CAMBRIDGE, UK, August 4, 2004 – Ray-tracing hardware provider ART VPS has teamed with SpheronVR, the maker of 360-degree digital cameras, to provide a complete solution for 3D high-dynamic range imaging (HDRI). The two companies will demonstrate their combined capabilities in booth #1051 at the SIGGRAPH 2004 conference and exposition.
SpheronVR's mobile camera and processing software enable users to generate 360-degree HDR images for use in digital and print media. The system outputs up to 50 mega-pixels of full spherical image data and can capture a dynamic range of 26 f-stops in one pass. SpheronVR also provides advanced features such as spherical light maps for direct illumination of computer-generated objects.
Images from the SpheronVR camera can be brought into popular 3D applications and integrated into scenes. Rendering can then be done with an ART VPS PURE card or RenderDrive system, both based on modular ray-tracing architectures that maximize HDRI performance. ART VPS hardware interfaces directly with 3ds max, Maya, Viz and CATIA software, allowing full-frame image previews in seconds.
"ART VPS's hardware ray-tracing is the perfect complement to the SpheronVR camera and software," says Dr. Marcus Weiss, SpheronVR's sales director. "The combined systems dramatically speed the two processes – data acquisition and photorealistic rendering – that are traditionally among the most time-consuming in digital content creation."
The two systems make it feasible for studios of any size to create HDRI backgrounds that increase scene realism, says Peter Taylor, ART VPS sales director.
"The combination of our two systems can put HDRI in almost any artist's or animator's toolbox," he says. "It's no longer the exclusive domain of big studios and corporations."
About ART VPS Ltd.
ART VPS Ltd. offers hardware-accelerated 3D ray tracing systems that generate visually realistic images up to 35 times faster than conventional software renderers. The company's PURE and RenderDrive systems improve design communication and help reduce the time and cost required to bring a new project to market.
About SpheronVR AG
SpheronVR AG develops, produces and distributes full spherical HDR cameras and associated software solutions. Clients around the world use the company's technology for a diverse range of applications, including multimedia presentations, image-based lighting for movies and TV, print production, autonomous robots, crime scene documentation, high-end automotive imaging, and others.
RenderDrive was a tremendous help in creating the look I wanted. Not only does it support accurate depth-of-field rendering, it also supports area lights with ray traced soft shadows. It's like half the tools you need to light an image have been missing form our toolbox for all these years. What a thrill to get them back!
