January 23, 2020 – Hawkeye Systems, Inc. (on behalf of its future subsidiary, Radiant Images) has announced Meridian, a light field capture system for immersive content creation and filmmaking offering photographic 6DoF (six degrees of freedom),
Commissioned by Sony Electronics, Radiant Images has developed its Meridian portable light field camera system, which allows filmmakers to bring an audience into a virtual reality environment without compromising image quality. Meridian captures live-action 6DoF, footage that enables the viewer to move through and look around while still maintaining the look and feel of live-action cinematography, according to the company.
“Immersive capture technology innovation is focused on moving beyond VR and allowing audiences the ability to move within their stories,” said Michael Mansouri, co-founder of Radiant Images. “This opportunity with Sony enabled us to explore new possibilities and achieve these forward-thinking solutions. With the Meridian, content creators can achieve truly impactful results.”
When viewing a light field volume from within the Meridian capture system, the viewer can enjoy a lifelike, immersive sensation of virtual presence with full 6DoF, enabling movements forward-back, side-to-side, up-down or turning one’s head. Though developed with the Sony RX0 in mind, the Meridian capture system – like most of Radiant’s innovations – is camera agnostic, meaning it can be used with a range of suitable cinematic cameras.
Radiant’s Meridian consists of 24 synchronized, equidistant Sony RX0 cameras mounted inside each modular panel, also known as an array. The panels of cameras capture light from all the various angles and vantage points that pass through the area, or frame. Acting as ‘windows’ into the virtual world, the panels can be stacked and arranged to accommodate shots of any size, from small tabletops to large landscape environments, to create the desired immersive environment.
Each Meridian panel measures 3-by-4 feet and contains 24 cameras in four rows and six columns. The company states that as a result the system is portable, and panels can be built on top of one another and arranged to capture a variety of angles, depending on the shot. With enough panels on set, a content creator can potentially carve out a large area for users to move around inside, according to the company.
Image credit: Hawkeye Systems, Inc./Radiant Images
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Sam is the Founder and Managing Editor of Auganix. With a background in research and report writing, he has been covering XR industry news for the past seven years.