Xsens, an innovator in 3D motion tracking technology, has announced the Xsens Indie Program, a new initiative designed to democratize the use of its Hollywood-grade motion capture solutions.
The Xsens Indie Program has been launched to support inspiring up-and-coming talent. It will provide indies, student teams, young studios and game devs with access to Xsens’ production-grade mocap technology at an entry-level budget.
Those that qualify (one of the requirements being, for example, that a studio generate revenue no greater than $750,000 over the past fiscal year) receive a free Xsens software subscription for one year, and only need to cover the cost of the affordable Xsens mocap hardware, resulting in huge savings across the board.
Over the last 10 years, Xsens has delivered state-of-the-art mocap solutions to the triple-A game development industry and leading VFX studios across the globe. Xsens mocap systems have powered numerous high-end productions, including Independence Day: Resurgence, Kingsglaive: Final Fantasy XV, FIFA, and much anticipated titles LawBreakers and Hellblade.
Dominika Osak, producer at Badi Badi, commented: “The Xsens Indie Program gives us the luxury of capturing anywhere, without having to rent out a stage or employ a huge team of technical operators. We can accomplish what larger studios are doing with less space, less equipment, and in a shorter time frame. The benefits cannot be overstated.”
Hein Beute, director of product marketing at Xsens, said: “We understand that for small studios and indie developers, cost of entry to high-end mocap solutions can be a barrier to quality creative output. The Xsens Indie Program has been designed to make it easier for smaller studios to access Xsens triple-A quality mocap solutions on a budget, delivering the stories they really want to tell.”
Xsens’ inertial approach to mocap includes full-body, wearable mocap MVN suits and straps. While conventional mocap systems use marker-based systems, Xsens records the motion data of the performers’ movements. The flexibility of this approach enables actors to better focus on their performance. Xsens’ system is billed as being much better suited to on-location mocap shoots than traditional approaches. It excels in rough, rugged and uneven capture areas, and is incredibly robust, eradicating restrictions when stunts are needed, or if actors want to push their performances to the limit.
For more info and to apply for the program, click here.
Google Opens Its Defense In Antitrust Case Alleging Monopoly Over Online Ad Technology
Google opened its defense against allegations that it holds an illegal monopoly on online advertising technology Friday with witness testimony saying the industry is vastly more complex and competitive than portrayed by the federal government.
"The industry has been exceptionally fluid over the last 18 years," said Scott Sheffer, a vice president for global partnerships at Google, the company's first witness at its antitrust trial in federal court in Alexandria.
The Justice Department and a coalition of states contend that Google built and maintained an illegal monopoly over the technology that facilitates the buying and selling of online ads seen by consumers.
Google counters that the government's case improperly focuses on a narrow type of online ads โ essentially the rectangular ones that appear on the top and on the right-hand side of a webpage. In its opening statement, Google's lawyers said the Supreme Court has warned judges against taking action when dealing with rapidly emerging technology like what Sheffer described because of the risk of error or unintended consequences.
Google says defining the market so narrowly ignores the competition it faces from social media companies, Amazon, streaming TV providers and others who offer advertisers the means to reach online consumers.
Justice Department lawyers called witnesses to testify for two weeks before resting their case Friday afternoon, detailing the ways that automated ad exchanges conduct auctions in a matter of milliseconds to determine which ads are placed in front of which consumers and how much they cost.
The department contends the auctions are finessed in subtle ways that benefit Google to the exclusion of would-be competitors and in ways that prevent... Read More