Pixotope Fly: Creating Augmented Reality with Drones by Jose Antunes

With Pixotope Fly, what once required helicopters and Hollywood blockbuster post production can now be achieved in real time with a single software solution. Discover at NAB New York!

Pixotope, the leading software platform for end-to-end real-time virtual production solutions, was unveiled at NAB Show New York. Pixotope Tracking – Fly Edition (Pixotope Fly) is a new camera tracking software solution that dramatically simplifies the creation and tracking of augmented reality elements using drones. cable camera. Proprietary markerless technology eliminates the complex set-up and creative constraints imposed by tracking markers, allowing you to engage audiences with dynamic, real-time aerial photography in productions and live events.

At the NAB show, Pixotope will detail the XR edition, designed to tackle complex and resource-intensive set-up and production barriers, and the Pixotope Education Program, which the ProVideo Coalition covered in previous news. But the highlight of Pixotope’s presentation at NAB Show New York is the Pixotope Fly. This industry-first markerless camera tracking software solution democratizes the use of aerial AR elements, enabling creatives to easily and efficiently create and track dramatic high-flying 3D graphics on drones in real time.

“We are extremely proud of what we have achieved with Pixotope Fly,” said David Dowling, Chief Revenue Officer at Pixotope. “It eliminates the resource-intensive setup required by existing drone tracking technology. It is deceptively simple to use, with no need for specialized sensor cameras, markers or proprietary hardware. It’s just a cable camera and software, and what previously required a helicopter or Hollywood blockbuster post production can now be done in real time with a single software solution.”

Pixotope Fly increases creativity and reduces risk

Pixotope Fly has already been tested by Pixotope’s creative partner, Silver Spoon Animation, on a major live national broadcast of a US stock car race. In one example, when a Pixotope Fly-calibrated drone pulls away for a wide shot, the viewer sees a stunning real-time animation of the winning driver surrounded by his particles and his effects. , celebrated the victory. Additionally, Silver Spoon delivered his RV stunts his jump defying gravity on the track as his AR ad.

“Our client wanted something the audience had never seen before. We needed a technology solution,” said Dan Pack, managing director of Silver Spoon Animation. “Thanks to his software-based TTL tracking technology, Pixotope Fly has allowed clients to achieve extraordinary live effects beyond what was previously possible in real time.”

Pixotope claims its new solution shows how streamlined technology can boost creativity and reduce risk, and Pixotope Fly ushers in a new era of virtual production with key benefits including: I am adding that I will tell you.

• Streamlined Setup and Operation: Marker-based tracking systems require a significant lift in terms of resources and preparation of the shooting environment. Someone has to physically and strategically place the markers on the ground. Pixotope Fly removes this process entirely with software-based markerless TTL technology, reducing the time and resource costs required to get up and running.
• Creativity Freedom: Pixotope Fly gives producers the freedom to roam the sky without worrying about losing track of their markers. This is common in live environments thanks to changing light, weather, and other unforeseen interference. Add AR wherever you can fly your drone. The software does all the work, no sensor camera required.
• Reduced risk in live production: Marker-based systems require producers to keep drones within a very precise range. If anything obscures the markers on the ground during the live broadcast, the entire illusion collapses and the drone loses its tracking ability. With Pixotope Fly, the software continuously updates reference points, so users are not at the mercy of markers in difficult-to-control environments.

About the Pixotope Fly

“Beyond the creative and cost benefits, the Pixotope Fly reduces the risk of failure during live broadcasts. We don’t have to worry about catastrophic live-tracking failures because of this,” concludes Dowling.

A markerless, in-lens (TTL) tracking solution, the Pixotope Fly uses computer vision technology to leverage video from an onboard camera to anchor points in natural live environments such as rocks, trees and buildings. Identify, lock and lock. Track 3D graphics. The software uses these natural anchor points to generate a virtual point cloud set of digital tracking markers that respond and adapt to changes in the environment. This means makers can add exciting AR graphics anywhere a drone can shoot, indoors or outdoors, for more creative freedom and a more dynamic viewing experience.

Pixotope Fly is available immediately to all existing Pixotope customers. Follow the link for more information.