tracking to a dedicated hub

This article was first published on TheVirtualReport.biz.