Oslo, Norway – May 10, 2023 – Pixotope just completely changed the game for virtual production education with the release of Pixotope Pocket. Available as part of the Pixotope Education Program, the app gives aspiring virtual production professionals what they need most: easy, unfettered access to augmented reality (AR) and virtual studio (VS) tools and workflows. Circumventing the need for a fully equipped studio, students need only a smartphone running the latest iOS and a PC to create powerful and immersive content anywhere, even dorm rooms.
Pixotope Pocket enables students to create immersive content with virtual production anywhere they can take their phone.
“The introduction of Pixotope Pocket represents the next evolution of the Pixotope Education Program,” says Pixotope Education Program Manager, Carina Schoo. “While we’ve made great strides in addressing the virtual production skills gap, we knew the technology could be made even more accessible to aspiring creators. The first step was to provide students access to our platform via their media facilities through the Pixotope Education Program. With Pixotope Pocket we are taking this one step further.”
Before (top) and after (below): students from Pixotope Education Program partner, University of Gloucestershire, experiment with adding augmented reality (AR) elements to their scene with Pixotope Pocket.
Pixotope Chief Revenue Officer, David Dowling, adds, “The virtual production skills gap is often cited as one of the main barriers to adoption. This is because getting the technology into the hands of tomorrow’s creatives has historically been cost and resource-prohibitive. Pixotope Pocket addresses that head on and makes the technology even easier to access and use. The result is an exponential increase in opportunities for students to hone their skills outside of their school’s media production labs.”
With the introduction of Pixotope Pocket, the Pixotope Education Program expands the ways in which students can engage with virtual production tools and workflows. Students can now access virtual production tools via both their school’s existing media production infrastructure and their own technology.
Pocket-Sized Pixotope-Powered Virtual Production
Unlike traditional AR and VS workflows, with Pixotope Pocket there is no need for a professional camera plus specific tracking hardware. The user can use the camera of their mobile phone to shoot footage while Pixotope Pocket takes care of the camera tracking. It does this by combining device motion tracking, camera scene capture, and advanced scene processing. Video and tracking data are transmitted via SRT stream through a local network to the local machine that has Pixotope Graphics installed.
Pixotope Education Program partner, University of Gloucestershire, played a crucial role in bringing Pixotope Pocket to market. To ensure that Pixotope Pocket meets the needs of today’s virtual production students with precision, a group of students from the Digital Media course tested the app in a workshop and provided valuable feedback.
Pixotope Pocket eliminates the need for fully equipped media studio, students need only a smartphone running the latest iOS and a PC to use virtual production tools and workflows.
“In order for our students to succeed in their careers they need to be able to understand technology, whether they’re using it themselves or commissioning someone else to use it,” says Anne Dawson, Head of the School of Creative Industries, University of Gloucestershire. “It’s very important that we partner with leaders in the industry, like Pixotope, to make the technology more accessible and help our students achieve this understanding.”
WATCH: UNIVERSITY OF GLOUCESTERSHIRE STUDENTS GET HANDS-ON WITH PIXOTOPE POCKET
Pixotope Pocket AR workflow diagram.
Pixotope Pocket is initially available on iOS, with support for Android devices following soon, to students enrolled in courses at establishments partnered with the Pixotope Education Program.
For more information on the Pixotope Education Program, please visit https://www.pixotope.com/pixotope-education-program
About The Pixotope Education Program
The Pixotope Education Program provides access to the software and tools that drive Virtual Production while connecting educators to experts from the global Pixotope community who can add breadth, depth and context to different curriculums. The Pixotope Education Program is made up of three core tenets:
Industry Insight-Based Approach
With so many different touch points and disciplines in media workflows where Virtual Production skills and knowledge need to be applied, there is no “one size fits all” curriculum or training program that covers it all. The Pixotope Education Program does not try to shoehorn all educators, courses, and students into one learning path and instead evaluates the requirements and connects them to the tools and expertise they need.
Access to Tools and Experts
Affordable access to the software and tools that drive Virtual Production is a keystone of the Pixotope Education Program. By putting these tools in the hands of students, they will be able to experiment and develop their skills with industry-standard technology. Beyond the technology, the program connects educators to Virtual Production experts from the global Pixotope community that can help shape timely and impactful curriculums.
Built In Professional Networking
Pixotope is joining forces with a diverse group of industry partners, covering vendors, creative agencies and local suppliers, to provide further access to tools and expertise. In addition, the partnerships in the Pixotope Education Program give graduating students a path into various aspects of the industry, and similarly the program also provides those partners with a talent pool from which to recruit.
About Pixotope
Dedication. Determination. Trust. Pixotope is at the forefront of democratizing virtual production and empowering content creators with accessible solutions for boundary-pushing immersive storytelling.
Having been proven on the most demanding live productions in the world, Pixotope offers media content owners and producers a reliable and sustainable Virtual Production Platform on which to build their media business.
Pixotope uniquely allows media creators to tell stories with the visual impact of high-end feature films, combined with the connected and scalable nature of online content and the immersive and social experience of video games.
With global 24/7 operations and a direct presence on four continents, Pixotope Technologies is on a mission to promote accessibility, ease of use, and customer success in Virtual Production for all media creators.
