1) What exactly is an inertial-ultrasonic virtual camera tracking system? How does it change video game development?

An inertial-ultrasonic virtual camera tracking system, which is used in InterSense’s VCam, is part of InterSense’s precision motion technology that allows customers to know exactly where something is physically located and pointed in a given space and time. The technology is accurate to a few millimeters in position, less than a degree in orientation and is updated every 0.006 seconds, as to providing users with the best data available. We accomplish this by fusing multiple tracking technologies into one hybrid solution.

Specific to gaming this technology is used for the “cut scenes” of game cinematics, which traditionally are hand animated taking four to eight hours just to complete a camera placement for one scene. With the VCam, the animator or game developer picks up the VCam and records the scene in real-time as if it is being shot with a video camera. This take can be played back immediately and re-shot as many times as necessary providing a cinematic, realistic shot for the game in a fraction of the time.

For the IS-900 technology, which the VCam is adapted from, we combined miniature gyroscopes, accelerometers and acoustic speakers and microphones made up of MEMs technology into tracking system that delivers real-time position and orientation of objects placed in the tracking volume. Much like a ship’s navigation system which relies on inertial components and GPS to correct for inertial drift, the IS-900 uses miniature inertial components for tracking and a local grid of ultrasonic transmitters for inertial drift correction.

2) What does the InterSense VCam do that other in-game cameras could not and how does it change the development cycle for the game?

Traditional animated cameras for cut scenes are key framed and provide a smooth, but sometimes synthetic-looking shot. Other camera technologies provide orientation only (pan and tilt) input for cinematics, which can speed up production time over key framing, but still limit shots. Some plug-in software has been developed for programs like Maya and Autodesk® MotionBuilder® to simulate hand held motion for game cinematics, but this also requires tweaking and programming to achieve a realistic hand held style comparable to the VCam.

The VCam on the other hand offers a full, six degrees of freedom and a natural camera interface for setting and recording game cinematics. It gives the directors greater flexibility to rapidly produce, modify and finalize the shots needed for the game. Some game developers are also looking at using the VCam technology to record first person views of game play.