CamTrackAR, the industry’s first Mobile Virtual Production Studio for iPhone and iPad has reached a new stage, with a more user-friendly interface and more options in terms of virtual production.

Introduced last August (2020) CamTrackAR marked FXhome’s arrival to the world of smartphone apps. CamTrackAR became the first iOS app to enable content creators to simultaneously record footage while capturing flawless camera tracking data in real-time directly on iPhone. FXhome, creators of free video editing and VFX software HitFilm Express, said, then that CamTrackAR would “change the process of filmmaking forever, offering an easy solution for professionals needing quick pre-visualization and any video creator wanting to speed up their post-production workflow.”

Less than one year after the release of the app, FXhome announces a significant update to CamTrackAR. With CamTrackAR v2.0, FXhome has added compelling new features that transform iPhone or iPad into an on-set Virtual Production Studio, with features such as the ability to import 3D models as virtual backgrounds or props and dynamically place them within a scene; professional chroma key filters for working with green or blue backgrounds, allowing users to easily select and isolate subjects before applying virtual backgrounds; and the ability to import still images to place into virtual scenes.

CamTrackAR v2.0 now provides a powerful on-set pre-vis tool that leverages the power of the LiDAR Scanner on iPhone and iPad to create a powerful virtual production studio environment for filmmakers and content creators. This innovation alone eliminates significant time and effort creating virtual production pre-vis scenarios in post-production and losing valuable time waiting for 3D camera trackers to process footage frame-by-frame. Additionally, the simplicity of the UI and user experience opens a massive opportunity for a new generation of filmmakers using iPhone or iPad to step up their productions with some of the most advanced post-production techniques made available with 3D tracked footage created in CamTrackAR.

CamTrackAR leverages Apple’s ARKit and LiDAR Scanner for automatic and instant AR placement, improved motion capture and people occlusion to enable Hollywood-caliber virtual production workflows on iPhone or iPad.

New features in CamTrackAR v2.0

With the release of CamTrackAR v2.0, FXhome is introducing a breadth of new features to enhance the on-set virtual production workflow, including:

• New User Interface
  • CamTrackAR presents a new and more user-friendly interface providing more control to virtual production scenes;
  • Designed to be familiar to anyone who uses the default camera app on iPhone or iPad.
• Virtual Production Features
  • Import 3D models as virtual backgrounds or props, place dynamically around a scene;
  • Professional chroma key filter for working with green or blue backgrounds, allowing users to easily select and isolate subjects before applying virtual backgrounds;
  • Professional de-spill filter to remove color cast from the background onto the subject;
  • Modify chroma keying properties in real-time to suit your needs and environment;
  • Real-time compositing and keying to place your actors within a virtual environment.
• Camera Controls
  • Enhanced camera controls for focus
  • New controls for exposure and exposure bias
  • New controls for color temperature
• Export
  • Export camera data to Autodesk FBX format
• Playback and Transfer
  • The user can playback sessions within the CamTrackAR app on the device of an external monitor (this is still to be confirmed). This allows directors to view dailies or sign off on collaborative scenes on set, rather than delaying until post-production.

CamTrackAR v2.0 also carries forward key features from the original version, such as:

• Fast and accurate 3D camera track:
  • Set a floor plane with the green tracking grid and add in anchor points with the tap of a finger.
  • CamTrackAR utilizes iPhone and iPad’s powerful hardware to produce the perfect track in real-time using ARKit.
  • CamTrackAR automatically gathers information from the scene in order to build an optimized track.
• Flexible customization options:
  • Option to disable AutoFocus for more accurate tracks;
  • Support for multiple frame rates including 30FPS.
• Multiple export options
  • Export available to HitFilm (.hfcs) and Blender (.py) for free within the App Store version of the app.  Export available to Plain Text (.json, .csv) and paid software such as After Effects (.jsx).

Pricing and availability

CamTrackAR is available immediately as a free download on the App Store. The free version of CamTrackAR v2.0 exports pre-tracked footage for use in content creation platforms such as HitFilm Express and HitFilm Pro, as well as Blender.

Features such as the ability to add multiple anchor points for tracking and the ability to export to additional content creation programs such as After Effects are available as in-app purchases or on a subscription basis. They are priced at $4.99 USD per month for a subscription, or a $29.99 one-time payment.