Press Releases 

3 June 2008

ANIMAZOO AND UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON TO RESEARCH CONSUMER LEVEL MOCAP TECHNOLOGY
www.animazoo.com

Students at the University of Brighton will be working with cutting-edge prototype technology following a link with motion capture company, Animazoo. The company will be loaning the equipment to the university for research purposes to explore new game interaction applications.

Ali Kord, founder and Chief Technology Officer explained: “We’re used to buttons, joysticks and steering wheels when playing computer games, but even with the Wii there isn’t any computer input device that accurately reflects real body gestures. This study will be invaluable to explore new options using motion capture technology and could enable us to develop an innovative new consumer games device.”

Students will work with the equipment to test the validity of new game paradigms for the mass market audience. Most games concentrate on up and down or forward and back movements which do not reflect human movement. This 3D technology will mirror the user’s motion bringing to life the game experience. Students will test out the value and feasibility of this level of interactivity with a view to developing motion capture at consumer level prices in conjunction with Animazoo.

Andrew Blake, Senior Lecturer at the University of Brighton said: “Links with commercial organisations such as Animazoo are vital to students as well as the college for research and academic purposes. This is exciting technology that has many industry applications, the games environment is an ideal way to really test the capabilities of the technology.”

In addition to the practical work with students, Andrew Blake will be utilising the technology for his own research purposes. His PhD will incorporate research into Animazoo technology and its validity as an input mechanism. Academic research papers are also planned during the project.

Blake continued: ”Most studies into computer games concentrate on software. Looking at peripheral input devices will be a fresh approach, not only valuable study for the students, but also something new to offer the industry when the findings are published.”

For further press information please contact Ruth Reynolds on 07976 909044 or ruth.reynolds@animazoo.com

About Animazoo:
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic technology.

Animazoo recently launched the IGS-190H (Hybrid), the new optical quality hybrid motion capture system. This advanced mocap technology delivers highly accurate, lifelike data and a range of new features. It is the leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

 

12 May 2008

ANIMAZOO LAUNCHES THE REVOLUTIONARY IGS-190H

Optical quality motion capture data from inertial gyroscopic system for the first time
www.animazoo.com

Award winning motion capture company Animazoo announces the launch of the IGS-190H (Hybrid), the new optical quality hybrid motion capture system. This advanced mocap technology delivers highly accurate, lifelike data and a range of new features.

The IGS-190H combines the powerful features of the existing IGS-190M (Mobile) with a new Ultrasonic system, ExacTrax, and Animazoo Jump Injector, the patent pending editing and auto-cleaning tools. The new editing tools do 80 percent of post-processing in a point and click, intuitive cleaning mechanism.

“The IGS-190H is the next generation for motion capture,” said Ali Kord, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Animazoo. “Users will notice the step change in the quality of their data, even in challenging scenarios such as fast-paced action or movement off the ground. Not only is the data more accurate, it is also more lifelike, we’ve added extra sensors as well as our most advanced software yet.”

Animazoo recently tested the system in a capoeira shoot for games developers Twelve Interactive. Click here for further information. This is the first time an inertial gyroscopic system has been used to capture data from capoeira. It is notoriously difficult to capture due to the high speed motion in the air during jumps. In the two-day shoot 200 moves were captured, generating over 1,500 in-game shots.

The new ultrasonic tracking technology, ExacTrax, has been exclusively developed by the Animazoo team to work in conjunction with the IGS-190M and GypsyGyro-18 systems. It includes a scalable configuration of one Sonar Processing Unit (SPU) per 4 sonar sensors (up to 96 sensors per standard PC). The basic system comes with a 20-sensor/ 5 SPU configuration. The hybrid system is designed to accommodate up to 4 IGS-190 systems without needing additional sonar gear.

What sets the IGS-190H apart from usual motion capture technology is the five SPUs, each controlling four microphones. The synchronized ultrasonic ExacTrax hardware collects root position data for the IGS-190M for use in operator-made post-processing and automatic editing.

It works in the following way: the sonar emitter fits onto the back of the suit. This sends an ultrasonic pulse to the sensor microphones, triangulating its position. The SPU receiver modules process the data for the PC.

