Award-winning Australian visual effects company Alt.vfx has launched a new virtual reality division, Alt. R&D.
The
new division (pronounced 'Altered'), will see the company capitalise on
their reputation for stunning visuals such as those displayed in last
year's innovative 360-degree Captain Risky campaign, the company's
latest offering in the virtual reality space.
Formalising the new VR division, new chief technologist, Raymond Leung (above, right)
and senior producer, Tyrone Estephan (above, left) have joined the fold, bringing
complementary skillsets and an equally passionate outlook to the
company's VR offering.
Says Colin Renshaw, co-founder, Alt.vfx: "Both Raymond and Tyrone have the kind of
experience and approach that will push Alt forward in the VR space. From an Alt perspective, it is the
people and the creativity that drives everything. These appointments
show how serious we are about the potential of VR as a medium."
While
a lot of companies in the current Australian industry are focusing on
the shooting, stitching and compositing of filmed, captured content to
create the 360-degree videos, Alt's ambitions lie in one of their
greatest strength - the creation of stunning, fully CG visuals.
Chief
technologist Leung, whose previous experience includes both gaming and
virtual reality with companies like The Mill, has been leading the
experimentation at Alt's Brisbane headquarters.
Says Leung: "So far we've been
taking existing assets, and putting them into a real time environment
using Unity and Unreal Engine. We're creating work that is
usable in both CG environments and real time game engines, so part of my
work is to try and optimise that kind of pipeline."
With his
background in visual effects and VR, including an innovative VR project
for the Northern Territories Government recreating the bombing of
Darwin, senior producer Estephan is keen to emphasise the emerging
nature of the new technologies.
Says Estephan: "Clients and content creators
have to realise that this isn't visual effects. This is virtual reality.
It's a different thing. It's not a trend. We're working on
a whole new frontier. Since our focus is going to be real time, game
engine powered VR, we're very excited by things like PlayStation VR,
which will continue to push the limits of what we do with this new
medium."
Says Takeshi Takada, co-founder Alt.vfx: "Our whole
push is to find ways to leverage what we do, and do well, and make a VR
experience a logical next step for a brand. In terms of story-telling,
when we talk about R&D influencing creative, in many ways what we
mean is that we are learning how to tell stories in a new way. That's no
easy thing. It becomes our point of difference. The technology is there
to create these real time environments, the only thing that is lacking
in them is the quality of the visuals, which is where Alt comes in."
If
you would like more information on Alt.vfx VR projects and
capabilities, contact senior producer, Tyrone Estephan at T +61 2 9199
8008.
Web: altvfx.com.