Volumetric Vol. 8: Realize Mobile Communications XR Studio

Long-established volumetric capture company

The history of volumetric capture by Realize Mobile Communications, a SoftBank group company, goes back six years. In August 2018, the company opened a commercial studio in Japan, as stated in the press release at the time, ” Starting offering 3D hologram generation solutions from US company 8i that can be used in VR, AR, and MR in Japan.” .

In terms of bases, Shinagawa Studio was the only base at the beginning, but now Tatsumi Studio is also added, and it is in operation at multiple bases. Due to its long history and multiple bases, it can be said that it is the volumetric studio with the most shooting results in Japan.

Cooperation with 8i

Realize Mobile Communications’ volumetric imaging system is powered by 8i, headquartered in Los Angeles, USA. 8i is a volumetric capture system (the company calls it a hologram) company founded in 2014, and has been developing systems since the dawn of this field. Due to its long history, there was news in 2017 that half of the employees were laid off, but since then management rationalization and system generalization have progressed, and continuous technical improvements and studio operations have continued to this day . there is

A feature of the 8i is that it sells a set of volumetric capture systems to the outside. The system name is ASPX Hologram Stages, but as of March 2023, there are three types of shooting systems, Pro 2K, Pro 4K, and Pro 4K Ultimate, depending on the resolution and number of cameras used . .

　 　　

Tatsumi Studio and Higashi Shinagawa Studio

This time, I visited Tatsumi Studio, which has two types of capture areas, Pro 2K and Pro 4K. The wider Pro 4K can shoot subjects up to 2.5m in diameter and 2.2m in height. If it fits within this range, it is possible to shoot multiple people at the same time, and I was able to see a demonstration video of three idols singing at the same time.

The Pro 2K has a shooting area of ​​1.5m in diameter, which is also large enough to shoot a single subject. The shot data was processed by the rendering farm (nearly 100 servers) in the same studio, and the volumetric video data was completed in about an hour after shooting. 15 fps or 30 fps data is provided as delivery data, and the format is point cloud format, glTF base format, FBX serial number file, etc., according to customer needs.

Latest example: FASHION TECH TOKYO

As the latest example of shooting and production at the same studio, we will introduce the new fashion tech service “FASHION TECH TOKYO” in the Metaverse era announced by KINGBEAT Co., Ltd. on January 27, 2023. This service is an innovative fashion tech service that allows you to express new fashion, such as the production of 3D digital fashion for VR, AR, and metaverse, and the implementation of 3D fashion shows, by utilizing volumetric video (3D hologram) x digital fashion. It has become. In the video below, you can see a model wearing digital fashion shot at the same studio.

Supports live streaming

It also supports live streaming of volumetric video from the studio. The data of singing and dancing in the studio could be sent to the end user’s PC, smartphone, and head-mounted display after a delay of about 10 to 20 seconds. During my visit, I was able to confirm the staff walking in the Pro 4K capture area as 6DoF data on the VR head-mounted display called Meta Quest Pro prepared in the outside area.

Low price

In this series of interviews, I visited several studios, but Realize Mobile Communications was the only company that explicitly offered a price list for volumetric capture.

In the case of volumetric capture, the number of man-hours required for preparation and handling varies depending on the subject to be shot, the length of the shoot, and the purpose of use. Prices start at 700,000 yen, and Tatsumi Studio starts at around 1,300,000 yen. The reason why other companies cost several million yen, but the price is kept down to this level is probably the result of the rationalization and generalization of the shooting system and the improvements born from the long history.

By the way, depending on the project, you may be able to do more than the above price, so if you are interested in volumetric video production or live streaming, it would be a good idea to consult with us.