Powerful features of the IGS-190H also include:

 1 New patent pending, ground-breaking features in the joint off-setting program AutoCal
 2 New file format with additional bones in the real-time skeleton
 3 New additional sensor for the waist
 4 New BVH format (compatible with .fbx and Max) with additional spine
 5 “improve calibration” feature by waving an emitter
 6 Temperature factoring feature
 7 No limit on the number of SPU or microphones than can be rigged together (but one PCI card can handle 32 microphones. Standard IGS-190H PC has 3 PCI slots
 8 “L-shaped”, “snaked”, or “multi-room” capture spaces made easy
 9 Cost-effective sensors allow multiple permanent capture spaces with one portable central processing system, reducing setup time and equipment costs
 10 Outdoor tracking possible
 11 Basic 20-sensor system can cover 6m X 6m space (but actor can leave tracking area without interrupting the skeleton data, only tracking data)
 12 IGS-190 can be used without its ExacTrax at any time (for mobile applications)

The IGS-190H, inertial gyroscopic-ultrasonic tracking hybrid motion capture system, package includes:

 1 Animazoo IGS-190M
 2 Exac-Trax:
     o 1 emitter (plus 2 spare) 
     o 20 sensors (plus 4 spare) 
     o 2 Transmitters (plus 2 spare) 
     o 5 Sonar processing Units (SPU) 
     o PC & monitor 
     o New revolutionary Keyframe & Jump trajectory editing software 
     o Cables o Tripods and T-bars for hanging 20 sensors 
     o Comprehensive tailored training program on hardware and software

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For further press information please contact Ruth Reynolds on 07976 909044 or ruth@ruthreynolds.com

About Animazoo:
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

 

18 April 2008

ANIMAZOO AND AXTION LINK TO PROVIDE REVOLUTIONARY DIAGNOSTIC CAPABILITES
www.animazoo.com

Doctors and physiotherapists can now make a more accurate diagnosis of patients with injuries or posture problems following a link between award-winning motion capture company, Animazoo, and software specialists aXtion.

The link will enable medical professionals to make faster, more in-depth diagnoses based on scientific data and analysis recorded using motion capture. aXtion worked with TNO, a knowledge and research organisation, to independently test motion capture systems before embarking on the project.

“This strategic link gives a whole new industry sector access to motion capture technology which, due to the complexity of optical systems, was only available to University research teams” explained Ali Kord, Founder and Chief Technology Officer at Animazoo. “The technology will be able to analyse angular velocity and magnitude of the patient's motion, translating it into data and visual imagery that is simple to understand for the physiotherapist. It brings to life the analysis of injuries for medical teams, comparing the data with that of a healthy human body, indicating precisely the problem of the patient.”

The mocap measures angles and tracks movements to provide powerful gait analysis. To use it, the physiotherapist straps the patient's body into a motion capture system consisting of special high speed gyroscopic sensors. The patient performs a series of simple exercises which show up on a computer screen as graphics.

Axtion created the biomechanical software for this specialised product. Yolanda Marani, Founder of aXtion explained: “Working with Animazoo has enabled us to import very accurate data direct from the patient into our database software system. We can now produce more scientific, diagnostic information never available before. The technology will also offer medical professionals the added benefit of comparing their patient’s problems with that of other patients around the country.”

TNO independently tested a number of mocap systems before selecting Animazoo’s IGS-190.

Wiltfried Pathuis, Scientist at TNO ICT said: “We tested a range of options and Animazoo was selected for its accuracy and ease of use. We needed a proven solution which sticks to the basics: reliable, accurate motion capture. Animazoo delivered just what aXtion needed with the IGS-190. Other solutions on the market add some interpretation or correction of the motion data onto internal (biomechanical) models and also need some calibration methods which simply cannot be performed by the patients. For this purpose it needed non-interpreted motion data. We looked at other manufacturers of inertial gyroscopic systems and optical systems but found the solutions insufficiently matching our criteria.”

Prior to the availability of motion capture, medical professionals would have to diagnose by sight what the problem was with a patient and make a recommendation for treatment. Where the benefit of a second opinion was required, a two-dimensional video would have to be despatched to the third party. This is now available online in an instant.

Online access to data also offers the additional benefit of the ability to compare other factors affecting the patient. Each recording will go into a national database to build a picture for comparison by medical professionals. The impact of factors such as the environment can be compared with other cases online.

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Notes to editors:
About Animazoo
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

About Axtion
aXtion is a fast growing IT company located in the Netherlands. It was established by Yolanda Marani who has built the company to a team of 10, including IT experts and practical business management professionals. Using thorough process analysis techniques, the team creates products that not only excel in their technical ingenuity, but are also easy to apply.

The company works in a variety of sectors including social services, government and the business community. aXtion is the innovative partner that has the know-how in IT and communication, and applies business administration in developing its products and services.

For further information about Axtion visit: www.axtion.nl or call +31 (0)591 676 271.

