Animatrik Bolsters Its Interactive VR Pipeline

Animatrik teams up with Lifelike & Believable to deliver large-scale, live interactive performances…

In the past, Animatrik has delivered high-end motion capture for both feature films and video games; such as Spider-Man: Homecoming, Gears of War and Justice League. Now, the studio is moving into the production of VR experiences driven by compelling, lifelike, and immersive animation.

We’ve partnered with Lifelike & Believable, the interactive animation consultants, to enhance our digital character pipeline and create immersive real-time VR experiences.

Brett Ineson, president and CTO of Animatrik, comments: “Animatrik is eager to get more involved in live, interactive performance and the spectrum that lies between AR and VR. A whole range of experiences exist; from fully-immersive worlds to bringing digital elements into the reality. A partnership with Lifelike and Believable is the next step for Animatrik on its journey down this path.”

Lifelike & Believable

Animatrik has delivered numerous real-time capture and performance data for large-scale VR/AR events, including the Oscar Award-nominated Carne y Arena, which thrusts viewers into the first-person view of migrant refugees.

By partnering with Lifelike & Believable, Animatrik will bolster its existing virtual production pipeline with the VR processes usually outsourced to game development studios, more deeply integrating digital characters into its VR pipeline and experiences. Lifelike & Believable will contribute its expertise in synthesizing movement from game engine data, achieving a lifelike performance from original motion within the VR experience.

Athomas Goldberg, president of Lifelike & Believable, comments: “We’re not just capturing a person and putting that exact same person in the environment. It’s about how we take movement and create something else from it – something that breathes, with the small nuances that make you believe that what you’re seeing is truly alive. One of the tools needed for this, to make the experience as rich as possible, is high-quality motion capture. Animatrik is the perfect partner in sculpting emotionally-engaging performances that actually play in real time.”

In turn, Lifelike & Believable will leverage Animatrik’s 17 years of experience in capturing performance across a wide range of situations, thus tapping into deep analysis of both human and animal locomotion.

Athomas began work in VR over 20 years ago, and his credentials include Technical Animation Director at THQ; development of new animation tools and runtime technologies for the Xbox One at Microsoft; and Director of Animation and Simulation Technologies at Electronic Arts. His interactive entertainment consultancy now serves AAA clients such as EA, Epic Games, Oculus VR and 343 Industries.

With locations in Vancouver and Los Angeles, Animatrik has delivered dynamic CG characters for some of the world’s biggest blockbusters. The team is now looking to further its reach into the world of virtual reality and live events.