As LED-based XR is becoming increasingly used, Brainstorm has developed new features that allow for easier, faster and more integrated creation of immersive XR content specifically designed to be displayed on large LED videowalls. With these features, Brainstorm’s clients will see their XR content creation significantly accelerated when creating in-context AR in LED walls, XR Set extensions, or even backgrounds for film and drama production. Suite 5 has a dedicated interface for creating XR installations, which allows for modelling any kind of video wall, including curved, shaped and corner installations, and map the desired 3D content in such model. This facilitates the creation of virtual AR content to be directly displayed and seen by the camera with the correct perspective at all times. Also, by taking advantage of the Layers and Stacking features of InfinitySet, different renders, even with different resolutions and aspect ratios, can be mapped in a canvas of any size and aspect.

In addition, the unique integration of InfinitySet and eStudio with Unreal Engine is now even tighter, allowing for the inclusion of fully editable Brainstorm scenes and templates within an Unreal project, and vice-versa. This is especially useful when creating AR projects within Unreal, which benefit from Brainstorm’s advanced data-driven graphics and broadcast workflows compatibility. This is coupled with the acclaimed UnrealControl feature which supports editing the Unreal Projects directly within InfinitySet’s familiar interface with total ease and control of blueprints, objects and parameters. Suite 5 also features a new, redesigned internal chroma keyer that includes a new mode that embeds the Unreal Engine chroma keyer directly into InfinitySet. Brainstorm Suite 5 is fully compatible with Unreal Engine 4.27 and will be with UE 5.

“Brainstorm has been deeply involved with Augmented Reality and Virtual Production for decades now, and Suite 5 is the result of applying our expertise to the new display methods that broadcasters and filmmakers are introducing into their workflows” says Hector Viguer, Brainstorm’s COO and Engineering Director. “The advanced features of Suite 5 will allow any user to comply with any kind of VR/AR/XR requirement, regardless of how complex it is, and leaving them free to choose the production workflow they feel is best for their production, whether LED walls or chroma keying. We want to be agnostic so we can provide a solution for any requirement.”

Some other features are included, like improved HDR workflows, and better integration with robotic heads from manufacturers such as Panasonic or Sony. Also, Edison, the company’s virtual studio in a box product designed for live events and presentations, will also benefit from some of the above plus its own features as a result of its upgrade to V5.

Brainstorm Suite 5 will be available on March 1st, and will also be demonstrated at NAB 2022 at the Brainstorm booth N2608.

What started as a discussion concept between BBC and MOOV before the cancellation of Wimbledon 2020, developed into a full-blown project as a result of a drive to maximise the available time ahead of the 2021 Championships, bringing the focus onto the virtual facilities rather than BBC Sport to rethink the way the coverage was managed and so provide better stories, data and graphics.

Built around a green screen studio, the Wimbledon studio virtualisation effectively extended the space available far beyond its physical limits, providing new virtual spaces around the real desk, which in effect created a 360 studio. There were also new and alternative camera angles, more room to add infographics, and of course additional Wimbledon branding. The added bonus was the flexibility to change, adapt and make adjustments on demand that InfinitySet provided.

“We managed to create a virtual space that allowed for a dynamic coverage of the tournament which seamlessly combined real and virtual imagery in a way that significatively enhanced the story and audience engagement” says Nev Appleton, director and co-founder at MOOV. “This was a particularly challenging project, not only due to the time constraints, but also because of restrictions on people on-site as well as technical issues such as the requirements to re-purpose the studio for the daily highlights. But, despite the challenges, the really great results reinforced our commitment to use virtual technology for enhancing live events”.

The project had to be produced in record time, as the set designs were available only at the end of April 2021. MOOV worked closely with BBC Sport as well as with a team of talented artists, and also relied on Brainstorm’s InfinitySet to create the virtual set and AR tracking, using Unreal Engine. As the studio had five cameras, including pedestals, jibs and PTZ, to ensure the output quality required, each camera was equipped with a Brainstorm InfinitySet system with Unreal Engine. The final output combined the real set with a desk for the presenters, with actual windows looking out to show the courts, and integrating the virtual world to enable the graphics and AR information to be displayed on demand.

David Alexander, Brainstorm’s Commercial Director, adds: “Together with Paul Vanlint of Storm Broadcast, our reseller in the UK and Ireland, we’ve worked with MOOV on a number of projects but what was done at Wimbledon 2021 was at another level altogether! MOOV have a really talented team who have an in-depth knowledge of our products and how to get the most out of their rich feature sets and capabilities, whether it’s the InfinitySet or our Aston 3D motion graphics system, through to our Neuron, which integrates graphics and their management into NRCS systems. So, we were very pleased to work with the MOOV team on the BBC Sport project for such a prestigious and world renown sporting event”.

Based on Brainstorm’s real-time 3D technology, Edison PRO allows broadcasters, corporate, live events, education, houses of worship, influencers and online content providers to turn a simple presentation into a complete interactive show through an affordable and easy-to-use platform that does not require expensive hardware or a studio setup. A complete standalone system featuring future-proof hardware, Edison PRO is ready to work out of the box — all that is required is a camera and a portable chroma set to include the presenter in the virtual world with the presentation.

By using drag-and-drop operation, Edison can be used by anyone, and ships with a library of pre-defined templates, scenes, furniture, pointers, screens, and other objects to populate the scene, plus a number of interactive templates for quizzes and polls to further customize the event. It is also fully compatible with Unreal Engine, allowing Unreal’s photorealistic scenes to be used as 3D backgrounds for a presentation, enhancing the looks of your presentations. An optional Edison UC (Edison Unreal Control) plugin allows for controlling and editing the blueprints, objects, and properties of the UE scene directly from Edison’s own, user-friendly interface.

