In the coming year, the Wild Capture team foresees increased demand for the use of digital humans in media production and messaging, and initiatives from technology companies to find new ways to develop products that require spatial media solutions. Paving the way for that Wild Capture, a volumetric technology platform and creative services studio for the creation of digital humans, announced this month several spatial media development initiatives, world-class partnerships, and high-end immersive activations.
Now the company is introducing the ‘Digital Human Platform’ to develop XR technologies and offer turnkey production services for the creation of digital humans, volumetric crowds and CG fashion for media production, software and web-based deliveries. The Wild Capture platform relies on an array of volumetric tools that give creators the ability to execute high concept creative projects with volumetric performances. Its proprietary volumetric capture and post-production processes are compatible with leading acquisition technologies, including industry partner, 4DViews, and others.
As the result of its strategic partnership with the XR Foundation, the Digital Human Platform features the Universal Volumetric (UVol) web streaming player, a cross-platform, open-source framework for web-based volumetric video. Co-developed by Wild Capture, the company is now offering commercial servicing of UVol used for the playback of digital humans in virtual space — described as watching a hologram on your phone. It will soon have the ability to comport to Unity, Unreal Engine, and other media platforms.
“It’s an exciting time for volumetric video, digital humans and their place in the modern era of digital communication and spatial media,” says Driscoll. “Wild Capture’s collaboration with strategic partners and investment in our development pipeline for volumetric fashion, crowd systems and UVol, ideally positions us to standardize and prepare for next-generation web-based spatial media needs as we continue to execute high-end activations.”
In 2021, Wild Capture entered into a joint partnership with Atlanta-based Creative Media Industries Institute (CMII) at Georgia State University to bring high-quality volumetric activations and digital humans to market. Aimed at providing advanced technologies such as XR filmmaking and motion capture, CMII operates as an educational facility for advanced technology workforce training and collaborates with media and creative industry enterprises moving into new technologies.
The partnership takes advantage of Wild Capture’s spatial media expertise and on-site production services to bolster CMII’s volumetric capture stage and production setting to accommodate the formidable Atlanta film and television industry. It also showcases Wild Capture’s centerpiece Digital Fashion Toolkit that customizes fashion assets such as wardrobe changes and clothing color and the capabilities of its Cohort Crowd Kit, a library of volumetric crowd performances used to create lifelike crowds in volumetric video.
“As industry partners, we are thrilled to rely on Wild Capture’s extensive knowledge of how the complete volumetric content pipeline works to both educate the next generation of talent and engage spatial media clients,” says Candice Alger, Supervising Producer Virtual Production CMII/Professor of Practice AR, VR, Virtual Production.
Louis Normandin, Co-founder, and Head of Operations at Wild Capture, adds the company’s AI products provide creators high-quality performance capture tools and solutions to empower their creative and financial objectives.
“We have reached an era where digital humans are here and the realism of our captures is the key to sparking imagination for the collective audience,” says Normandin. “Wild Capture is honored to be collaborating with the talented virtual production team at CMII and delighted our Digital Human Platform continues to be embraced by such a wide range of creators.”
Wild Capture has produced assets for hundreds of captures for clients in the immersive space. These include XR, CG fashion for e-commerce, virtual live events and NFT’s for metaverse activations, and live-action filmmaking with volumetric digital humans for VFX.
Key project highlights include:
- Dallas Austin, Kaelyn Kastle and Jazzy Tha Rapper music video and virtual concert series – Wild Capture provided performance captures and implemented its Cohort volumetric crowd and CG fashion capabilities that included numerous virtual wardrobe changes, backup dancers and various environments to position and playback an entire live virtual concert performance by the artists. Leading assets will be repurposed for Austin’s new metaverse experience and NFT creations.
- Anemoia short sci-fi film – Set against a dystopian future metropolis complete with holograms, robotic AI and metaverse-like experiences, and periods in the past, Wild Capture provided cinematography and volumetric video services to realize 3D models and achieve transitional and other visual effects.
- Latto – For Sprite and the Atlanta Hawks, Wild Capture partnered with CMII and the You Are Here (YAH) agency to facilitate a music video series starring Atlanta rap artist, Latto. Shot in volumetric video, imagery will appear throughout stadium monitors during halftime shows at the State Farm Arena in Atlanta, and other venues.