For further press information please contact: Ruth Reynolds on tel: 07976 909044 or via email: ruth@ruthreynolds.com

 

10 April 2008

Challenging mocap scenes captured by Animazoo for multi-platform title Martial Arts: Capoeira by Twelve Interactive

Award winning motion capture company, Animazoo and Twelve Interactive, a leading Italian console game developer, have just completed a mocap shoot for Twelve Interactive’s second multi-platform title, Martial Arts: Capoeira.

Three capoeira champions from Soluna, Rome’s foremost capoeira group, were used to record the gravity-defying action. Martial Arts: Capoeira will be released on Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation®2, PSP™ and PC by Graffiti Entertainment in Q4 2008.

“This is the first time the inertial gyroscopic system has been used to capture data from capoeira,” said Ali Kord, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Animazoo. “It is notoriously difficult to capture capoeira due to the fast-paced twisting, turning and regular movement off the ground. Yet we managed to achieve this accurately, without occlusion.”

The two-day shoot took place recently in Rome. Over 200 shots were captured, which will generate over 1,500 in-game shots. The scenes included challenging jumps from standing - showing no effort from the legs – as well as leaps and high kicks. The three actors were of varying body sizes from light to heavy weight and included two men and one woman. The latest Animazoo IGS-190 H, a 32 sensor hybrid system, was used to capture the data.

"It has been very intensive but what this session will contribute to the game in terms of range of movement and realism is invaluable,” comments Giuseppe Crugliano, Managing Director of Twelve Interactive. "Martial Arts: Capoeira is a unique game drawing on a very original fighting form, with the help of Animazoo’s award winning technology and the expertise of Soluna it is totally living up to our expectations."

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Notes to editors:
About Animazoo
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

About Twelve Interactive: Twelve Interactive (http://twelvegames.com) is a leading Italian game development company founded in 2003 by Giuseppe Crugliano. In just a few years the company has become one of the most important console game developers in Italy, thanks to CID The Dummy (previously Crash Dummy), an action platformer for Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PSP™., PlayStation®2 and PC, out in March 2008, published by Oxygen. The company is a Nintendo Wii, Nintendo DS, PlayStation®2, PSP™ and PLAYSTATION®3 developer, and the staff is made up of 20 full-time employees, plus external contractors.

Twelve Interactive uses high profile technology for game development, such as VICIOUS ENGINE (www.viciousengine.com).

 

11 March 2008

ANIMAZOO ANIMATES STEEL MONKEYS’ 2 DAYS TO VEGAS

First glimpse demo version just released
www.animazoo.com

Steel Monkeys has completed the in-game animations and is currently finalising the cut-scenes for its eagerly awaited 2 Days to Vegas, thanks to the help of award winning motion capture company Animazoo. Steel Monkeys used two Animazoo IGS-190 mocap systems to achieve smooth and realistic animation and multiple character interaction within the game. To view the Steel Monkeys mocap in action click here.

A multi-platform project, 2 Days to Vegas is a story-driven third-person action adventure game. The player takes the role of Vinny, a man who has just been released from Rickers Prison following a three-year stretch. He must help get his younger brother out of trouble during an intense 48 hour race against the clock.

The gangster-style story is crammed with car chases, shootouts and unexpected twists to keep the player on the edge of their seat throughout the game. The action is set in several major cities across the USA.

Steel Monkeys are best known for their work on Corvette, Bob the Builder and Master Rallye. Tim Dvoskin, CEO of Steel Monkeys, explained how the decision to work with Animazoo came about:

“While choosing the equipment for our animation studio we studied and tested practically all modern mocap systems on the market. We considered optical and magnetic but found they had their limitations. We finally chose Animazoo’s IGS-190 because no other modern mocap system can give such clear initial data, especially when shooting in difficult environmental conditions.”

Using the IGS-190 you can shoot in practically any location – outdoors, in a car or in a studio, wherever required. The actor does not need to stay within a defined area, shooting can be done both inside and outside the studio – whatever the action dictates. Single or multiple actor motion capture is also possible without the danger of occlusion or marker swapping to enable maximum natural interaction.

“There are high demands on animations and cut-scenes in games of this caliber,” said Ali Kord, founder and Chief Technology Officer at Animazoo. “Our system has brought realistic fast-paced action to the in-game sequences in 2 Days to Vegas. The technology delivered data of the highest quality and accuracy, bringing the game to life for the user.”

Tim Dvoskin continued, “As well as accurate data, the Animazoo system was really easy to set up and work with, our team of animators picked it up really quickly. We had only one objective – to get high-quality animation, we’ve achieved this and more for 2 Days to Vegas.”

