Virtual billboards showing the teams logo
Composite image with virtual elements and raw camera feed side-by-side
Skycam being tracked by AirPixel flying above the playing field
AirPixel receiver mounted on the bottom of the SkyCam
Wide-area tracking
Venues are usually large. Airpixel is able to track cameras in areas as small as 4x4m (12x12ft) to spaces as large as 100x100m (300x300ft) and wider, with the same hardware setup.
Variation in lighting and weather conditions
AirPixel is based on radio technology in combination with inertial sensors. Therefore, the system operates independent of lighting and weather conditions, both indoors and outdoors.
Non-permanent installations
Setting up an AirPixel system in a large venue takes hours instead of days. Beacons can be mounted on stand-alone tripods or attached to rigging structures such as trusses. There is no need to connect the beacons in a network and the beacons can run of a battery or individual power supply.
Small on-camera footprint
AirPixel’s on-camera receiver consists of an antenna/sensor part and a separate processing unit. The antenna/sensor is mounted on the top or bottom of the camera. The processing unit can conveniently be placed elsewhere on the camera rig.
Reliable & robust
AirPixel’s technology originates form the automotive industry where reliability and robustness are key. The system is able to operate reliably over long time periods without the need for resetting or re-calibration. In case a beacon is moved or damaged, AirPixel can be easily re-calibrated.
Integration with existing AR broadcast pipelines
AirPixel can take genlocked FIZ data from lens and camera systems and feed that into an existing AR or virtual production platform such as Pixotope, disguise, Zero Density, Vizrt and Unreal Engine.
AirPixel works by utilising a collection of stand-alone beacons, which can be battery or permanently powered. Using ultra-wideband radio (UWB) they communicate with an on-camera receiver (rover). The rover calculates its position and orientation using the UWB data and an internal inertial measurement unit (IMU). This data is then processed through an advanced filter algorithm to give an accurate output of X, Y, Z, Pan, Tilt, and Roll.
The rover connects to a lightweight control unit which combines the position data with lens FIZ data, genlocks the output and transmits to the render engine via Ethernet or serial connection. Data is also formatted at this point in either AirPixel proprietary format ideal for use with our custom Live Link plugin, or FreeD format for extended software compatibility.
To set up the system, beacons are placed around the perimeter of the stage and/ or above the stage at varying heights and locations. The beacons are then surveyed using a high-speed robotic total station and bespoke in-house software. Using this method, it is possible to set the beacon locations with millimetre accuracy, and still complete setup in less than 2 hours for most configurations.
AirPixel works with many camera rigging systems, having been used on dolly, Steadicam, jibs, cranes and cable cams. It also works in any lighting conditions, including total darkness. In addition, we integrate with popular 3rd party products, to provide the best solution for your needs. This means that accurate data can often be provided on shots where traditionally tracking would be difficult or impossible.