INDUSTRY INSIGHT
3D World explores Arcturus’s world-leading capture and distribution technology, and what it means for volumetric video
From the very first TV screen to the advent of 4K picture quality, how we engage with video has constantly evolved. Since 2016, a company called Arcturus has been pioneering volumetric video, the next stage in that technological evolution. This transformative technique captures a person in three dimensions, with their performance then able to be viewed traditionally on a 2D display or as a 3D object in extended reality.
HoloSuite, Arcturus’s set of volumetric video post-production and streaming tools, has been used to breathe new life into live broadcasts, create holographic performances, expand the possibilities of training simulations, and much more. It’s long been considered the best way to edit and stream volumetric video, but now Arcturus has everything needed to steer the technology’s future, from a worldclass capture solution to industry-leading research and development (R&D).
In the summer of 2023, Arcturus was selected by Microsoft to take over its advanced Mixed Reality Capture Studios (MRCS) solutions, which made it the sole provider of MRCS tech, as well as the group responsible for its continued development. Now the HoloSuite tools are paired with one of the most advanced 3D capture and reconstruction systems in existence, not to mention the team’s unparalleled expertise.
Here, we’ll explore why the MRCS solution is so good, learn about Arcturus’s state-of-the-art new studio, and discover what this all means for an increasingly exciting corner of the 3D industry.
FOLLOW THE LEADERS
Adding MRCS into its arsenal cemented Arcturus’s place as the leader in volumetric video. The solution can create some of the highest-quality captures possible, using more than 100 cameras simultaneously to capture a subject from multiple angles, even while they’re in motion. That capture data is then processed by an ultra-sophisticated reconstruction software that delivers a photorealistic 3D video that can be used in any type of project, from VFX to mixed reality and beyond.
Helping to lead the MRCS business is Steve Sullivan, Arcturus’s newly appointed chief product officer. Having helped create the technology at Microsoft, Sullivan is the ideal person to have in charge. Among his many responsibilities is input on all current and upcoming products at Arcturus. These will be capture agnostic, which means that different solutions can be used across one intuitive workflow.
While capture data always flowed seamlessly from MRCS into Arcturus’s suite of tools, the company wasted no time in developing an even more streamlined workflow between the two. It’s now easier than ever for users to capture, edit and stream a volumetric video; just one barrier of entry t