- Ends -

For further press information please contact Ruth Reynolds on 07976 909044 or ruth@ruthreynolds.com

About Animazoo:
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

About Steel Monkeys
Steel Monkeys is a cutting edge studio for game design and technology creation. We aim to be leaders in the development of high quality real-time video games, across present and emergent platforms. We are currently engaged in creating and porting games for PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, Nintendo Wii, PlayStation 2, and mobile 3D platforms.

Steel Monkeys is a rapidly growing team of around 70+ developers and has the strength, depth of talent, and experience required to develop the large-scale game projects demanded by today's publishers.

For further information about Steel Monkeys visit: www.steelmonkeys.com

 

18 February 2008

ANIMAZOO ANIMATES FIREFLY STUDIOS’ DUNGEON HERO

First public viewing of Dungeon Hero at SXSW Interactive, 7 March 2008, Texas

The launch of Dungeon Hero, the eagerly anticipated game from Firefly Studios, came a step closer this week following the completion of animation by Animazoo. Award winning motion capture company, Animazoo, using its latest system, the IGS-190, recorded an initial batch of 150 moves for Dungeon Hero at its Brighton-based studio facility.

Dungeon Hero, which will be available in PC and Xbox 360 formats, is an action title that reinvents the ‘Dungeon crawler’ genre. It uses motion capture to bring intense battle scenes alive with realistic natural movement and immersive scenery.

The multi-character mocap capability of the IGS-190 was used by Firefly Studios to generate maximum character interaction without the danger of occlusion or marker swapping. The animations recorded will enable the user to draw upon a range of sophisticated moves – such as attacking, striking or shielding which can be chosen according the scenario.

Darren White, Art Director, Firefly Studio explains: ”Working with Animazoo’s mocap system has enabled us to really bring the dungeon world alive in a realistic way. We’d heard about the IGS-190 and its advantages over optical systems and our experience backed this up. Hiring the system and studio gave us everything we needed in a cost-effective option that we could turn around quickly.”

“We were working to a tight deadline and needed to leave the shoot with clean data,” White continued. “We were able view the moves in real time on our game character which helped immensely with the process. It was so simple to use we didn’t need to think about the technology, we could just concentrate on directing the actors. We even had time at the end for some MotionBuilder training with the Animazoo team. We’re putting the data into our demo now and it looks great.”

The first viewing of Dungeon Hero will be in a demo shown at SXSW Interactive held in Texas in March. This will be the first playable code for Dungeon Hero ever seen. Viewers will be wowed by goblin doctors operating on the wounded, generals directing troops and monsters sitting in a complexity of trenches in the dungeon environment.

Ali Kord, Founder and Chief Technology Officer, Animazoo said: “The Dungeon Hero game demonstrates the versatility of Animazoo’s motion capture system and its ability to add natural movement and impact to computer game imagery. You can direct your subject’s performance and view the results at the same time. What’s more, the data is smooth and accurate requiring little, if any, cleaning.”

The IGS-190 features nineteen tiny inertial sensors or gyros attached to a flexible lycra suit allowing superior precision and stability of motion data. The system performs with no lag in real time, producing incredibly accurate data - even when raw. There’s no solving which saves the user time and the data retains nuance even with fast moves. It’s simple to use, even a beginner can be up and mocaping in 30 mins.

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For further press information please contact Ruth Reynolds on 07976 909044 or ruth@ruthreynolds.com

About Animazoo:
Animazoo has been at the forefront of innovation in the world of motion capture since the early 90's. Based in Brighton, the company is the manufacturer of the award winning Gypsy mocap range and the original groundbreaking gyroscopic IGS-190. It is the market leader in its field.

Portable, accurate and easy to operate, Animazoo products are used for live to air television broadcasts, live performance animation, even in assisting motorcycle designers and future astronauts.

Animazoo’s motion capture technology is used around the globe by a host of household names including; game developers such as Rockstar North – producers of Grand Theft Auto, and broadcasters including the BBC and RAI TV in Italy. Systems are also used at some of the world's most prestigious universities including Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Tokyo and MIT.

For further information about Animazoo visit: www.animazoo.com or call +44 (0) 1273 417440.

About Firefly Studios
Firefly Studios is a computer and video games development company, formed in 1999. The company has produced a number of high profile and commercially successful strategy games including the Stronghold series. It is currently working on a number of PC and next Gen console titles. Firefly Studios has offices in the United Kingdom and United States. For more information, please visit our website at www.fireflyworlds.com

For further information about Firefly Studios visit: www.fireflyworlds.com.