Installation, training, and support are straightforward, ensuring a rock-solid operation even in highly demanding live production environments. Edison PRO can be customized with options to match any customer requirement, present or future.

“By coupling advanced technology with extremely easy operation, Edison PRO helps users to bring their live and online presentations to a whole new level,” comments Brainstorm CEO, Ricardo Montesa. “It has been developed to bring the high-end quality of broadcast shows to users at a whole new price point, leveraging our more than 25 years of broadcast experience to create impactful presentations using pre-existing content, without requiring the expensive and time-consuming ad-hoc generation of new assets.”

More specifically, JB&A has initially been assigned the distribution of Edison PRO, which will be launching imminently. Through Edison PRO Brainstorm offers an affordable and easy-to-use high-end presentation tool that quickly transforms any live, online presentation, or conference session into a fully immersive experience using Augmented Reality (AR) and virtual environments.

“JB&A provides a unique approach to product and service distribution, acting as a value-added distributor,” comments Ruben Ruiz, EVP, Brainstorm, US & Canada. “They have been able to create best-of-breed product workflows at the distributor level with an extensive list of value-added channel partners, and we look forward to working with them to greatly expand Brainstorm’s footprint across North America.”

“We are delighted to add Brainstorm to our roster of channel partners,” comments Jeff Burgess, JB&A CEO. “Virtual production and 3D graphics in AR/VR/XR are technology trends in high demand in the industry across a growing number of sectors, and Brainstorm’s best-in-class product range is an excellent fit at many different levels for many different use cases.”

About JB&A Distribution
JB&A is a leader in the fields of Video, Broadcast, Production, and Pro AV. They are dedicated to bringing the most innovative and complete solutions to market including: Digital Media Management, IP Streaming, Digital Projection, and Connectivity. JB&A is staffed by industry experts, and is a unique mix of Consultant, Channel Partner, Solutions Provider and Distributor with an ecosystem of certified, tested and proven products and workflow solutions.

For more information about JB&A, please visit https://jbanda.com.

InfinitySet can receive the video and tracking information from the Sony cameras and render the virtual scene or the AR objects in real-time, even using photorealistic rendering and Unreal Engine, which creates a stunning visual experience for the viewers, affordable at the same time for any kind of production facility or broadcaster. On top of that, Brainstorm allows the Sony camera remote control RM-IP500 to direct InfinitySet’s virtual cameras. InfinitySet is the only virtual set and AR solution that allows this feature, allowing operators to run complex 3D virtual scenery in a familiar production environment.

In combination with InfinitySet, the BRC-H800 and X1000 are a powerful solution for enhancing storytelling and providing in-context AR graphics from external data sources, due to the advanced features of InfintySet, resulting from Brainstorm’s experience of more than 25 years in the development of real-time 3D graphics, virtual set and augmented reality solutions. The resulting workflow brings advanced AR to companies of any size and budget, by providing a PTZ tracking workflow that avoids the hassle of more complex tracking systems.

“Many of our products and solutions are built with modality and integration in mind so we’re always delighted to see them integrated in new and innovative workflows that broaden creative possibilities for producers and operators. Brainstorm has a series of truly distinctive software for virtual and AR set ups and we’re glad to be partnering with them here”, commented Norbert Paquet, Head of Live Production, Sony Professional Europe.

According to Thierry Gonzalo, Brainstorm’s Product Manager, “Our seamless integration with the Sony BRC camera line-up provides companies of any size to accomplish projects involving virtual sets and AR requirements, by using the PTZ tracking data and exceptional image quality from such cameras. Also, our ability to allow the Sony camera control to command InfinitySet’s production mode permits live production operators with no experience in virtual environments to run any virtual or AR show with total ease”.

Brainstorm and Sony will demonstrate this integration in a public webinar scheduled for March 5th, 2021, so anyone that wants to know more about this advanced workflow can register here.

InfinitySet takes full advantage of the latest hardware developments announced by NVIDIA, such as NVIDIA RTX GPU, to deliver the best rendering quality available in the market. By using NVIDIA RTX GPUs, InfinitySet can deliver real-time ray tracing, which provides a much more accurate rendering, especially with complex light conditions. Ray tracing offers more natural, more realistic rendered images, which is essential for photorealistic content generation.

Using these technologies, along with other advanced rendering capabilities like the Combined Render Engine with Unreal Engine 4.22, PBR (Physically Based Rendering) materials or HDR (High Dynamic Range), InfinitySet can create virtual content which can’t be distinguished from reality. This opens the door for content providers to use InfinitySet to create amazingly rendered backgrounds and scenes for drama or even film production, significantly reducing costs while opening new sources of revenue. For other broadcast applications such as virtual sets or augmented reality, InfinitySet provides unmatched, hyper-realistic quality both for backgrounds and graphics. Aston, Brainstorm’s 2D/3D motion graphics creation, CG and playout, also takes advantage of the PBR materials, so its compositions can be integrated seamlessly into AR environments created by InfinitySet, matching the image quality obtained with InfinitySet.

Rendering quality not only delivers an enhanced visual experience for the viewers but also represents a significant cost saving feature when using virtual scenes that can’t be distinguished from reality. And going far beyond broadcast, InfinitySet allows for using this technology to get substantial savings in the costs of filming and post-production, ensuring the adjustment of different shots (chroma, camera movements, background tracking, etc). Once everything is prepared in preview, InfinitySet can export the camera data, tracking and movement of the set to enter postproduction in the final format required, either 4K or 8K, with full quality.