Animazoo’s GypsyGyro-18 Draws Swords At Roman Expo
For immediate release
12th September 2005
Visiting public will bear witness to the fact that Rome really wasn't built in a day, being virtually transported back in time at the 'Building Virtual Rome' World Expo in the city's Markets of Trajan from Thursday.
Using state-of-the-art technology, including Animazoo's Gypsy Gyro-18 motion capture systems, visitors to the site will be fully immersed in a 3D stereoscopic view of the Roman Empire and Ancient Rome as part of the crowd from within a virtual coliseum.
The showpiece, a fight sequence performed by gladiators from Rome's famous Gladiator School was captured using two GypsyGyro-18 motion capture systems. The fight, shot over an area the size of a basketball court in one continuous 3 minute take is a "first" for motion capture technology.
The gladiator models, created by Past Perfect Productions and the University of Salerno, have been recreated from remains of actual gladiators found in Pompeii, using skulls, DNA samples and skeletal remains.
'The gladiator sequence was very complex with a lot of movement - it was a very aggressive fight as you can imagine' said Joel Myer's CEO from Past Perfect Productions and co-founder of the project. 'The Gypsy system was fantastic - it withstood all that we threw at it.'
'The Gypsy was critical to the project' he said. 'It is both cost effective and efficient - we shot all the action in one day. Other options were highly intensive in comparison.'
The gladiator fight is shown as a prelude to the VirtualRome Project, which will offer Italy its first virtual reality theatre, based in the heart of Rome next to the Colosseum. The project will give visitors an opportunity to relive a day in ancient Rome, through a three-dimensional stereoscopic and fully immersive show, expected to launch next spring.
The 'Building Virtual Rome' World Expo in association with UNESCO and the Rome City Council runs from 15th September to 20th November 2005.
Notes for Editors
About Animazoo
The future of motion capture.
www.animazoo.com.
Established in 1993, Animazoo manufacture the world famous Gypsy motion capture systems. Based in Brighton, with an international network of dealers and distributors, Animazoo has years of experience working in creative, academic and corporate markets.
Gypsy systems are used in computer animation, film and live performance; as well as in research and design applications.
Our client list includes some of the world's most prestigious universities - Warwick, Glasgow Caledonian, Yale and MIT; game developers, broadcasters and industry - Kuju Entertainment, the BBC, Suzuki and the Toyota Motor Corporation.
For more information about Animazoo, visit: www.animazoo.com or contact +44 (0) 1273 234 686, or email tamara@animazoo.com
For more about the Building Virtual Rome World Expo see;
http://www.buildingvirtualrome.org/
For more about Past Perfect Productions see;
http://www.pastperfectproductions.com
or contact the company at info@artresearch.org
For more about the University of Salerno see;
www.unisa.it
More about the technology partners
Fakespace Systems
VR Technology is provided by Fakespace Systems http://www.fakespace.com/about.htm who were responsible for the hugely successful Virtual Mummy project for the British Museum. http://www.fakespace.com/2004_releases.htm (release dated 07/08/04) and http://www.thebritishmuseum.ac.uk/mummy/